Meatball Casserole is the ultimate cozy, family-friendly dinner! Cheesy, saucy, and satisfying, this easy recipe skips the boiling by baking the pasta right in the sauce!
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Meatball casserole is the winter comfort food we all need right now.
If your idea of comfort food is a big plate of spaghetti piled high with meatballs (or this Instant Pot Spaghetti), I’ve got your new favorite dinner recipe right here!
Meatball casserole has spaghetti and meatball vibes, but extra cheesy and extra easy. What more could you ask for?! As someone who could easily dive head-first into a plate of Crockpot Lasagna, I assure you, this recipe is going to knock your socks off.
- Everything Cooks in One Dish. No boiling the pasta or frying the meatballs separately. You just stir it all together and bake. It’s like a dream!
- Comfort Food, Italian-American Style. If you have a weakness for dishes like Manicotti and Stuffed Shells, you’re going to love the flavors here. Zesty marinara, juicy meatballs, creamy and melty cheeses—the gang’s all here.
- Store-Bought Shortcuts. Frozen meatballs + jarred marinara + a box of pasta add up to a tasty, satisfying dinner your whole family will love.
Key Ingredients
You’ll find the full list of ingredients in the recipe card below, but here are some notes to keep in mind.
- Pasta. I recommend ziti or another short tubular pasta.
- Marinara Sauce. Spring for the good stuff! I like Rao’s, Delallo, or Carbone.
- Tomato Sauce. For extra tomato flavor.
- Water + Milk. The pasta absorbs the liquid as it bakes, making it tender. And milk makes the sauce creamy.
- Cottage Cheese. Makes the casserole creamy and ups the protein factor. (You’ll also love these Marry Me Chicken Lasagna Roll Ups.)
- Parmesan + Mozzarella. A meatball casserole without nutty, salty Parm and melty mozzarella would be a tragedy.
- Seasonings. Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt.
- Cooked Meatballs. You can use frozen for convenience, go with my favorite Turkey Meatballs (which is what I used here), or try Pork Meatballs, Chicken Meatballs, or Lentil Meatballs.
- Fresh Parsley or Basil. Optional, for a pop of color and flavor.
How to Make Meatball Casserole
Combine (photo 1). Stir everything except the mozzarella and fresh herbs in a 9×13 baking dish. I like to position the meatballs so there’s one in the middle of each serving.
Bake (photo 2). Cover and bake at 425 degrees F for 30 minutes.
Cheese It Up (photo 3).Uncover, stir, top with mozzarella, then cover again and bake 15 minutes more.
Rest and Serve (photo 4). When the pasta is tender, your meatball casserole is done! Rest for 10 minutes, then serve with additional Parmesan and herbs. ENJOY!
Recipe Variations
- Make It Meatless. Swap in your favorite plant-based meatballs.
- Make It Spicy. Add crushed red pepper flakes or use arrabbiata sauce. That’s a spicy meatball (casserole)!
- Veg It Up. Stir in chopped baby spinach, Sautéed Mushrooms, or Roasted Broccoli before baking.
What to Serve with Meatball Casserole
- Salad. Add some greens to your dinner plate with this simple Arugula Salad or Mediterranean Salad.
- Bread. Soak up the creamy sauce with Rosemary Olive Oil Bread or Homemade Garlic Bread.
- Vegetables. Roasted Zucchini or Sautéed Broccoli would be fab!
Meatball Casserole
Video
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Ingredients
- 16 ounces uncooked ziti pasta or similar short, tubular pasta
- 24 ounces good quality marinara sauce I like roasted garlic; try Rao’s, Delallo, or Carbone
- 8 ounces tomato sauce
- 1 ¾ cups water
- 1 cup milk I used 1%
- 1 (16-ounce) container low-fat cottage cheese (I used Good Culture)
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese plus additional for serving
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 14 ounces cooked meatballs thawed if frozen (I use my Turkey Meatballs, but store bought is just fine!)
- 1 ½ cups shredded Mozzarella cheese
- Chopped fresh parsley or basil optional for serving
Instructions
- Place a rack in the center of your oven and preheat to 425°F.
- In a 9×13 inch baking dish, stir together the uncooked pasta, marinara sauce, tomato sauce, water, milk, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt. Stir in the meatballs. Reposition the noodles as needed so that they are all covered in liquid.
- Cover the dish snugly with aluminum foil. Bake for 30 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the oven, uncover, and stir. Sprinkle with the mozzarella. Recover and bake 15 minutes more.
- Test the pasta for doneness; it should be cooked to al dente (tender but with a bit of chew). If the noodles are too firm, recover and continue baking as needed.
- Let stand for 10 minutes to set up prior to serving. Sprinkle with Parmesan and herbs as desired.
Notes
- TO STORE: Refrigerate leftover meatball casserole in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- TO REHEAT: Warm in a 350°F oven until heated through, or microwave individual portions.
- TO FREEZE: Freeze the baked casserole for up to 3 months; thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Erin, I noticed a few things about the recipe — and have a couple of comments.
On the ingredient list, it reads prepared tomato sauce (so I bought tomato sauce, no salt added) but the body of the recipe reads prepared marinara sauce which makes more sense. I used a bottle of spaghetti sauce and added a little of the tomato sauce to get to 32 ounces.
The ingredient list mentions 10 oz. of frozen cut spinach, but the directions omitted when to put it in. I added it to the sauce as it was simmering.
I thought that 6 oz. was way too small amount of pasta — With all the meatballs, I used closer to 12 oz.
Finally, I thought 400 degrees was too hot — I am guessing all we are trying to do is melt the cheese on top? I adjusted the time and temp —
It turned out great, but just wanted to include my comments. And, as always, maybe I missed something.
