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Meatball Pasta Bake is a one pan meal that’s perfect for busy families. Just combine all your ingredients right in the dish and bake! Kids especially love this meal.
As a family with kids in multiple sports and lots of busy evenings, we love simple dinners. Anytime I can make an easy or no-prep time meal it makes my days easier. Grab ingredients, stir them up and cook? Sounds easy to me! Cooking this way also saves a lot of time because clean up is so easy. Check out our Slow Cooker Olive Garden Chicken Pasta, Easy Pizza Pasta Bake and Baked Spaghetti for other easy prep pasta meals.
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This was my grandson’s first attempt at cooking and he scored a 10 with recipe. Everyone loved it.
Meatball Pasta Bake Recipe
The most time consuming part of this meatball casserole is simply grabbing the ingredients from the grocery store. (Isn’t shopping often times the worst part??)
Ingredients You Need
- Pasta- Uncooked pasta; penne or ziti work best for this recipe.
- Meatballs– Use our easy Homemade Meatballs Recipe or you can use frozen Italian meatballs. You can also use turkey meatballs if you prefer.
- Tomato Sauce- Use our Easy Marinara Recipe or any store-bought brand marinara sauce.
- Tomato Paste – this will add flavor and consistency to the marinara.
- Garlic- You can choose minced garlic or garlic paste.
- Spices– Dried Oregano , basil, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes.
- Half & Half
- Cheese– you’ll use ricotta and mozzarella cheeses. You can garnish with parmesan cheese as well.
- Parsley– If you’d like to use it for garnish.
How To Make A Meatball Pasta Bake
- Prep. Preheat the oven and grab either a round casserole dish or just a 9×13 baking dish.
- Mix. In the dish, stir up the spices, garlic, sauces, water, half and half and ricotta cheese.
- Add. Next, put in the pasta, meatballs and mozzarella cheese. Stir it up and make sure all the pasta is covered.
- Bake. Cover and bake for 50 minutes. When time is up, take the foil off, add more cheese and heat for another 10 minutes.
What To Serve With This Pasta
I like this meal because it’s a one and done — you don’t need any side dishes to go alongside it. However, you might want a side of bread! Choose your favorite Italian or garlic bread or give our Jalapeno Cheddar Bread recipe a try. Our Baked Zucchini Spears are a great low carb option, too.
How To Store The Leftovers
Cover any leftovers with aluminum foil or in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Reheat in the oven or in individual bowls or plates in the microwave. Enjoy within three days.
More Pasta Recipes
- Cheesecake Factory Louisiana Chicken Pasta Recipe
- Taco Pasta
- Crockpot Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta
- Baked Spaghetti
Add as Google Trusted SourceMeatball Pasta Bake
Ingredients
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic, or garlic paste
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional
- 24 ounces marinara sauce
- 6 ounces tomato paste
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 1 cup water
- 1¼ cup half & half
- 1 lb pasta, uncooked (penne or ziti are the best choices for this recipe)
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 lb meatballs, frozen
- Parsley, for garnish
Instructions
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- In a 9×13-inch baking dish or large round casserole dish, add the garlic, salt spices, marinara sauce, tomato paste, ricotta, water, and half and half and mix together.
- Add in the pasta, meatballs, and 1 cup of mozzarella cheese and mix until evenly coated. Use a rubber spatula to gently press the pasta down into the dish so that it’s mostly covered.
- Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 50 minutes.
- Remove the foil and top with the remaining cheese bake for an additional 10 minutes.
- Garnish with parsley and serve immediately.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this? Leave a comment below!
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This was my grandson’s first attempt at cooking and he scored a 10 with recipe. Everyone loved it.
Yay! Thanks Kathy!
My 15 year old made this and it was delicious. We made it with gluten free pasta.
Thanks Kathy!