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Broccoli Cheddar Spaghetti Casserole. The classic family pasta turned into an even tastier broccoli cheddar casserole. Think broccoli cheddar soup meets a cheesy spaghetti bake. Made with spaghetti, broccoli, chicken, cottage cheese (yes, it’s traditional!), herbs, and plenty of cheddar. You cook the pasta, toss everything together in one big skillet, then finish it off in the oven. Simple, delicious, and so comforting.
How many of you grew up eating Million Dollar Spaghetti? I think it may be more common in the Midwest, but my mom always made the most basic version. I actually shared it years ago, just after Christmas, when I cooked it for my family.
It’s an old-fashioned style recipe, but we still love it. And the secret ingredient? Cottage cheese. It’s funny because cottage cheese is having such a big moment right now, thanks to its high protein content, but I’ve honestly always loved it—straight from the container.
This casserole is my spin on my mom’s recipe, only with a cozy broccoli cheddar twist. I skipped the marinara, swapped sausage for chicken, and added lots of cheddar. The result? Creamy, cheesy, and so delicious. My mom absolutely loved it the first time I made it—she was so excited about this version!
These are the details
Ingredients
- dry spaghetti
- fresh or frozen broccoli
- cream cheese
- cottage cheese
- milk
- eggs
- parsley
- parmesan cheese
- salted butter
- chicken
- a yellow onion
- thyme, garlic powder, cayenne pepper
- cheddar and monterey jack cheese
Special Tools
Nothing crazy here, a pot for boiling pasta, and a large oven-safe skillet. If you don’t have a large oven-safe skillet, you can bake this in a 9×13-inch casserole dish.
Steps
Step 1: Cook the pasta
Start with the pasta. Boil the spaghetti according to the package directions, but here’s the key—drop the broccoli into the pot during the last 2 minutes of cooking. This quickly steams the broccoli and gets the cooking process started.
Drain off the water, then toss the spaghetti and broccoli back into the hot pot.
Step 2: Make the sauce
Mix the cream cheese into the hot pasta first. Melting it down now ensures you get a creamy sauce instead of a chunky one.
Next, stir in the cottage cheese and milk, then mix in the eggs, parsley, and parmesan. It will feel like a lot of milk, but don’t worry—it creates the creamiest sauce as the casserole bakes.
Pro Tip: Once you add the container of cottage cheese to the pasta, crack the eggs right into the empty container and whisk them up. One less bowl to wash—I’m always looking for little hacks like that!
Step 3: Cook the chicken
Grab an oven-safe skillet and cook the chicken with onions, thyme, paprika, garlic powder, cayenne, plus a good pinch of salt and pepper.
When the chicken is cooked through, add the pasta to the deep dish skillet and give everything a gentle stir. It doesn’t need to be fully mixed—just enough. Sprinkle the cheese on top.
Step 4: Bake
If needed, transfer everything to a baking dish, but ideally, you can just slide the skillet right into the oven.
Bake until the cheese has melted and the sauce is bubbling and hot.
To serve
I like to finish with a sprinkle of fresh thyme, but parsley works too. Then serve warm.
This one was such a hit with my family—easy, cozy, and the perfect comforting pasta bake for fall and winter nights.
Looking for other easy family dinner recipes? Here are a few ideas:
Broccoli Cheddar Chicken and Rice Casserole
Garlic Butter Creamed Corn Chicken
Cheesy Zucchini Chicken and Rice Bake
One Skillet Street Corn Chicken Enchilada Bake
Lastly, if you make this Broccoli Cheddar Spaghetti Casserole, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Broccoli Cheddar Spaghetti Casserole.
Ingredients
- 1 pound dry spaghetti
- 3 cups broccoli florets
- 4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 2 cups whole milk cottage cheese
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 4 eggs, beaten
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 pound boneless chicken breasts, cut into cubes
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- salt and black pepper
- 2 1/2 cups shredded cheddar jack cheese, (or use 1 1/2 cups cheddar and 1 cup monterey jack)
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. If you don't have a deep dish oven-safe skillet, butter a large casserole dish. 2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Boil the pasta until al dente, according to package directions. During the last 2 minutes of cooking, add the broccoli. Drain, add the pasta and broccoli back into the pot. 3. Add the cream cheese, mixing it into the pasta and allowing it to melt. Now add cottage cheese, milk, eggs, parsley, and parmesan. Mix it all together until creamy.4. Meanwhile, in a large oven-safe skillet, melt the butter with the chicken, onion, thyme, paprika, garlic powder, cayenne, salt, and pepper. Cook until golden and the butter is toasted, 5-8 minutes.5. Mix the pasta, broccoli, and cream sauce into the chicken. Only a gentle mix is needed! Top with both cheeses. Bake 20 minutes, until the cheese is melted and beginning to brown. Serve warm with additional thyme and fresh basil.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
I am always so excited to make a new HBH recipe, but this one let us down. On to the next
Hi Katie,
Very sorry to hear this! If there is anything that I can help with, please let me know! Have a great week!
