Give Your Baked Spaghetti A Creamy Finish With This Classic Sauce

Whether you're feeding a crowd, sitting down with family, or stocking the fridge for the week ahead, baked spaghetti is a go-to for ridiculously easy comfort food. And if you're looking to kick up your baked spaghetti without any extra effort, try swapping the usual marinara sauce for creamy alfredo sauce. Simply layer it in with your spaghetti prior to popping it in the oven. That single switch turns a familiar, tried-and-true casserole into something rich, indulgent, and a bit innovative — like baked ziti's cream-based cousin. Because alfredo is naturally thicker than tomato-based sauces, it bakes beautifully without turning watery, coating every strand of pasta in rich, creamy goodness. 

Whatever you do, make sure you slightly undercook your spaghetti before spooning it into your baking crock and letting it finish in the oven, so it soaks up all that velvety sauce without becoming mushy. And feel free to mix in a little extra parmesan, mozzarella, or even a dollop of cream cheese for maximized cheesy-ness. For a bonus twist, consider an alfredo version of a baked spaghetti frittata with sauteed broccoli rabe for a nice touch of green, or stir in some green peas for a vegetable boost. 

A traditional Italian alfredo sauce contains mostly butter and parmesan, but the version most Americans now know and love usually includes some heavy cream. Either version can be great on a tossed fettuccini alfredo, but in a baked spaghetti dish, you're going to want to go with a cream or milk-based sauce that has plenty of moisture for your noodles to soak up. Making this creamy American alfredo sauce at home is fairly simple, but sometimes jarred is the way to go.

If you're looking for an alfredo fix for busy nights, jarred options are also a brilliant alternative, and work great in a baked spaghetti. Among store-bought sauces, according to our carefully tested alfredo rankings, Rao's Homemade Alfredo comes out on top. But there are plenty of great options — Bertolli and Classico both deliver a rich flavor at a gentler price point, while Newman's Own offers a lighter take. Generally, if you want a sauce that tastes homemade, look for ingredients you could have in your pantry — butter, milk, and real cheese should be near the top of the list. 

And with any of these options, you can always upgrade that jarred alfredo with a whirl of pesto or roasted garlic and shallot. Try reducing a thin sauce to amp up the flavor and caramelization — or even add a splash of leftover marinara for depth. In fact, don't shy away from using a fifty-fifty mix of alfredo and another pasta sauce in your spaghetti bake; it's a great way to use up those half-empty jars in your fridge in a way that is delicious rather than desperate.