Make Spaghetti Unforgettable With A Staple That's Hiding In Your Fridge

Baked spaghetti rightfully earns its place as a constant go-to in our weeknight dinner rotation because, honestly, most people love it. It's saucy, full of texture, and comforting as a warm hug. We adore a creamy, cheesy twist on classic baked spaghetti, and, today, we're serving up a similar product with even greater silkiness and versatility. We say that your spaghetti wants — nay, begs for! — cream cheese.

There are a few different ways to incorporate this fridge staple into your spaghetti dish, and many of them work even if you aren't the biggest fan of baked pasta. Per TikTok, you can mix up a quick roux and make a cream sauce using your brick o' Philadelphia (block cream cheese really is the play for this dish), which you can then toss with your pasta before layering on your marinara. We've also seen folks merely soften the cream cheese with the residual heat from your (drained) pasta. You could also use the microwave to soften cream cheese fast, and mix in milk to make a quick-and-easy cream sauce that doesn't require busting out the canister of flour. For the rosé treatment, mix together your marinara and softened cream cheese, coating the spaghetti.

You can either pop your casserole in the oven and bake it, or serve your saucy, creamy spaghetti as it is. No matter what avenue you take, your finished dish will be smoother, more velvety, and absolutely flavorful. 

It's tremendously uncomplicated to work cream cheese into your spaghetti. Better yet, there are several ways to do things, which means that you have the opportunity to get creative. With jarred sauce and some quick stirring, you have a speedy dinner that will suit the busiest nights. If you'd like, however, you can riff on these ideas and make an intrepid, delish casserole.

We've been known to add a packet of instant soup to our spaghetti sauce to add nutrition via the dehydrated veggies, for example. Fresh veggies, too, will make your spaghetti sing: peppers and onion are "duh, of course!" additions, but don't overlook meaty mushrooms, or even just fortifying your sauce with diced celery and carrots, à la a classic Bolognese. 

Speaking of bolognese, ground beef, veal, pork, or sausage will really elevate your pasta and give it serious main character energy. Can you imagine strata of cream cheese sauce, marinara, and ground meat? It features all the best parts of lasagna minus the fussiest parts of preparation. You can also stud your casserole with meatballs before throwing it in the oven! The endless possibilities will have us whipping this up week after week.