Cheesy Garlic Bread Spaghetti Boat Recipe: A Fun Twist on Pasta

Garlic bread spaghetti boats combine two beloved comfort foods into one irresistible culinary creation.

Crispy bread edges cradle a hearty pasta center, promising a delightful textural experience.

Melted cheese cascades through tender noodles, creating a mesmerizing blend of rich flavors.

The recipe reinvents ordinary ingredients into an extraordinary meal that sparks excitement at the dinner table.

Creamy, garlicky goodness mingles with perfectly cooked pasta, elevating a simple dish to something truly spectacular.

Each bite offers a harmonious balance of crisp and soft textures that will make your taste buds dance.

Families and friends will eagerly gather around, drawn by the mouthwatering aroma and promise of a satisfying meal.

Garlic Bread Spaghetti Boat You’ll Crave

• Crowd-Pleasing Comfort Fusion: This recipe brilliantly combines classic garlic bread with hearty spaghetti, creating a deliciously indulgent meal that satisfies multiple comfort food cravings in one stunning dish.
• Maximize Flavor, Minimize Effort: The one-pan sauce method and simple assembly make this recipe incredibly approachable, allowing home cooks to create a restaurant-quality meal with minimal kitchen skills and time investment.
• Customizable Crowd-Feeding Experience: The bread boat format transforms standard spaghetti into an interactive, shareable dish perfect for family dinners, game nights, or casual gatherings where people love digging into a communal meal.
• Texture Sensation Spectacular: Crispy toasted bread edges, melted cheese, tender meat sauce, and perfectly cooked pasta create a mouthwatering combination of crunchy, soft, and rich textures that make every bite exciting and memorable.

Inside the Garlic Bread Spaghetti Boat

Main Ingredients:

Bread Loaf: – French Bread or Italian Bread: Sturdy base for holding spaghetti mixture, best when slightly crusty and fresh.

Spaghetti: – Dry Spaghetti Pasta: Classic pasta that holds sauce well and provides main carbohydrate component.

Meat: – Ground Beef, Italian Sausage: Adds rich protein and depth of flavor to the sauce, lean cuts recommended.

Sauce and Seasoning Ingredients:

Tomato Products: – Tomato Sauce, Tomato Paste: Creates robust base for meat sauce, provides thickness and intense tomato flavor.

Seasonings: – Garlic Powder, Salt, Pepper: Enhances overall flavor profile, brings out natural tastes of other ingredients.

Onion: – Fresh Onion: Adds aromatic base and subtle sweetness to meat sauce.

Cheese and Finishing Ingredients:

Cheeses: – Mozzarella Cheese, Parmesan Cheese: Provides melting quality and sharp cheese flavor, helps create golden topping.

Butter: – Unsalted Butter: Helps create crispy bread exterior and adds rich flavor.

Garlic: – Fresh Garlic: Intensifies garlic flavor, optional complement to garlic powder.

How to Put Together a Spaghetti Boat

Step 1: Preheat the Oven

Heat your oven to 375°F, getting ready for a delicious meal.

Step 2: Boil the Pasta

Cook spaghetti in a large pot of salted water until it reaches al dente perfection. Drain the pasta and set aside.

Step 3: Cook the Meat Mixture

• Ground beef
• Sausage
• Chopped onion

• Tomato sauce
• Tomato paste
• Seasonings
• Minced garlic
• Salt
• Pepper

Let the mixture simmer for 5-8 minutes, allowing flavors to meld together.

Step 4: Combine Pasta and Sauce

Mix the cooked spaghetti into the meat sauce, ensuring every strand is coated. Remove from heat.

Step 5: Prepare the Bread Boat

Slice a loaf of bread lengthwise in half. Carefully scoop out the inside, creating two hollow boats.

Brush the bread with melted butter and sprinkle with garlic powder. Toast until golden and crispy.

Step 6: Assemble and Bake

• Mozzarella cheese
• Parmesan cheese

Bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes until the cheese melts and turns a beautiful golden brown.

Step 7: Serve and Enjoy

Remove from the oven and let cool for a few minutes. Slice and serve your delicious garlic bread spaghetti boat to hungry guests.

Tips for the Best Spaghetti Boat

• Drain Thoroughly: Ensure spaghetti is well-drained to prevent watery sauce and soggy bread.
• Layer Strategically: Create a solid base by spreading a thin layer of meat sauce before adding spaghetti to keep bread crisp.
• Cheese Melting Trick: Mix different cheese types for better melting and deeper flavor profile.
• Bread Selection Matters: Choose a sturdy Italian or French bread that can hold the hefty spaghetti mixture without falling apart.
• Garlic Powder Hack: Toast bread with garlic powder before adding filling for an extra crispy, aromatic edge.

Store and Reheat Tips for Spaghetti Boats

• Refrigerate: Store leftover spaghetti boats in an airtight container within 2 hours of cooking. Properly sealed, they'll stay fresh for 3-4 days in the refrigerator. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap or aluminum foil to prevent moisture loss and maintain flavor.
• Reheat Oven Method: Preheat oven to 350°F. Place spaghetti boats on a baking sheet, cover loosely with foil to prevent burning. Warm for 10-15 minutes until heated through and cheese bubbles. Uncover during the last 3-4 minutes for crispy bread edges.
• Microwave Tip: For quick reheating, use 50% power in 1-minute intervals. Rotate halfway through to ensure even heating. Add a splash of water to keep pasta moist and prevent dryness.

