Made with simple ingredients, this dump and bake meatball casserole is an easy weeknight dinner that the entire family will love. With little to no prep work, this easy baked pasta with meatballs recipe will be ready on the kitchen table in no time! You don't even have to boil the pasta!
This no boil pasta bake has been my go-to meal when I don't feel like cooking but still want to get something delicious and homemade on the table for dinner.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- This meatball casserole recipe uses nine ingredients (plus optional basil for garnish!), so it's likely that you have a majority of the ingredients on hand! Four of the nine are probably already in your spice cabinet!
- Honestly, there's nothing better than a dump dinner recipe on a busy night. All you have to do is dump everything into a baking dish, and dinner will be ready!
- This weeknight pasta dinner is a hit for both adults and kids! It's also so easy to customize (ie add some chopped spinach, switch the cheese, change the meatballs) that you can have something a little different every time and not get bored!
Ingredients You'll Need
Like other frozen meatball casserole recipes, most of what you need are pantry staples! These are the key ingredients and you can find the full list of ingredients with measurements in the recipe card down below!
pasta — I use rotini pasta (they're always a hit with kids!), but feel free any similar short pasta shapes such as penne pasta. Just make sure the other pastas have a similar cooking time so they'll be cooked through without changing the overall timing!
marinara sauce — you can use your favorite pasta sauce, but I love using marinara sauce, especially Rao's, as I get them in bulk at Costco!
broth — you can use beef or vegetable broth. You need to add broth to the baking dish so the pasta can cook through. I use low sodium broth whenever possible.
seasoning — I use a combination of Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
meatballs — I use the precooked frozen meatballs from the grocery store's freezer section. I always keep a bag on hand when they go on sale, so weeknight dinners are easy peasy.
cheese — I use mozzarella cheese, but you can use your favorite melty cheese. You can also use cheddar cheese, provolone, and more!
How To Make This Dump & Bake Meatball Recipe
- Heat oven to 375℉. Meanwhile, add the uncooked pasta, one jar of marinara sauce, broth, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt, and pepper into a large baking dish and then mix to combine.
- Add the frozen meatballs on top of the pasta and sauce mixture and then add the second jar of marinara sauce on top. (Make sure the pasta stays submerged in the sauce!)
- Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until the pasta is cooked al dente and the edges of the casserole are bubbling.
- Remove the foil and add the shredded cheese on top. Bake for 4 to 6 more minutes or until the cheese melts.
- Broil for 1 to 2 minutes until the cheese starts turning golden brown on top. Garnish with fresh chopped basil before serving!
Recipes Variations
- Instead of mozzerella, you can use provolone, cheddar, Gruyère, asiago, or Swiss cheese!
- Instead of marinara sauce, you can use a different pasta sauce. You can also use flavored pasta sauces like mushroom pasta sauce, garlic pasta sauce, basil pasta sauce, etc.
- Instead of beef meatballs, you can use chicken meatballs, turkey meatballs, etc.
- Add some vegetables! Add a few handfuls of chopped spinach to the sauce, add some sauteed onions or mushrooms, or add sauteed bell pepper or roasted jarred red peppers.
Tips and Notes
- To avoid undercooked pasta, make sure to tightly wrap the baking dish with foil. The pasta cooks from the steam, so you don't want any escaping from the baking dish.
- Make sure you follow the measurements for the marinara sauce and broth, as you don't want the pasta or meatballs to be undercooked.
- Serve the meatball pasta casserole with some garlic bread, brussels sprouts and bacon, or purple cabbage slaw. It's also perfect with a simple garden salad.
- Want to try more fun pasta recipes? Try my one pot tortellini lasagna, lemon ricotta pasta, or my pasta with ground pork recipe.
- Avoid having any pasta exposed. I always try to make sure that the pasta is submerged in the sauce, as the exposed bits will dry out while baking.
- If you have the time, let the casserole sit for a couple of minutes so the casserole can firm up a bit, making the meatball casserole easier to serve.
- Leftovers: keep any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. You can reheat leftovers in the oven or the microwave. I don't recommend freezing leftovers as the meatballs are previously frozen.
Recipe
Dump and Bake Meatball Casserole Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 (16-ounce) package uncooked rotini pasta, (1lb)
- 2 (24-ounce) jars marinara sauce, I like Raos
- 3 cups beef or vegetable broth
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 2 (14-ounce) bags frozen precooked meatballs
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
- basil, garnish
Instructions
- Heat oven to 375℉.
- Add the uncooked pasta, one jar of marinara sauce, broth, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt, and pepper in a large baking dish. Mix well to combine.
- Add the frozen meatballs on top of the pasta.
- Add the remaining jar of marinara sauce on top. (Making sure the pasta stays submerged in the sauce)
- Cover with foil and bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until the pasta is cooked al dente and the edges of the casserole are bubbling.
- Remove the foil and add the shredded cheese on top. Bake for 4 to 6 more minutes or until the cheese melts.
- Broil for 1 to 2 minutes until the cheese starts turning golden brown on top. Garnish with fresh chopped basil before serving!
Nutrition
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