Spaghetti Garlic Bread Bowls
Spaghetti Garlic Bread Bowls are the ultimate comfort food mash-up, combining two classic favorites into one delicious dish. Imagine a warm, crusty bread bowl filled with saucy, cheesy spaghetti—every bite offers the perfect balance of crispy, chewy bread and rich, savory pasta.
What are Spaghetti Garlic Bread Bowls?
A spaghetti garlic bread bowl is a creative and delicious way to serve spaghetti by using a hollowed-out piece of kaiser roll or homemade bread bowl.
The bread is toasted with garlic butter, then filled with spaghetti and sauce, and topped with cheese.
It’s then baked until golden and melty.
It combines the best of both worlds—crispy, buttery garlic bread and saucy, comforting spaghetti—in a fun, handheld presentation.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Fun & Creative Presentation – Serving spaghetti in a garlic bread bowl makes it feel like a restaurant-quality dish, perfect for impressing guests or just making dinner more exciting.
- Less Mess, More Flavor – Instead of serving garlic bread on the side, it becomes part of the meal, soaking up all the delicious sauce and flavors while keeping everything contained in one neat, edible bowl.
- Customizable to Your Taste – You can switch up the pasta, use different sauces (marinara, Alfredo, pesto), add meatballs or sausage, or even make it vegetarian-friendly.
- Kid & Family-Friendly – Kids love fun meals, and this one is a great way to get them excited about dinner. Plus, no extra plates for garlic bread means fewer dishes to wash!
- Easy to Make Ahead – Prep the spaghetti in advance. Then prepare the bread bowls, assemble, and bake when you’re ready to serve. It’s a great option for busy weeknights!
Ingredients for Spaghetti Garlic Bread Bowls
The full list of ingredients is listed in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
For the Spaghetti:
- Meat- This recipe uses 1 pound of ground beef, but feel free to use your ground protein of choice. Using Italian sausage or a mix of Italian sausage along with ground beef is a great variation for this recipe.
- Onion- Yellow onions are the best cooking onions and give the best end flavor. They hold up well during the cooking process and caramelize well. If you don’t have a yellow onion to use, you could use another type and still have good results.
- Garlic- I prefer using freshly minced garlic cloves for cooking, but you could use jarred garlic if you like.
- Tomato Paste- You’ll need 2 tablespoons of tomato paste to thicken the sauce just a tad. I like to buy tomato paste in a tube or pouch for when I only need a little bit, instead of purchasing a can.
- Worcestershire Sauce
- Beef Broth or Stock
- Marinara Sauce- Use your favorite marinara sauce for this recipe. I like Rao’s and use the traditional marinara sauce. Tomato basil or a roasted garlic marinara sauce would be great choices as well!
- Italian Seasoning- Adding a little more seasoning to a jarred sauce helps it go from good to great. If you don’t have Italian seasoning, you don’t have to use it. It just helps enhance the flavor of the sauce.
- Salt & Pepper
- Noodles- You’ll only need about¼of a 16 oz box of spaghetti. Check the instructions on the packaging on how to cook the pasta al dente. I highly recommend adding salt to your water when cooking pasta.
- Mozzarella- I used freshly grated mozzarella cheese.
For the Bread Bowls:
- Bread Bowls- Kaiser rolls are what I used in this recipe. They are approximately 5-inch rolls that are usually found in the bakery section at the grocery store. Any large roll will work. You can also make your own bread bowls.
- Butter- I used unsalted butter since that’s what I keep on hand. You can use salted butter if you have it. You’ll just want to omit the salt when you make the garlic butter.
- Garlic Powder- I prefer to use garlic powder instead of minced garlic for the garlic butter mixture.
- Parsley- I used dried parsley. You can use freshly chopped parsley as well. If you opt to use fresh parsley, use 1 chopped tablespoon spoon. Dried herbs are more concentrated, so you’ll need to use more fresh herbs to get the same flavor.
What You’ll Need
You will need the following supplies:
- Large Pot or Pan- You’ll need a pot/pan for making the sauce and you will also need a large pot to boil the spaghetti noodles in.