Thanks! I enjoy your website, your comments, and suggestions (nice that you included that part skim cheese is OK but not fat free. That type of information is helpful for those of us who want to cut calories wherever possible but not lose the flavor of the dish.
Hi Judy, I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed this recipe! I’m sorry for the confusion between the pasta sauce vs. tomato sauce terminology, and I updated the ingredient list to “tomato pasta sauce” to be more clear. The spinach is added in step 5, along with the sauce (which is right when you put it in!), and I’m glad you were able to find the right the noodle amount for you. We tend to prefer a higher sauce+meatball to pasta ratio, but that’s completely personal preference. Thanks so much for taking time to leave your comments, and again, I’m so happy to hear that you liked the dish!
Just made this dish last night for dinner and it is INCREDIBLE. My husband, son, and I all loved it! Those meatballs alone are freaking delicious and I could have had a whole plate of those for dinner :) My husband has the idea to made those meatballs again, but try forming them into tiny balls and put them on top of pizza as a topping! I tend to agree that those would make an awesome pizza topping… :) I left out the red pepper flakes and increased the amount of pasta noodles slightly, but other than that I made the recipe exactly as written. It’s going into our regular rotation for sure. Erin, I am such a big fan of yours! This food blog has become my favorite go-to place to find yummy healthy recipes. If you ever happen to be in Salt Lake City, Utah, doing a food demonstration or tour or anything, I seriously want to meet you!
Sharice, this comment brings me so much joy. I totally agree that the meatballs are great as a meal unto themselves (love that pizza idea too!). Thanks so much for trying the recipe and for your kinds words. It would be so fun to meet you!
I had my doubts but this recipe is a keeper! I followed it almost exactly except I used regular Italian sweet sausage (pork). The recipe came out really delicious, and I’m one of those people who typically makes everything from scratch and avoids recipes with already-prepared ingredients. My family loved it. I will be making this again, and again.
Adam, thanks so much for taking the time to leave this great review! I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe.
Erin
Would love to try this recipes. I love meatballs . They happen to bring back happy memories of my child. The only thing stopping me is the spinach, kidney stones spinach is a no no. Can I leave it out? I love your recipes. Keep up the great work. Thanks
Hi Jan! I have not tried the recipe without the spinach, but you could experiment by leaving it out. I think it would still be delicious! I hope you enjoy the recipe!
Hi Erin
Tried this recipe without the spinach. It turned out delish. I put half the meatballs in the freezer, if hadn’t I think my husband would have eaten them all
Thanks again
I’m so happy to hear this, Jan! Thank you for taking the time to report back!
I can easily find ground turkey, but where do you find Italian turkey sausage? I can’t seem to find it anywhere around me. Could I just double up on the ground turkey? Thanks!
Hi Allison! Italian turkey sausage is typically sold in a package with sausage links in the refrigerated meat section. I have not tried the recipe without the Italian turkey sausage, but another reader has reported success with using a mix of ground turkey and Italian pork sausage, which may be easier to find. I hope this helps!
Well this took me to flavor town. I love this recipe! I just used whatever I had on hand since we’re in q haha. Ground venison and venison breakfast sausage for the meatballs, and some Mexican blend shredded cheese instead of the mozzarella ? and dried parsley instead of fresh. But it didn’t matter! It was such a good recipe that the substitutions worked just perfectly. Thanks so much for the best recipes as always! Also my husband loved it as always ?
Love Rachael
I’m SO pleased that you enjoyed this recipe, Rachael! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
Ummm silly question? Is the bread fresh or stale for breadcrumbs? I have never put fresh bread in a food processor. It seems like it would just make a ball.
Hi Dawn! I used fresh bread, and it worked well (make sure to pulse it, not run it constantly). If you prefer, you could tear your bread into a few big pieces first. I hope you enjoy the recipe if you try it!
This recipe looks delicious! I’m doing some freezer meals before baby shows up. Do you think this recipe would freeze and reheat well?
Definitely, Katie! I hope you enjoy the recipe!
made your recipe last night. after going to 3 stores i finally found ‘jenno itialian turkey sausage’ but it was in a log i guess u call it…could not find ‘sausage in casing’ anywhere. when i put it on top of the ground turkey i was not aware of the consistency. it was 1 lump & was difficult to incorporate into the gr turkey without mushing it together which u said not to do, so i did my best. it was tasty!
next time i think i will use your baked turkey mtball recipe. i have used Anne Burrell recipe for turkey meatballs which i have also used for meatloaf. she uses cilantro & water chessnuts & its very good. forgot to add that i added crimini mushrms & kalamata olives in my casserole. those additions were awesome.
Hi Pookie! Thank you for your feedback and review!
just defrosted & re-heated some of the casserole i made the other night. added more cheese & marinara sauce, it was sooo good!
Hi Pookie! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review and your feedback!
We made this last night, and it was an absolute hit! Everyone had seconds except our youngest. However, our youngest ate it well, and he’s by far our pickiest eater. I can’t decide what is better – that it was so easy to make or that it was so delicious and all 3 of our kids ate well.
It does look like the recipe has evolved quite a bit. Looking back at 2015 comments there’s mention of spinach and less pasta. Currently, the cottage cheese is listed in the ingredients but not instructed where to put it in at. We just added it when all the other main ingredients are added and mixed together. The only minor change we made was using bone broth instead of water for extra protein. We may try to use more meatballs next time too. (We used a bag of 100% grass-fed frozen meatballs from Whole Foods.) Your hamburger helper has always been our favorite, but it now has competition!
So glad to hear, Tara! Thank you!