Dump and Bake Meatball Casserole
Dump and bake meatball casserole layers pasta, marinara, and frozen meatballs under melty mozzarella and bakes it all in one dish. Cheesy, hearty, and made for busy nights.
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 806kcal
Ingredients
- 1 pound dried pasta like ziti, rotini, penne, etc
- 28 ounce bag frozen meatballs thawed
- 24 ounce marinara sauce
- 3 cups low sodium beef broth
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ¾ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2½ cups mozzarella cheese freshly shredded
- Fresh parsley chopped for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 F and spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray.
- Pour the dried noodles, meatballs, pasta sauce, broth, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, and red pepper flakes into the dish. Stir around and try to push the pasta down so it’s mostly covered by the sauce/liquid.1 pound dried pasta, 28 ounce bag frozen meatballs, 24 ounce marinara sauce, 3 cups low sodium beef broth, 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, ¾ teaspoon garlic powder, ¼ teaspoon onion powder, ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- Tightly cover in foil and bake for 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and see if the pasta is cooked to al dente. If it isn’t, cook for an additional 5 minutes.
- Once the pasta reaches al dente, top with the mozzarella cheese and return to the oven, uncovered, for about 5-10 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and melted.2½ cups mozzarella cheese
- Serve warm topped with parsley and a crusty bread, if desired.Fresh parsley
Notes
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. This one does not freeze well, since the baked pasta turns mushy after thawing.
You can assemble it up to 8 hours ahead, cover, and refrigerate until you are ready to bake.
A few things that make the difference:
- use low sodium beef broth, because the pasta soaks it up as it bakes and regular broth ends up too salty.
- Shred the mozzarella fresh off the block for a smooth, bubbly top.
- Start checking the pasta at 40 minutes since ovens vary, and use a marinara you enjoy on its own.
- You can halve the recipe in a 9x9 or 10x10 dish.
Nutrition
Calories: 806kcal | Carbohydrates: 64g | Protein: 46g | Fat: 40g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 16g | Cholesterol: 132mg | Sodium: 1130mg | Potassium: 1172mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 846IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 292mg | Iron: 4mg