This was awful & really bland! Terrible consistency.
Very sorry to hear this, Lauren. Thanks for trying the recipe and your comment. Have a nice week!
I followed the recipe and didn’t find it too liquid-y as some people said (in fact, there was no liquid in the finished product), but the texture was quite odd, not like a sauce but more like “speckles” clinging to the pasta (sorry, but hard to describe). I did use ricotta instead of cottage cheese, but I don’t think that should have caused it. Anyway, we did eat it for dinner, and the flavor was fine, but I won’t be making it again.
Thanks Helen! I appreciate you trying this dish and your comment, sorry to hear it wasn’t a fave!
I think if you are not maybe use to flavorful food this would be a hit for you family. This is the kind of food I ate growing up in the Midwest, beige food without much flavor at all. I made it for my extended family and my parents (who think ketchup is spicy) and the two toddlers thought this was great. Us adults thought it lacked flavor (I used fresh garlic, more onion and doubled the paprika). The consistency was too thick and gluey. I doused it in hot sauce and ate it anyways! I left out the cream cheese (hot creamcheese grosses me out) and cut the cheese on top in half and it still felt really heavy.
Hi Lindy,
Thanks so much for trying this dish and sharing your feedback, sorry to hear it wasn’t a fave!
I like the simplicity of this recipe. I especially like the idea of throwing the broccoli in with the noodles to cook to save time and pans. I used Greek yogurt instead of sour cream and cottage cheese. I used Parmesan, mozzarella and semi-cured goat cheese instead of cheddar because that’s what I had in the fridge. Basically you can sub a lot of different dairy options. I was looking for an easy recipe and used what I had and it turned out great.
Hey Carly,
Thanks for testing this recipe out, I’m thrilled it was a success for you. Have a nice day!
The flavor was okay but it needed more salt and was extremely dry!
I think maybe too many eggs or just not enough liquid?
I would have to tinker to make again…sorry
Thanks for your feedback, Wendy! I appreciate you trying the recipe. Let me know if you make it again!
I’m not sure what the others poor reviews were about. This was easy and full of flavor. I made sure to season every layer along the way. I even used a lot more chicken and broccoli than called for just because it’s what I had. It turned out great. I let it rest for 10 minutes before serving and that helped too. I’ll be making it all winter.
Hey Dawn,
Thanks for making this recipe! Love hearing it turned out just right. Have the best week!
I’ve noticed a theme of copious amounts of dairy in every recipe. I miss the fresh recipes you used to have that weren’t overloaded with multiple forms of dairy. I gave this a try but it was awful unfortunately.
Thanks for sharing your feedback, Camille. Sorry to hear this recipe was not enjoyed. Hope you have a nice week!
This recipe was really easy to make and yummy too! I didn’t put any chicken in it just for my own preference. It’s make a lot of food that can feed a whole family
Hi Anne,
Happy Sunday! Thanks a bunch for making this dish, I’m so glad it turned out well for you:)
This was so dairy-laden it was hard to taste much else!
Hi Tim,
Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback, sorry to hear it was not enjoyed!
My husband hates cottage cheese , though not sure he would detect it in the recipe. Could I substitute ricotta cheese in place of the cottage cheese ?
Hey Susan,
You bet, ricotta will also work nicely for you. I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try!
This turned out kinda gloppy and gross. There really is no great flavor either. If I did make this again I would tweak quite a few things. Eliminated the cream cheese and reduce the cheese on top. It was so dairy heavy. I would also double the amount of garlic powder and paprika.
Hi Jessie,
I appreciate you trying this dish and sharing your feedback, so sorry to hear it was not enjoyed!
So little flavor in this. It’s just very thick and heavy, without tasting like anything. I should have adjusted, but honestly didn’t have much time to think. Was on autopilot trying to get dinner on the table. Hopefully I can redeem myself this weekend. My son actually cried he hated it so much!
So sorry to hear this, Ashley. Thanks for trying the recipe. I hope you have a nice weekend!
Absolutely delicious! I might have put a little extra cheese:) it is creamy and tasty. Thank you for this recipe!
Hi Martine,
Happy Friday! Thanks for the thoughtful feedback after trying this recipe, I’m happy to hear it was a win!
What temp do you cook the chicken at in step 4? Could you add that to the recipe? I like to print mine out.
Hey Kelly,
You are just cooking the chicken on the stove top over medium heat. I hope you love this recipe!
This was great! We blended the cottage cheese and used broth instead of milk (ran out) and it still turned out perfect-even kid approved!
Hey Ashley,
Happy Friday! Thanks for the thoughtful feedback after trying this recipe, I’m happy to hear it was a win!