- Measuring spoons and Cups- You will need a liquid measuring cup to measure the beef broth with. You’ll also need additional measuring cups and measuring spoons to measure the remaining ingredients.
- Knife and Cutting Board- You will need a knife to chop the onion and mince the garlic unless you use a chopper. You will also need a serrated knife to cut a thin slice off the tops of the rolls.
- Small Mixing Bowl- for mixing the garlic butter.
- Pastry Brush- for brushing the garlic butter onto the rolls.
- Large baking sheet
- Parchment Paper- This is optional, but using parchment paper is helpful to keep any cheese or other foods from getting burnt onto the pan while in the oven. It will make cleanup a breeze!
- Cheese Grater- If you’re grating your own cheese.
How to make Spaghetti Garlic Bread Bowls
Step 1:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Step 1: In a large Dutch oven, add in ground beef, onion, garlic, salt, and pepper to a large pot.
Step 2: Pour in the beef broth and Worcestershire sauce and stir, scraping the bottom of the pan to lift any browned bits.
Step 3: Add the marinara sauce and the Italian seasoning; stir to combine. Cover, reduce the heat, and simmer for 20 minutes.
Step 4:
Cook the spaghetti al dente according to the package directions. Drain and add it to the pot of sauce.
Stir to combine and coat the noodles well.
Remove from heat and let rest while you prepare the kaiser rolls.
Toast the Bread Bowls
Step 5: In a small mixing bowl, combine the melted butter, garlic powder, salt, and parsley.
Step 6: Slice the tops off the kaiser rolls with a serrated knife. Using your fingers, hollow out the centers, leaving a ¼-inch thick wall. Use all the butter mixture and brush onto the inside of the rolls. Bake for 10 minutes until just lightly toasted.
Step 7:
Add a pinch of shredded mozzarella to each roll. Evenly distribute the spaghetti into each roll and top with the remaining cheese. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until cheese is melted and starting to bubble.
FAQ’s
Can I use another type of pasta?
Yes! Feel free to use another type of pasta like penne, ziti, rigatoni, or even elbow macaroni.
Do I need to toast the bread before filling it with spaghetti?
While you don’t have to, I recommend not skipping this step! You don’t want a soggy bread bowl. Even though the spaghetti sauce in this recipe is quite thick, it is still possible that the bread bowls won’t hold up if you don’t toast them.
Can I use a different type of bread instead of Kaiser rolls?
Yes! You can use sourdough bread bowls, ciabatta rolls, or even French steak rolls. Just make sure the bread is sturdy enough to hold the spaghetti and sauce.
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Spaghetti Garlic Bread Bowls
Ingredients
Spaghetti Sauce
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 medium yellow onion diced (about 1 cup)
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ cup beef broth
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 24 oz jar Marinara Sauce
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 4 oz spaghetti noodles cooked al dente (1/4 of a 16 oz package)
- 1 ½ cups mozzarella cheese shredded
- 6 Kaiser rolls
Garlic Butter
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Add ground beef, onion, garlic, salt, and pepper to a large pot. Cook over medium-high heat, chopping the meat up with a wooden spoon, until the meat is no longer pink.
- Pour in the beef broth and Worcestershire sauce and stir, scraping the bottom of the pan to lift any browned bits. Add the marinara sauce and the Italian seasoning; stir to combine. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Cook the spaghetti al dente according to the package directions. Drain and add it to the pot of sauce. Stir to combine and coat the noodles well. Remove from heat and let rest while you prepare the kaiser rolls.
- In a small mixing bowl, combine the melted butter, garlic powder, salt, and parsley.
- Slice the tops off the kaiser rolls with a serrated knife. Using your fingers, hollow out the centers, leaving a ¼-inch thick wall. Use all the butter mixture and brush onto the inside of the rolls. Bake for 10 minutes until just lightly toasted.
- Add a pinch of shredded mozzarella to each roll. Evenly distribute the spaghetti into each roll and top with the remaining cheese. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until cheese is melted and starting to bubble.
