This Meatball Pasta Bake is the comforting dish you never knew you needed! This quick meatball recipe includes pre-made meatballs, marinara sauce, and a delicious ooey-gooey cheese topping. It’s great for meal prep and family dinners!
This yummy meatball pasta bake is everything you love in pasta bake combined into one casserole dish. This frozen meatball pasta bake is quick, easy, flavorful, and only requires five minutes of prep time (thanks to the frozen meatballs and jarred pasta sauce). This pasta bake is great for large families and gatherings, as it makes ten servings!
Here are a few other must-try pasta dishes to make during the week: Easy Taco Pasta Bake, Easy Sausage & Peppers Pasta, or Pink Sauce Pasta.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Easy – This yummy meatball pasta bake requires only a few kitchen tools.
- Quick prep– With only five minutes of prep time, you’ll have this pasta bake ready to eat in no time!
- Flavorful – Marinara sauce, seasoning/spices (like garlic powder), cheese, and basil pesto help create a delicious dish.
- Cheesy – Two types of cheese help create an ooey-gooey dish.
- Great for families – With ten servings, this yummy meatball pasta bake with jar sauce is great for larger families.
- Easy to meal prep – This dish is easy to portion out for lunches/dinners during the week once cooked.
- Perfect as a freezer meal – Once cooked, you can freeze portions for up to a month and enjoy them whenever you need a quick meal.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Pasta: You can use any pasta you’d like for this meatball pasta bake. However, I recommend using shorter noodle options like fusilli, penne, and ziti.
- Kosher Salt: All of my recipes are tested with Morton kosher salt unless noted otherwise. It is the best salt for everyday cooking because of its size and flavor. If using table salt, the amount should be reduced. I highly recommend picking up some kosher next time you are at the store!
Complete list of ingredients and amounts is located on the recipe card below.
How to Make Meatball Pasta Bake
Quick Overview
- Boil the pasta.
- Combine seasoned sauce + pasta.
- Add ingredients to baking dish.
- Bake.
Step by Step Instructions
Ensure you grease the large casserole dish before layering the ingredients for easier serving.
Step 1: Season the pasta water with about 1 1/2 Tablespoons of Morton kosher salt. Boil the pasta for 1-2 minutes less than the shortest time recommended on the package, depending on how soft you prefer it. Strain and set aside.
Step 2: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In the same pot that you used to boil the pasta, add the olive oil over medium heat. Add the meatballs and sauté for about 5 minutes.
Step 3: Add the marinara, Italian seasoning, garlic, and onion powder. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes.
Do not remove the foil until the last 10 minutes to avoid a burnt cheese layer.
Step 4: Add the pasta to the sauce and fold until combined.
Step 5: Lightly grease a 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Add about half of the pasta. Dollop the ricotta in spoonfuls over the pasta. Repeat with the pesto.
Step 6: Add the remaining pasta over the pesto/ricotta layer. Cover tightly with foil.
Step 7: Bake for 30 minutes.
Step 8: Remove the foil and top with all of the mozzarella and parmesan.
Step 9: Bake for another 10 minutes uncovered.
Recipe Serving Suggestions
Garnish this meatball pasta bake with fresh parsley or basil, an extra dash of Italian seasoning, and a sprinkle of freshly grated parmesan cheese.
I love serving this healthy meatball pasta bake with a side of veggies to help make the meal more filling. Here are a few ideas:
Expert Tips
- Undercook the pasta. The best way to keep this meatball pasta bake from becoming mushy while baking is to slightly undercook the noodles. Boil the pasta noodles according to the package instructions, but take them out two minutes early. The cooked pasta should be al dente.
- Don’t defrost the meatballs. There’s no need to defrost the meatballs with this meatball casserole recipe, as you’ll be browning them in a pan before adding them to the pasta bake. You’re already defrosting/heating them for the pasta bake recipe by pan-searing them.
- Uncover the pasta bake for the last 10 minutes. To help create that delicious, gooey, cheesy topping, you’ll want to remove the foil for the last few minutes. This step helps create a slightly crispy top layer that’s cheesy underneath.
- Do not overcook the meatball pasta. Bake meatball casserole according to the directions above to avoid overcooking it. Overcooked pasta bake typically gets hard and crunchy, making eating it challenging.
