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Spaghetti Garlic Bread Bowls

Spaghetti garlic bread bowls combine spaghetti in hearty meat sauce with a hollowed sourdough bread bowl, baked until the edges turn golden and crispy. Mozzarella melts over the rim for a cheesy pasta-in-bread dinner that feels fun but still totally doable at home.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Italian-American
Calories: 980
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Sourdough bread bowls
  • 4 round sourdough bread bowls Round bowls, hollowed for a 1-inch border.
Garlic butter
  • 4 tbsp butter Melted.
  • 3 garlic cloves Minced.
  • 2 tbsp fresh parsley Chopped.
Spaghetti and sauce
  • 12 oz spaghetti Cooked.
  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 24 oz marinara sauce One jar.
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning
  • 0.5 tsp red pepper flakes
Cheese and serving
  • 1 cup mozzarella cheese Shredded.
  • 1 Parmesan For serving.

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Prep the bread bowls
  1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Keep the bread bowls ready for hollowing and buttering.
  2. Cut the tops off each bread bowl and hollow out the center, leaving a 1-inch border. Save the tops if you want them for extra crunch at the edges.
  3. Mix the melted butter with the minced garlic and chopped parsley. Brush generously inside and outside each bread bowl so the crust will crisp during baking.
  4. Bake the buttered bread bowls for 10 minutes at 375°F until crispy. Leave them on a sheet pan so they keep their shape.
Make the meat sauce
  1. Brown the ground beef in a skillet until cooked through. Drain excess fat so the marinara stays rich instead of greasy.
  2. Add the marinara sauce, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes to the beef. Simmer for 10 minutes until the sauce thickens slightly and tastes well combined.
Assemble and bake
  1. Toss the cooked spaghetti with the meat sauce until the noodles are evenly coated. Fill each bread bowl generously with the spaghetti mixture.
  2. Top each filled bowl with shredded mozzarella. Bake for 8–10 minutes at 375°F until the cheese is melted and bubbly, then serve with Parmesan.

Notes

Pro tip: keep a full 1-inch border when hollowing so the bread doesn’t collapse when filled with hot spaghetti and sauce. Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days; reheat in the oven at 350°F until warmed through. Freezing is not recommended because the bread texture softens. For a lighter swap, use 93% lean ground beef or turkey in the meat sauce.