This spaghetti Alfredo dish combines classic pasta with tomato meat sauce and Alfredo sauce for a delicious combination. It makes plenty, so enjoy leftovers or take it to a potluck!
What is Spaghetti Alfredo?
Spaghetti Alfredo combines two favorite pasta dishes: spaghetti with hearty meat sauce and pasta with creamy Alfredo sauce. It is layered in a casserole dish with mozzarella cheese on top and baked into melted cheese comfort food! It works because the flavor of the meaty tomato sauce and the cheesy parmesan sauce complement each other. And best of all, the Alfredo sauce helps keep leftovers from being dry!
Four Steps to Making Spaghetti Alfredo
There are four steps to making this dish, and you can overlap them to save time.
- Boil the spaghetti.
- Make the Alfredo sauce.
- Make the meat sauce.
- Melt the cheese in the oven.
Boil the Spaghetti
To make al dente spaghetti, follow the cooking instructions on the pasta package. Opt for dry pasta from a box rather than fresh for this recipe, as it will better withstand the heavy sauce without disintegrating. Fresh pasta pairs well with cream sauces, while dry pasta is more suitable for meat sauces. Since this recipe includes both sauces, dry pasta will yield the best outcome.
Make the Alfredo Sauce
Finish by making the quick-cooking Alfredo sauce. The key to a great-tasting sauce is to use freshly grated parmesan cheese. Fortunately, parmesan is a hard cheese that grates easily and quickly with a microplane. Be careful using prepacked cheese because it may have anti-clumping additives that make it difficult to melt.
Make the Meat Sauce
Work on the meat sauce while the pasta cooks. You can add more or less of the spices you like to flavor the meat sauce. I recommend using Chef Paul Prudhomme’s Herbal Pizza & Pasta Magic to season it. If you prefer a spicy version, try Hot & Sweet Pizza & Pasta Magic.
Melt the Cheese
Finish layering this dish by adding the cooked spaghetti sauce on top of the spaghetti. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top. Then, bake for about 15 minutes or until the cheese melts.
Number of Servings for Spaghetti Alfredo
This recipe makes a large pan of pasta with 10-12 servings. It is a decadent dish because of the butter, heavy cream, cheese, and meat sauce, so expect it to go far. Leftovers heat well in the microwave or oven and do not dry out as much as regular spaghetti because of the Alfredo sauce. Enjoy!
Other Pasta Recipes You Might Like
Click on each name to link to the recipe.
- Ravioli Primavera
- Pasta and Peas
- Hatch Macaroni and Cheese
- Chicken Cavatappi
- Vegetable Lasagna Roll-ups
How to Make Spaghetti Alfredo
Equipment
- 1 sheet waxed paper
- (1) 9 x 13-inch baking dish
Ingredients
Spaghetti
- 1 pound box dry spaghetti noodles
- cooking spray
Alfredo Sauce
- 8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cups whipping or heavy cream
- 2 cups parmesan cheese, freshly grated
Meat Sauce
- 1 pound hamburger (see the note below on meat blends)
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning (see the note below for recommended seasoning)
- (1) 32-ounce jar of spaghetti sauce (Rao's Tomato Basil used)
- 1 ½ cups mozzarella cheese
Instructions
Spaghetti
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook according to the package instructions. Then drain and place the spaghetti into a 9 x 13-inch baking dish sprayed with cooking spray. Cover with waxed paper to keep it from drying out.
Alfredo Sauce
- Melt the butter in a large skillet. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add the cream and heat until hot. Remove the pan from the heat and add the grated Parmesan cheese. Stir until melted. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Remove the waxed paper and pour the Alfredo sauce over the spaghetti in the baking dish. Stir with a fork to coat all the spaghetti with the sauce. Cover again with waxed paper.
Meat Sauce
- Saute the hamburger until almost brown. Add the onions and cook until they are translucent and the meat is brown. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add the Italian seasoning and stir. Add the spaghetti sauce and stir to mix.
- Remove the waxed paper and pour the meat sauce over the spaghetti in the baking dish. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Bake for 15 minutes until hot and the cheese melts.