Spaghetti Boats

Spaghetti Boats are a fun & delicious dinner idea that everyone will love. Buttery garlic French bread is hallowed out like a ‘boat’ and filled with an easy ground beef spaghetti that starts with a jar of pasta sauce. These pasta filled bread boats are a family favorite meal that combined the best of both worlds; spaghetti + cheesy garlic bread. 

For more family favorite spaghetti recipes be sure and try my Homemade Meat Sauce, Spaghetti Casserole, and Easy Spaghetti Sauce Recipe. 

Easy Spaghetti Boats Recipe

This is one meal that I can always rely on when I need something that I know the kids will eat with no complaints. The best part of eating spaghetti is using some garlic bread to soak up all that rich spaghetti sauce and these spaghetti boats combine both of those in an easy, handheld dinner.

A semi-homemade, doctored up jar of spaghetti sauce gets mixed with ground beef and spaghetti noodles. Slather some French bread in garlic butter and then fill it with the spaghetti. Bake it with some cheese on top and cut into slices and enjoy. It really is a delicious dinner that everyone will want more of. 

Ingredients Needed

• Ground Beef – I use a lean ground beef (93/7 or 96/4). 
• Onion – Make sure this is finely diced to hide any large onion pieces in the ground beef. A yellow onion, white onion, or sweet Vidalia onion will work fine. 
• Garlic  – You need garlic for the ground beef and for the melted butter that gets spread onto the French bread. Use fresh cloves that have been minced or pressed, chopped garlic from a jar, or garlic paste. 
• Marinara Sauce – Use your favorite jar of pasta sauce. 
• Kosher Salt & Pepper
• Italian Seasoning
• Spaghetti Noodles – You only need 8 ounces for this recipe. So eyeball it and only grab half of the spaghetti noodles from a 16 ounce box. 
• Butter – Use salted butter for the best flavor. 
• Dried Parsley
• Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
• Parmesan Cheese

Step-by-Step Directions For How To Make Garlic Bread Spaghetti Boats

Learn how to make this easy dinner with the simple steps below. Be sure and read to the bottom of the page where there is a detailed recipe card, a printable option, and a pin it button. 

• Prep : Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil.
• Step 1 : In a skillet pan, over medium-high heat, cook and crumble the ground beef, diced onion, and 3 garlic cloves. Once the meat is no longer pink and the onions are softened, drain the fat from the pan. Stir in the spaghetti sauce, onion, garlic, salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning into the ground beef. Let it simmer over low heat while you boil the pasta and prepare the French broad. 
• Step 2 : Boil the spaghetti noodles according to package directions. When done, drain the spaghetti in a colander but do not rinse it. Stir the noodles into the ground beef mixture inside the skillet pan. 
• Step 3 : Cut a large oval into the top of the French bread, leaving about 1/2-inch border around the edge. Remove the middle section of the bread so you end up with a bread boat. 
• Step 4 : Combine the softened butter, parsley, and garlic into a small bowl. Spread onto the bread boat. Place the bread onto the prepared sheet pan and bake for 6-8 minutes. 
• Step 5 : Take the bread out of the oven and add the spaghetti mixture from the skillet pan into the bread boat. Top with the mozzarella cheese. Bake for 10-15 minutes.
• Step 6 : Sprinkle on the parmesan cheese and serve!

French Bread Spaghetti Boats FAQ’s

• Can This Be Made With a Different Bread?

  • The best bread to use is French bread or Italian Bread. French bread is long and narrow while Italian bread is short and wide. You can also use smaller, individual French loafs if wanted. Instead of spreading the garlic butter onto one big piece of bread, spread the butter on the mini French bread loaves and fill each one with some of the spaghetti. 

• Can I Make It Ahead of Time?

  • No, the longer the pasta sits in the bread, the more soggy everything gets. This is best eaten right after making it. 

• Can I Use Frozen Garlic Bread?

  • No you cannot. You won’t be able to carve out the boat from a frozen loaf of bread. Also, the frozen garlic bread loaves are much smaller than the bakery fresh ones. 

• How Do You Eat Spaghetti Boats?

  • Our preferred way of eating spaghetti boats is with our hands! Slice the spaghetti boat like you would regular French bread and enjoy. 
  • You can also eat your slice with a fork for a less messy way. 

• Variations & Substitution Ideas

  • Ground Meat : Use ground turkey, ground chicken, or even ground pork instead of ground beef. 
  • Spaghetti Sauce : As long as it’s a 24 ounce jar use whatever you want! Go the traditional route with tomato & basil, mini meatball spaghetti sauce, garden veggie, Italian sausage, etc. 
  • Dried Seasonings : Add whatever you want! I love the traditional ones like parsley, Italian seasoning, garlic, and salt. Other good options are oregano, onion powder, garlic powder, or even some red pepper chili flakes for some spice. 
  • Pasta Noodles : Use thin spaghetti noodles or angel hair noodles instead of regular spaghetti noodles. 

Recipe Tips

Here are a few of my helpful tips so that you can have success recreating this recipe in your own kitchen ♥

• Drain The Ground Beef : Make sure all the grease/fat is drained from the ground beef before you add the spaghetti sauce. You don’t want any excess grease in the pasta because it will make the bread really soggy really quickly. Use a colander and drain the grease into a can or bowl. Or you can use paper towels and tongs to soak up the grease from inside the skillet pan. 
• Favorite Spaghetti Sauce : Because this recipe relies on a jar of spaghetti sauce make sure you use one that you love the taste of. I recommend using Rao’s Homemade Sauce because it has the best flavor but any of them will do. Pick your favorite!
• Toast The Bread First : Toasting the garlic bread first allows the bread to get a crispy exterior and become more firm so it can hold up to the spaghetti easier. 
• Cutting The French Bread Tip : Make sure that you are not cutting too much out of the center of the bread. You want to have at least 1/2-inch on each side of the boat and a substantial amount left in the bottom. You’re not trying to hollow out the bread, but rather cut out a boat shape while still maintaining plenty of bread on the bottom and sides. 

More Family Favorite Pasta Dinner Recipes You’ll Love

• Easy Ravioli Bake – So simple to make with layers of frozen ravioli, cheese, and jarred spaghetti sauce. 
• White Sauce Penne Pasta – A kid favorite with it’s mild flavor and white sauce. 
• Dump & Bake Meatball Casserole – Dump everything into the casserole dish and let the oven do the rest. 
• Lasagna Casserole – No time consuming layers like traditional lasagna with this easy recipe. 
• One Pot Pizza Pasta – A one pot pasta recipe that takes like a slice of pepperoni pizza. 
• Homemade Spaghetti Recipe – A beefy homemade spaghetti sauce with spaghetti noodles. 
• Perfect Instant Pot “Baked” Ziti – Hundreds of rave reviews! Make it to see why.