Meatball Pasta Bake

Cheesy, saucy, and packed full of tender meatballs and pasta, this Meatball Pasta Bake is the ultimate family dinner! With just 7 ingredients you can make a hearty baked pasta casserole that is sure to be a favorite of both the kids and adults alike. With layers of sauce, pasta, and 3 kinds of cheese (look at that luscious mozzarella topping!) this pasta bake will deliver on flavor and feed a hungry crowd.

this Recipe

 

Meatball Pasta Bake – The EASY Way!

Casseroles are life for a busy family! We are so consumed most days with kids activities, school, work, and sports, that there is little time left to fuss over cooking.

As the season changes, this Meatball Pasta Bake becomes a go to at my house. First, because my kids are OBSESSED with it. To say this recipe is kid friendly, may be an understatement. My kids love this easy baked casserole and ask for it regularly. Being such a kid pleasing meal, the adults won’t be disappointed either. There are layers of flavor and almost a lasagna or baked ziti vibe- YUM!

And second because it is simple, hearty, filling, and crazy easy to make! You can prep it ahead, so it is ready to pop in the oven when you are. For something so quick and easy, it is also hearty and filling. It isn’t a meal where everyone picks at their plate and is still hungry at the end. In my experience, not only do they clean their plates (because it is THAT good) but the meal leaves everyone full, and satisfied through the evening.

What I LOVE about this recipe:

• Comforting– This is comfort food at its finest! All the best Italian flavors packed into an easy to make baked meatball pasta casserole.
• Easy– Like so easy. As in, it doesn’t get much easier than this.
• Staple ingredients– Nothing fancy, just basic ingredients combined in a way that will give you knock your socks off flavor!
• Feeds a crowd– Whether you have a table of hungry kids, are having company, or need a dish to take to the potluck, this has you covered. If it is just a small family, the leftovers are great for lunch, or just cut the recipe in half.
• Kid-approved– This recipe is a family favorite because both the kids and adults love it! Think lasagna, or baked ziti flavors, with half the work. This cheesy baked pasta with meatballs gets you right there to all the family friendly flavor!

What to Serve with Meatball Pasta Bake

One of the best parts about a pasta casserole is that it is filling (and delicious!) With that in mind, you won’t need to add much to round out the meal, and it can even be served without any sides and still be hearty enough for dinner. That said, I will give you an idea of some of our favorite options to pair this recipe with below.

Side Dish Ideas

• Side Salad– I like a simple salad with either this Olive Garden Copycat Creamy Italian Dressing, or this healthier Balsamic Vinaigrette
• Roasted Asparagus– A couldn’t be more simple side to pair with the couldn’t be easier pasta bake!
• Garlic Bread– A family favorite and must for my kids! This is our favorite recipe! This is also a great garlic bread one for a twist on the traditional recipe.
• Tomato Basil Mozzarella Salad– Simple and delicious!
• Antipasto Salad– A great way to add extra protein to the meal
• Garlic Roasted Vegetables– A staple side dish for us. So good and so yummy!

You can choose one or add a few sides to make a wholesome, well rounded dinner. 

Recipe Notes

This Meatball Pasta Bake recipe is as simple as promised! Just 7 ingredients and a casserole dish for a family friendly meal.

In this section I am going to go through a few tips and tricks I use when making this recipe to get the absolute best and most delicious results.

Make sure to scroll to the bottom for the FULL recipe card.

Ingredients

• Rigatoni pasta- You can really use almost any pasta in this recipe, but I choose rigatoni because it is a good size for kids to eat without making a giant mess, AND, I like how the sauce and cheese will coat the inside and outside of the noodle. If you have something else on hand, or a family preference, feel free to use it instead!
  
• Italian seasoning– You can use store bought Italian seasoning or quickly whip up a blend of my homemade Italian Seasoning blend.
  
• Marinara sauce– Pick your favorite jarred variety! You can use almost any brand or flavor. Traditional marinara is what I pick, but a herb blend, cheesy sauce, meat sauce, or other will work just as well in this recipe.
  
  Also, you will want to make sure you use all 4 cups of sauce in the recipe. There are generally about 3 cups in a large 32 ounce jar of pasta sauce. That means you will either need a jumbo jar, or 2 jars of sauce to make sure you have enough for the recipe. It just isn’t as tasty when it isn’t as saucy!
  
• Frozen Italian style meatballs– For ease and convenience, I use frozen meatballs in the pasta bake. If you prefer, you can make homemade meatballs to use. Both these Italian Turkey Meatballs, and the Meatballs Parmesan, are fantastic to use in this recipe as well. It all up to you and how much time you have!
  
• Cheese- We will use a blend of parmesan cheese, ricotta cheese, and mozzarella cheese to complete the casserole. You can substitute Italian cheese blend for the parmesan and mozzarella if you prefer.
  