Additions & Variations
- Add veggies: This comforting meatball pasta bake recipe is great for hiding veggies without affecting the flavor. To add veggies to this dish, sauté spinach, kale, mushroom, onions, or veggies of your choosing with the meatballs. Then, follow the directions above.
- Use more cheese on top: You can make this meatball pasta bake as cheesy as you want. Add asiago, provolone, Romano, or an Italian cheese blend and mozzarella cheese to create an even cheesier dish.
- Make homemade meatballs: If you have extra time, you can make homemade meatballs. This variation allows you to use whichever protein and seasoning you’d like in the meatballs. You can make them with ground chicken, pork, turkey, beef, or a combination. This will add extra time to the recipe, as you’ll need to bake the meatballs before adding them.
Recipe FAQs
You can make delicious meatballs via either method. However, pan-searing the meatballs will make them juicier and more flavorful.
You can use any kind of pasta with meatballs. I recommend using shorter noodles to make serving easier in this meatball pasta bake. If you use spaghetti, it may make it messier to dish out the pasta.
Some recipes call for baking soda in meatballs, as it supposedly prevents the meat’s proteins from overly bonding. It’s said this trick helps keep meatballs tender as they cook.
Yes, it’s best to cook pasta before baking it. Otherwise, you may have undercooked noodles in your meatball pasta bake (ricotta cheese version). If you purchase no-bake noodles, you can bake uncooked pasta. However, when using no-bake noodles, you will need to add more liquid/water to ensure you’re not left with crunchy noodles.
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Cheesy Meatball Pasta Bake
Ingredients
- 1 pound short cut pasta*
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 24 ounces frozen pre-cooked Italian style meatballs, homemade or store-bought
- 2 24-ounce jars good quality marinara sauce
- 2 teaspoons EACH Italian seasoning, granulated garlic, & onion powder
- 16 ounces ricotta
- 1/3 cup basil pesto
- 8 ounces mozzarella, shredded
- 1 cup parmigiano reggiano, shredded
Instructions
- Season the pasta water with about 1 1/2 Tablespoons of Morton kosher salt. Boil the pasta for 1-2 minutes less than the shortest time recommended on the package, depending on how soft you prefer it. Strain and set aside.1 pound short cut pasta*
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In the same pot that you used to boil the pasta, add the olive oil over medium heat. Add the meatballs and sauté for about 5 minutes.1 Tablespoon olive oil, 24 ounces frozen pre-cooked Italian style meatballs, homemade or store-bought
- Add the marinara, Italian seasoning, garlic, and onion powder. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes.2 24-ounce jars good quality marinara sauce, 2 teaspoons EACH Italian seasoning, granulated garlic, & onion powder
- Add the pasta to the sauce and fold until combined.
- Lightly grease a 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Add about half of the pasta. Dollop the ricotta in spoonfuls over the pasta. Repeat with the pesto.16 ounces ricotta, 1/3 cup basil pesto
- Add the remaining pasta over the pesto/ricotta layer. Cover tightly with foil.
- Bake for 30 minutes.
- Remove the foil and top with all of the mozzarella and parmesan.8 ounces mozzarella, shredded, 1 cup parmigiano reggiano, shredded
- Bake for another 10 minutes uncovered.
Notes
- Pasta: You can use any pasta you’d like for this meatball pasta bake. However, I recommend using shorter noodle options like fusilli, penne, and ziti.
- Kosher Salt: All of my recipes are tested with Morton kosher salt unless noted otherwise. It is the best salt for everyday cooking because of its size and flavor. If using table salt, the amount should be reduced. I highly recommend picking up some kosher next time you are at the store!
- Undercook the pasta. The best way to keep this meatball pasta bake from becoming mushy while baking is to slightly undercook the noodles. Boil the pasta noodles according to the package instructions, but take them out two minutes early. The cooked pasta should be al dente.
- Don’t defrost the meatballs. There’s no need to defrost the meatballs with this meatball casserole recipe, as you’ll be browning them in a pan before adding them to the pasta bake. You’re already defrosting/heating them for the pasta bake recipe by pan-searing them.
- Uncover the pasta bake for the last 10 minutes. To help create that delicious, gooey, cheesy topping, you’ll want to remove the foil for the last few minutes. This step helps create a slightly crispy top layer that’s cheesy underneath.
- Do not overcook the meatball pasta. Bake meatball casserole according to the directions above to avoid overcooking it. Overcooked pasta bake typically gets hard and crunchy, making eating it challenging.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
