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This Meatball Casserole recipe is an EASY dinner with just four ingredients! It’s a great way to use up leftover meatballs, plus it’s ready in about 30 minutes. If you want an easy weeknight dinner, this recipe is for you.
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If you are looking for a recipe with a short prep time that’s perfect for feeding a big family or taking to a friend, this cheesy meatball casserole is the dinner for you. I mean, four ingredients and 30 minutes – it’s my ideal dinner!
It’s like a cross between spaghetti and meatballs and a baked pasta dish but a whole lot easier to make. It’s what to make with leftover meatballs – you get all the cheesy, saucy, meaty goodness with hardly any work.
Best EASY Meatball Casserole
When I was describing this pasta recipe to a friend, she told me, “Oh yeah, we call those dinners Stupid Easy Meals because they’re so easy it’s almost silly to call them a recipe!” Sometimes, this kind of a meal is something you need, right?
- When your day has you craving comfort food.
- When you are rushed for time or have leftover pasta.
- When you’re making a casserole for a crowd or a friend when they need a meal.
This easy Meatball Casserole recipe is perfect for any and all of those times. You can make this recipe from scratch or semi-homemade with just four ingredients. It feeds a lot of people and tastes SO GOOD!
It’s also a great recipe if you’re wondering what to do with leftover meatballs. I always have them in my freezer, and this casserole is my favorite way to use them up.
Maybe this casserole meatball recipe is stupid easy, but I think a better way to describe it is genius easy!
4 Ingredient Meatball Casserole Recipe
- Pasta – any shape you like will work, but I like penne or rotini. You can even use spaghetti to make a spaghetti and meatball casserole.
- Frozen meatballs – use store-bought or leftover frozen homemade meatballs.
- Jarred marinara sauce: Or use my homemade crockpot tomato sauce!
- CHEESE! – Shredded mozzarella cheese
How to Make Meatball Casserole
- 1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. While the oven heats, boil the pasta for a few minutes less than what’s instructed on the box. You want it a little underdone because it will finish cooking in the oven. Drain the pasta once it’s done cooking. Pour the pasta into a 9×13” baking dish.
- Place the frozen meatballs on top.
- Pour the sauce over the meatballs and pasta.
- Sprinkle the shredded cheese over the top. Bake the casserole for about 20 minutes or until the meatballs are hot and the cheese is melted.
Variations
Instead of store-bought meatballs, make a batch of my homemade meatballs. I love making a big batch, freezing them, and using them to make this easy one-pan meatball casserole.
Instead of jarred sauce, try my quick 30-minute pasta sauce!
Or, if you stick with jarred, try out different kinds of marinara to change up the flavor.
FAQ
If you want to make fresh homemade meatballs for this recipe, you should sear and cook them on the stove first. If you use frozen cooked meatballs, you don’t need to sear them – they go right from the freezer to the baking dish!
You can cook frozen meatballs right in the sauce! You don’t need to warm them up first.
Leftover meatball casserole will keep in the refrigerator for up to two days.
You can freeze leftovers for up to one month.
What Can I Make with Leftover Meatballs?
If you want more easy ideas for repurposing meatballs, be sure to check out these leftover meatballs recipes, too!
Other Favorite Recipes
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Meatball Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 pound pasta your choice, I like penne or rotini
- 1 pound frozen meatballs
- 6 cups Crockpot Marinara sauce or your favorite jarred sauce
- 4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Cook pasta in boiling water just a few minutes less than called for on the package. Since you’ll be baking this you want the pasta a bit more al dente than if you were to just eat it straight from boiling. Drain well.
- Pour pasta into a casserole dish (9”x13” pan size). Top with frozen meatballs and sauce, then sprinkle with cheese.
- Bake casserole about 20 minutes, or until meatballs are cooked through and cheese is melted.
- Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 2 days or freeze for up to one month.
Recipe Video
Recipe Nutrition
If you need an easy dinner, this Meatball Casserole recipe is for you! It’s like a cross between spaghetti and meatballs and a baked pasta dish but a whole lot easier to make.
Last Updated on March 18, 2022
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This recipe is better! I’ll do it today.
So easy recipe and it looks delicious too. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
So easy recipe and it looks delicious too. Thanks for sharing this recipe. 🙂
Just lived the cheesy penne pasta recipe….excellent!
Oh my god, heaven on a plate. Or in a platter I guess 🙂 This looks SO cozy!
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