Mrs. Texas Casserole–a baked spaghetti casserole with creamy pasta, seasoned ground beef, and marinara sauce topped with mozzarella and parmesan cheese.
Mrs. Texas Casserole
Today’s recipe is a delightful baked spaghetti type of dish. The cream cheese adds a rich, creamy element, while the marinara sauce balances it with bright, tangy flavor. I used my Instant Pot and oven to create this dish but you can also just use your stove and oven. If you have an air fryer lid to your Instant Pot you can use that for the baking step instead. This recipe is adapted from Mrs. Texas Casserole on From Our Kitchen To Yours. The author got the recipe from a church cookbook…not sure who named it and why but oh well!
Ingredients/Substitution Ideas
- Lean ground beef–or ground turkey
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
- Garlic powder
- Beef broth–or water and Better than Bouillon
- Spaghetti–or angel hair
- Cream cheese–or boursin
- Spaghetti sauce
- Mozzarella
- Parmesan cheese
Steps
Turn Instant Pot to saute setting. When display says HOT add in the ground beef and break it up. Brown for 5 minutes. Drain off excess grease. Stir in the salt, pepper and garlic powder.
Pour in the broth and scrape bottom of pot so that nothing is sticking. Turn off Instant Pot.
Break the spaghetti in half and lay it in a criss cross pattern in the pot.
Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set manual/pressure cook button to 4 minutes. When time is up let pot sit for 10 minutes and then move valve to venting. Remove the lid.
Stir in the cream cheese until melted and incorporated.
Spread the mixture in a 8×11 inch glass pan (or another similar size pan).
Spread the spaghetti sauce on top.
Bake at 350° F for 30 minutes. Sprinkle the cheeses on top and bake for 5 more minutes.
Slice and serve.
Notes/Tips
- Serve with a green salad or a caesar salad.
- Let the casserole rest for 5 minutes after baking so it slices neatly.
- If you want extra flavor, stir a pinch of red pepper flakes or Italian seasoning into the sauce.
- Spray your baking dish with cooking spray so cleanup is easier.
- For a creamier texture, mix in a little ricotta, sour cream or cottage cheese with the cream cheese.
- If some of the spaghetti is not all the way cooked through after pressure cooking don’t worry about it. By the time the oven cooking time is over it will be fine!
- I used my 6 quart Instant Pot*. You can also make this in a 3 or 8 quart pot.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container* in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Other recipes you can make with mozzarella cheese are Mountain Music Casserole and Instant Pot Spinach and Ravioli Lasagna.
Did you know you can filter the recipes on my website to search by meat type, IP or Crockpot, low carb, gluten free, etc.? Use the filter to find exactly what you are looking for.
Mrs. Texas Casserole
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Description
A baked spaghetti casserole with creamy pasta, seasoned ground beef, and marinara sauce topped with mozzarella and parmesan cheese.
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 3/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 2 cups beef broth
- 8 oz spaghetti
- 4 oz cream cheese
- 1 (24 oz) can spaghetti sauce
- 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
- 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
Instructions
Instant Pot/Oven
- Turn Instant Pot to saute setting. When display says HOT add in the ground beef and break it up. Brown for 5 minutes. Drain off excess grease. Stir in the salt, pepper and garlic powder.
- Pour in the broth and scrape bottom of pot so that nothing is sticking. Turn off Instant Pot.
- Break the spaghetti in half and lay it in a criss cross pattern in the pot.
- Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set manual/pressure cook button to 4 minutes. When time is up let pot sit for 10 minutes and then move valve to venting. Remove the lid.
- Stir in the cream cheese until melted and incorporated. Spread the mixture in a 8×11 inch glass pan (or another similar size pan). Spread the spaghetti sauce on top.
- Bake at 350° F for 30 minutes.
- Sprinkle the cheeses on top and bake for 5 more minutes.
- Slice and serve.
Stove/Oven Instructions
- Cook spaghetti according to package instructions and drain. Stir the cream cheese into the spaghetti until melted and incorporated.
- In a pan brown the beef over medium high heat. Drain off grease and then stir in the salt, pepper and garlic powder. Stir the spaghetti sauce into the meat and heat until it starts to simmer.
- Spread the spaghetti in a 8×11 inch glass pan (or another similar size pan). Spread the spaghetti meat sauce on top.
- Bake at 350° F for 30 minutes.
- Sprinkle the cheeses on top and bake for 5 more minutes.
- Slice and serve.
- Category: Pasta
- Method: Instant Pot and Oven
More spaghetti recipes…
Instant Pot Wife’s Delight
A 7 ingredient easy ground beef casserole recipe that gets a fast start in the Instant Pot and then bakes until bubbly in the oven.
Trillionaire Casserole
With layers of spaghetti, roasted garlic sauce, pesto, cream cheese, ground beef and cheddar this is the best baked spaghetti recipe!
Cheddar’s Spasagna
Spasagna is a cross between spaghetti and lasagna! It is baked spaghetti with mozzarella, ricotta, sour cream and parmesan and then topped with Italian sausage and spaghetti sauce. It’s the best of both worlds! Use your Instant Pot to prepare this recipe faster!
*Karen Petersen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
Super delicious! My husband is not a big pasta fan, but he loved this and went back for seconds! I used ground turkey breast instead of beef and only had 2 ounces of cream cheese, so added about 1/3 cup of 2% cottage cheese to make up for it. I also have a bumper crop of basil, so I chopped up about 6 leaves and added it to the sauce. We will enjoy this one again! Thank you, Karen!
Fresh basil sounds amazing!!