• Fresh Parsley– This is completely optional, but if you want to feel a little fancy, chop up some fresh parsley and sprinkle over the top of the pasta bake to make it pretty and add a burst of fresh herbs.

Recipe Tips

1. Use a LARGE dish! This is a lot of food, and you will need a 9×13 casserole dish, or equivalent to fit it all in. If you don’t have a dish this large, you can use two smaller casserole dishes instead.
   
2. Al dente is key. Al dente means that you are cooking the pasta to where it is still a bit firm, not completely soft. It will continue to cook as it bakes in the oven. Cooking the pasta to al dente will prevent the pasta from becoming mushy as it bakes along side the sauce, meatballs, and cheese in the casserole.
   
3. Scale if needed- We have discussed that this makes a lot of food. With that said, if it is potentially too much for you, the pasta bake recipe can easily be scaled to your needs. Just cut the recipe in half, and use a 2 qt casserole dish to make a portion to feed 4-5 instead of 8+.
   
4. All the cheese please– I give my reference points of the cheese that I add to the recipe, but I recently saw a meme that told you cheese should be measured with your heart, and I completely agree with that here! You may just want a sprinkle of parmesan, but more of that melty mozzarella, or vica versa. The cheese can be reduced or increased per personal taste.
   
5. Change it up– This casserole is really a basic recipe. In my opinion, it is fantastic as-is, but also can be a good solid base recipe to add to. You can incorporate other meats, or veggies into the casserole, spice it up, or get creative with how you want to customize it for your family.

Recipe Short Cuts

If you need to make this recipe, but are extra short on time, here are a few ideas that can help make this recipe even faster!

• Make ahead– This baked pasta casserole can be prepared up to 24 hours in advance and then covered and refrigerated until time to bake.
  
• Prep the pasta ahead– If you don’t want to make the entire casserole ahead of time, you can make the pasta ahead of time- up to 3 days in advance! You will need to toss it with the directed pasta sauce after cooking and draining, then allow to cool and refrigerate until ready to use.
  
• Make as a freezer meal– This recipe can be made up to 6 months in advance as a freezer meal. See directions below for more details!

Recipe Variations

If you love this recipe as much as we do and want some quick ways to change it up for variety, these little tips will do the trick!

• Meatball Pasta Bake with Spinach– Prepare 16 ounces of frozen spinach by thawing and wringing out any extra liquid. Make recipe as directed adding the frozen spinach to the pasta and sauce mixture and layering in the casserole.
  
• Vegetarian Pasta Bake– Make as directed omitting the meatballs from the recipe. Baking time will be reduced by 10-15 minutes. You can prepare just like this with no meat, or add additional veggies based on your preference. Veggies that work well are spinach, mushrooms, bell pepper, broccoli, zucchini, and onions. I recommend sautéing vegetables to tender before adding to the casserole.
  
• Homemade Meatball Mozzarella Pasta Bake– Make this casserole as directed. Instead of using frozen meatballs, prepare a batch of these Italian Turkey Meatballs. Baking time will be reduced by 10-15 minutes.

Freezer Meal Instructions

To prepare the meatball mozzarella pasta bake as a freezer meal, follow the steps below. This casserole can be prepared and frozen up to 6 months in advance of cooking for best flavor.

1. Cook pasta per package direction to al dente.
2. Combine the ricotta cheese and Italian seasoning.
3. Spread about 1 cup of the sauce in the bottom of a large casserole dish. Dollop half of the ricotta on the bottom of the dish, lay half the meatballs, and sprinkle half of the parmesan cheese.
4. Mix the pasta with two cups of sauce. Pour the pasta mixture into the casserole dish. Top with the remaining ricotta cheese, meatballs, parmesan cheese, and mozzarella cheese.
5. Cover the casserole dish tightly with foil and cling wrap and freeze.
6. When ready to cook, thaw for 48 hours in the fridge then uncover and bake as directed.

Meatball Pasta Bake Leftovers

If you have leftovers after making this easy pasta bake, then it is your lucky day! They save and reheat well, and can make the start of another delicious dish.

To save leftovers, separate into meal sized portions and then place in an airtight container and store:

• in the refrigerator for 3-4 days
• in the freezer up to a month

More Easy Casserole Recipes

If you enjoyed this recipe, I really hope you will take a moment to grab a few more easy recipes for another busy night!

You can check out all of my EASY Dinner recipes here, or see a few of our readers favorite recipes below.

• Lasagna Chicken Bake
• Creamy Chicken and Rice Casserole – Family favorite!
• Cream of Mushroom Chicken
• Bacon Cheeseburger Rice Casserole
• Italian Ground Turkey Spaghetti