Cheesy Meatball Pasta Bake

5 from 10 votes

Cheesy Meatball Pasta Bake

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!

Prep Time5

Cook Time1 5

Total Time1 10

Course: Main

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: people

Author: Brianna May

Equipment

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