Meatball casserole is what I make when dinner needs to be comforting, straightforward and absolutely not interested in creating more dishes than necessary. It has all the familiar things people actually want at the table- pasta, sauce, meatballs, and melted cheese- and none of the unnecessary drama.
Low-effort in the best possible way. Frozen meatballs, jarred marinara, dry pasta, and mozzarella turn into a full dinner without extra pots and a long prep list.
Comfort food without a lot of work. You still get pasta, sauce, meatballs, and melted cheese, which is exactly what most people are hoping for from a casserole like this.
Great family dinner recipe. This is the kind of meal that feels familiar, filling, and easy to put on the table on a busy night.
Ingredients for Meatball Casserole
Here’s a quick-reference checklist of the common ingredients you’ll need for this family favorite recipe. A full list of ingredients with measurements is available in the printable recipe card below.
- Frozen meatballs – look for Italian meatballs from the frozen foods section of your grocery store.
- Penne rigate pasta – penne works well for this recipe, however, you could substitute most other medium-sized pasta, like rotini, rigatoni, ziti, or Gemelli.
- Pasta sauce – a simple marinara sauce or tomato sauce works well for this recipe, however, feel free to choose a flavor that suits your tastes. If you like a robust sauce, add another 1-2 teaspoons of dry Italian seasoning, garlic powder, or onion powder. Or to be a big hit, all of them.
- Water – water is needed to help the pasta bake and become tender.
- Shredded mozzarella cheese – you can use either regular or part-skim mozzarella shredded cheese for this recipe. Next time I’ll do a mix of cheese and more cheese.
How to Make Meatball Casserole (Step-by-Step)
One of my favorite parts of this recipe is that it’s super quick and easy. check out exactly how to make it below.
- Add pasta and water. In a casserole dish or 9 x 13” pan coated with cooking spray, add the uncooked pasta, water, and pasta sauce. Stir these together well.
- Defrost meatballs. In your microwave, using the defrost setting, defrost the meatballs. Once the meatballs are no longer frozen, add them to the pasta and sauce mixture. If they aren’t defrosted, they won’t have enough time to cook, but make sure they also aren’t hot, otherwise they won’t be juicy meatballs.
- Cover and bake. Cover the baking dish with foil and bake the casserole. About halfway through baking, stir the mixture to ensure the pasta and meatballs bake evenly.
- Top with cheese and bake. Add the shredded mozzarella cheese to the top of the casserole and bake until the cheese is completely melted and light golden brown.
- Enjoy. Serve with your favorite side salad, vegetables and of course, bread with my famous garlic bread spread. And I like to add more cheese, specifically freshly shredded parmesan cheese and fresh hand-torn pieces of fresh basil from the garden.
Chef Tips
I’ve made this meatball casserole in my test kitchen to be able to bring you the best tips and tricks.
- Thaw the meatballs fully first. That helps them heat more evenly and prevents the casserole from taking longer than expected.
- Stir the pasta and sauce well before baking. You want the pasta evenly coated so it cooks as evenly as possible.
- Cover tightly with foil. That helps trap moisture so the pasta can soften and cook in the sauce.
- Stir halfway through baking. This is one of the important parts of the method because it helps the pasta cook more evenly and prevents dry corners.
- Use enough cheese, but save it for the end. Adding mozzarella after the initial bake helps it melt cleanly and keeps it from overbrowning too early.
- Let it sit before serving. A short rest helps the casserole settle so it scoops more cleanly.
What to Serve with Meatball Casserole
This baked pasta dish is fantastic served with your favorite green salad with Italian dressing. It can also be paired with fresh or frozen vegetables, like garlic parmesan broccolini, green beans, or peas.
And of course, any pasta is great paired with a good bread. Wither crusty bread or garlic knots are perfect.
Storage and Freezing
You can store the casserole in its original dish or transfer it to individual airtight containers for easy reheating.
Storage: When refrigerated in an airtight container or large freezer bag, pasta and meatballs will keep for up to five days.
Freezing: You can also freeze this casserole. Check out my tips for how to freeze a casserole for the best method. Be mindful that pasta and cheese never defrosts or tastes as well as it does when freshly cooked.
FAQs
When baking frozen meatballs, it is not necessary to sauté them before baking. Make sure the meatballs are thawed and no longer frozen before adding to the sauce.
Sure! Get our your crockpot and follow the same instructions, but cook for an hour or so on low. Check periodically for the pasta to be al dente cooked and tender meatballs.
A keto meatball casserole is literally just meatballs, cheese and sauce. No pasta! If you make this, do not add extra water. It isn’t needed since you aren’t cooking pasta. The cooking time will be the same. You can also use zucchini noodles, but it won’t need the extra water either.
More Easy Recipes
We love pasta recipes — here are a few more ideas for what to eat for dinner.
Meatball Casserole Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 14-32 ounces bag of frozen meatballs
- 1 pound box of penne pasta (16 ounces)
- 24 ounces jar of marinara sauce
- 3 cups water
- 8 ounces mozzarella cheese , shredded
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Lightly spray a casserole dish or 9 x 13” pan with non-stick cooking spray.
- In a large microwave safe bowl, add the 14-32 ounces bag of frozen meatballs. Using the defrost setting, defrost the meatballs for 5-7 minutes or until completely thawed.
- To the prepared baking dish or pan, add the 1 pound box of penne pasta, 24 ounces jar of marinara sauce and 3 cups water. Using a rubber scraper, stir to combine. Add in the thawed meatballs.
- Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 35 minutes, stirring the casserole halfway through baking.
- Remove from oven and top the casserole with 8 ounces mozzarella cheese (shredded). Bake for another 5-10 minutes or until the cheese is completely melted and light golden brown.
- Let the casserole cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.
- If you've tried this recipe, come back and let us know how it was in the comments or star ratings.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
I’ve come back to this recipe a few times now! My whole family loves it! It’s great for bigger families and quick and easy for the busy nights.
I do a half recipe since I live alone, but this is so easy and still tastes like you spent all day preparing it.
This turned out great! The only thing I changed was used 1/2 Alfredo and 1/2 marinara. Will definitely be making this regularly!
Such perfect comfort food! I know my family would just love this. 🙂
I am always looking for an easy yet yummy weeknight dinner idea for my family. I love that this dish involves minimal prep work and is done in under an hour.
Seriously the easiest weeknight recipe ever. We always have homemade meatballs in the freezer (my husband is Italian so that’s the only kind he will eat) and I love not having to boil and drain pasta.
This came together so quickly and everyone loved it! Thanks for such an easy recipe!
Made this RIGHT after seeing it and wow, it did not disappoint! Just as delicious and cozy as it looks.