What Goes Great with Spaghetti Boats

• Craft Crisp Wine Companion: Select a medium-bodied red wine like Chianti or Sangiovese to complement the rich, meaty spaghetti and cut through the cheesy goodness.
• Zesty Side Salad Boost: Prepare a light arugula salad with lemon vinaigrette to balance the heavy, robust flavors of the spaghetti boat and provide a fresh, tangy contrast.
• Herbaceous Garlic Bread Enhancer: Sprinkle fresh chopped basil or parsley on top of the spaghetti boat just before serving to add brightness and elevate the garlic bread's aromatic profile.
• Refreshing Beverage Pairing: Serve cold Italian-style sparkling water or a crisp pilsner beer to cleanse the palate between bites of the hearty, cheesy spaghetti boat.

Spaghetti Boat Twists and Variants

• Veggie Vessel: Swap ground beef and sausage with plant-based crumbles or chopped mushrooms for a vegetarian version. Add bell peppers and zucchini for extra nutrition and flavor.
• Spicy Southwest Boat: Replace tomato sauce with salsa, add jalapeños and taco seasoning. Top with pepper jack cheese and cilantro for a zesty southwestern kick.
• Mediterranean Marinara Boat: Use ground lamb instead of beef, incorporate feta cheese, and mix in oregano and fresh basil. Drizzle with olive oil before baking for a Mediterranean-inspired creation.
• Seafood Sensation: Substitute meat with cooked shrimp or crab meat. Mix in white wine into the sauce and sprinkle parmesan cheese for an elegant seafood rendition.

Garlic Bread Spaghetti Boat Recipe

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4.6 from 39 reviews

• Total Time: 55 minutes
• Yield: 6 1x

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Description

Garlic bread spaghetti boat blends Italian comfort with culinary creativity, merging crispy garlic bread edges with hearty pasta nestled inside. Melted cheese and herb-infused sauce create a delicious vessel where pasta lovers discover pure satisfaction in each delightful bite.

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Ingredients

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Main Ingredients:

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 pound ground sausage
• 16 ounce (454 grams) spaghetti, uncooked
• 16 ounce (454 grams) Italian bread loaf

Cheese and Dairy:

• ½ cup (120 milliliters) Parmesan cheese
• ⅔ cup (160 milliliters) Mozzarella cheese
• Butter

Sauce and Seasonings:

• 16 ounce (454 grams) tomato sauce
• 6 ounce (170 grams) tomato paste
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) Italian seasoning
• 1 teaspoon (5 milliliters) salt
• ½ teaspoon (2.5 milliliters) minced garlic
• ½ teaspoon (2.5 milliliters) ground black pepper
• Garlic powder

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Instructions

1. Warm the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit (190 degrees Celsius), preparing a baking sheet for the bread boats.
2. Cook spaghetti in salted boiling water until perfectly tender, approximately 8-10 minutes. Carefully drain the pasta in a colander, shaking off excess water.
3. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and brown ground beef and Italian sausage with finely chopped onions, breaking meat into small crumbles. Drain any accumulated fat to reduce greasiness.
4. Incorporate tomato sauce, tomato paste, Italian herb seasoning, minced fresh garlic, salt, and freshly ground black pepper into the meat mixture. Reduce heat and allow the sauce to simmer, developing rich flavors for 5-7 minutes.
5. Gently fold the cooked spaghetti into the meat sauce, ensuring each strand is evenly coated. Remove the skillet from heat to prevent overcooking.
6. Slice the bread loaf lengthwise and carefully hollow out the center, creating two boat-like shells. Melt butter and brush generously over the interior surfaces, then sprinkle with garlic powder.
7. Toast the bread shells in the preheated oven for 3-4 minutes until edges turn golden and crisp.
8. Generously fill the toasted bread boats with the spaghetti and meat mixture, spreading evenly to the edges.
9. Sprinkle a combination of shredded mozzarella and grated Parmesan cheese over the filled boats.
10. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes until cheese melts completely and develops a beautiful golden-brown color.

Notes

• Prep ahead by gathering all ingredients and tools before starting to make cooking smoother and faster.
• Choose a sturdy French or Italian bread loaf that can hold the hearty spaghetti mixture without falling apart.
• Brown meats thoroughly to develop deep, rich flavors and ensure complete cooking before adding tomato sauce.
• Drain excess fat from meat to prevent a greasy dish and keep the spaghetti boat light and appetizing.
• Hollow out bread carefully, leaving enough thickness to create a strong edible vessel for the spaghetti mixture.
• Use a blend of cheeses for a more complex and creamy melted topping that adds extra richness to the dish.

• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 35 minutes
• Category: Dinner, Appetizer
• Method: Baking
• Cuisine: Italian-American

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 6
• Calories: 625 kcal
• Sugar: 6 g
• Sodium: 1100 mg
• Fat: 38 g
• Saturated Fat: 17 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 16 g
• Trans Fat: 1 g
• Carbohydrates: 42 g
• Fiber: 3 g
• Protein: 35 g
• Cholesterol: 125 mg