Cheesy meatball casserole is a family favorite and a quick and easy weeknight meal! It’s comfort food at its’ best and made with simple pantry friendly ingredients you probably already have on hand!
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When I don’t have time to make my lasagna with bolognese sauce or these delicious mozzarella stuffed meatballs, I love making this comforting and delicious cheesy meatball casserole.
Meatball Casserole Ingredients
Most of these ingredients are pantry friendly and things you already have on hand! I love having a well stocked pantry and being able to create simple comfort meals like this!
Olive Oil
Onion – any type of onion will do but I usually have yellow on hand so that’s what I used in this recipe.
Carrots – You’ll need two small carrots.
Garlic – All good recipes but particularly Italian dishes like this need garlic!
Tomato Puree – You’ll need a can of tomato puree or tomato sauce.
Noodles – You can use almost any type of noodle in this meatball casserole such as elbows, ditalini or small shells.
Ground Beef – I like to use 80% lean ground beef to make the meatballs.
Panko Breadcrumbs – You can find these in the same section as the regular breadcrumbs. In a pinch, feel free to use regular breadcrumbs.
Parmesan Cheese – Fresh grated parmesan cheese is key to the cheesy part!
Egg – Egg is used to bind the meatballs together.
Spices – We’ll use oregano, basil, and fresh chopped parsley plus salt and pepper to taste.
Mozzarella Cheese – Shredded mozzarella cheese for that ooey gooey cheesiness!
Too Busy to Make this right now? Pin for later to your favorite Pinterest Board!
Method
This meatball casserole comes together in only 15 minutes and then bakes making this recipe quick and fairly hands off!
Preheat your oven to 350° F and spray a casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray.
Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat and saute the diced onion, carrots, and garlic until the onions become translucent, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Add the tomato sauce or puree and let simmer for 6-8 minutes.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water and cook pasta until al dente, according to the package directions. Drain the pasta and return to the pot.
Add about one-third of the tomato sauce mixture to the pasta and stir until evenly coated. Transfer the pasta to the prepared casserole dish.
In a medium bowl, combine the ground beef, grated onion, breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, egg, oregano, basil and one-half of the freshly chopped parsley.
Season the mixture with salt and pepper and mix with your hands until everything is just combined. Be careful not to overwork the mixture.
Roll the meat mixture into 14-16 meatballs and place the meatballs on top of the pasta layer in the casserole dish.
Pour the remaining pasta sauce over the meatballs and top with the shredded mozzarella cheese.
Cover the casserole with aluminum foil and bake for 25 minutes.
Uncover and bake for another 15 minutes until the cheese has melted and is golden-brown.
Serve garnished with the remaining freshly chopped parsley. Add a fresh garden salad, one of these Italian side dishes, or garlic bread for a delicious dinner.
Tips for Meatball Casserole
You can easily make the meatballs and the sauce ahead of time and keep in the fridge until ready to assemble the casserole. However, I don’t recommend assembling the casserole in advance as the pasta will soak up the sauce.
I highly recommend making homemade meatballs for this recipe but in a pinch you can make this meatball casserole with frozen meatballs.
Cheesy Meatball Casserole
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 medium Onion divided, one-half diced and one-half grated
- 2 small Carrots
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 24.5 ounce can tomato puree or sauce
- 10 oz small macaroni such as elbows, ditalini, or small shells
- 1 pound ground beef
- 3 Tablespoons Panko Breadcrumbs
- 3 Tablespoons grated Parmesan Cheese
- 1 large Egg
- ½ teaspoon dried Oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried Basil
- 1 cup fresh Parsley roughly chopped, divided
- 1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and spray a casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray.
- Heat the olive oil in a medium sized skillet over medium heat.
- Add the diced onion, carrots, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cook, stirring occassionally, until the vegetables are translucent, about 3-4 minutes.
- Add the tomato sauce or puree and let the sauce simmer for 6-8 minutes.
- Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
- Cook pasta until al dente according to the package directions.
- Drain the pasta and return it to the large pot. Add 1/3 of the tomato sauce to the pasta and stir to evenly coat the pasta.
- Transfer the pasta to the prepared casserole dish.
- In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine the ground beef, grated onion, breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, egg, oregano, basil, and 1/2 of the fresh chopped parsley.
- Season the mixture with salt and pepper and using your hands mix until just combined being careful not to overwork the mixture.
- Roll the meat mixture into 14-16 meatballs and place on top of the pasta layer in the casserole dish.
- Pour the remaining tomato sauce over the meatballs and then sprinkle the mozzarella cheese overtop.
- Cover the casserole dish with aluminum foil and bake for 25 minutes.
- Remove the foil and bake uncovered for another 15 minutes or until hot and bubbly and the cheese has melted and is golden-brown.
- Serve garnished with the remaining fresh parsley. Enjoy!mi
NUTRITION
Notes
Conclusion
This quick and easy meatball casserole is the perfect comfort Italian casserole to make on a busy weeknight. Enjoy this delicious pasta dish anytime you’re craving Italian comfort food!
