This comforting Cheesy Meatball Pasta Bake is perfect for any night of the week. Made with homemade meatballs and pasta sauce, this pasta bake is a family favorite that is always hits the spot.
When it comes to comfort food, pasta is at the top of my list, right next to Classic Beef Roast. I love just about anything with pasta, and when combined with tender, flavor meatballs and tons of cheese, who can resist.
If it were up to my oldest son, he would put meatballs in just about anything. While meatballs may not fit in every dish, they certainly belong in this cheesy pasta bake.
Why You'll Love This Cheesy Meatball Pasta Bake
- Made with Homemade Meatballs and Homemade Pasta Sauce.
- Easy to make and full of flavor.
- Make ahead and freezer friendly.
- Easily customizable!
- Great for feeding large families or dinner parties.
Ingredients Needed
Ground Beef - I use 80/20 for this recipe, but feel free to use what you prefer.
Breadcrumbs - The breadcrumbs help to "bind" the meatballs so that they do not fall apart.
Cheese - Both parmesan cheese and mozzarella cheese are needed for this recipe. Freshly shredded is best.
Egg - The egg also helps "bind" the meatballs.
Tomato Sauce - Plain tomato sauce for the pasta sauce.
Diced Tomatoes - I prefer petite diced tomatoes in my pasta sauces but feel free to use whatever you have.
Onions - For flavoring the pasta sauce.
Garlic - Freshly minced garlic for flavoring the pasta sauce.
Pasta - For this recipe I used mini penne pasta. However, any pasta shape will work. I often use fusilli pasta, regular penne pasta or rotini pasta for this pasta bake.
Herbs & Spices - Oregano, parsley, basil, salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder for seasoning the meatballs and the pasta sauce.
Worcestershire Sauce - The Worcestershire Sauce is used in flavoring the meatballs.
Customizing Cheesy Meatball Pasta Bake
This recipe is super easy to customize to make it your own. Here are a few suggestions.
•Substitute the homemade meatballs with premade frozen meatballs.
•Use a mixture of pork and beef for the meatballs.
•Use jarred pasta sauce instead of the homemade pasta sauce.
•Add some veggies to your sauce. Mushrooms, zucchini and spinach are all great additions to this pasta bake.
How to Make Cheesy Meatball Pasta Bake
Step 1 Make the meatballs. Mix together the meatball ingredients, portion into 25 equal portions.
Step 2 Cook the meatballs. Brown on all sides. Remove from the pan and set on a paper towel lined plate. Drain off all but 2 tablespoons of the fat.
Step 3 Cook pasta to al dente. Drain and set aside until needed.
Step 4 Make pasta sauce. Sauté the onion sin the reserved fat. Once tender add in the minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add in the remaining pasta sauce ingredients and simmer for 30-45 minutes.
Step 5 Assemble cheesy meatball pasta bake. Add the meatballs and pasta to the pasta sauce. Stir to fully combine. Pour into a 9x13 baking dish and top with shredded cheeses.
Step 6 Bake. Place in a 350°F for 30-45 minutes or until the sauce is bubbly and the cheese is melted. Enjoy!
How to Cook Meatballs
You can cook the meatballs two different ways.
Stove Top Meatballs - In a skillet over medium heat brown the meatballs on all sides. Don't fully cook the meatballs here, just brown them. They will continue cooking in the oven.
Oven Baked Meatballs - To bake the meatballs in the oven simply place them on a parchment lined baking sheet after rolling them. Place in an 375° F and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and continue with the recipe.
What to Serve with Cheesy Meatball Pasta Bake
What do you put in meatballs so that they don't fall apart?
Breadcrumbs and eggs are added to the meatball mixture to keep them from falling apart. It is important to add both the breadcrumbs and eggs, so the meatballs don't fall apart.
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📖 Recipe
Cheesy Meatball Pasta Bake
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1 Pound ground beef
- ¼ Cup breadcrumbs
- ¼ Cup parmesan cheese shredded
- 1 Large egg
- 1 Teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 ½ teaspoon parsley fresh or dried
- 1 Teaspoon salt
- ½ Teaspoon pepper
- 1 Teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ Teaspoon onion powder
- 1 Teaspoon worcestershire sauce
Pasta Sauce
- ½ Large onion small diced
- 3 Cloves garlic minced
- 29 oz tomato sauce
- 2 (14 oz.) Cans diced tomatoes
- 1 Teaspoon salt
- To Taste pepper
- 1 Teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 teaspoon dried basil
Other Ingredients
- 10 oz mini penne pasta or your choice
- 1 Cup mozzarella cheese shredded
- ¼ Cup parmesan cheese shredded
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine all of the meatball ingredients. Mix well to combine.
- Portion into 25 equal meatballs.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs and cook until browned on all sides. Remove from the pan and place on a paper-towel lined plate.
- Pour off the fat left in the skillet, reserving about 2 tablespoons. Reduce heat to medium.
Pasta Sauce
- Add the onions to the skillet and sauté until tender. Next add in the minced garlic and cook for 30 more seconds.
- Now pour in the tomato sauce and diced tomatoes, reduce the heat to low. Stir in the salt, pepper, garlic powder, oregano and basil. Bring to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes.
- While the sauce is simmering cook the pasta to al dente and preheat an oven to 375°F.
- Once the pasta sauce is done simmering, mix in the pasta and meatballs. Pour into a 9x13 baking dish and cover with the cheese.
- Place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes or until the sauce is bubbly and the cheese is melted. Enjoy!
Beth says
This recipe is so good! It's got all the Italian flavors I love, and it's soooo cheesy. DEE-licious.
Tayler says
This is my new go to pasta recipe! I've made it twice now and my family just loves it!
Sky Pilgreen says
I love hearing that! My family loves this recipe too!!
Dana says
This is so tasty! We stuffed ours into hoagies for meatball subs and it was perfect.
Sky Pilgreen says
Oh, that sounds delicious!
suja md says
Amazing recipe, Enjoyed it thoroughly.
Sky Pilgreen says
Thank you!
Chenee says
OOH this looks so good! I bet the kids would love it too!
Andrea says
What marvelous flavors in this hearty and comforting pasta bake. My family are going to go crazy for it.
Charla says
Made this last week only using dairy free cheese as a sub and it was delish.
Angela says
Love this! My kids went crazy for this pasta dish. Definitely adding this to my dinner rotation. YUM!
julia says
this was so delicious, the pasta sauce is something out of this world!
Kelley says
This was delicious! Pure comfort food! Will be on our weekly dinner rotation now.
Sky Pilgreen says
Oh, that's wonderful to hear!
Lauren says
My kids devoured this meatball bake! They've already requested that I make it again - great recipe!
Sky Pilgreen says
My kiddos love this meatball bake too! So glad y'all like it!
Tiffany says
This is a perfect weeknight dinner for my family! My kids love eating it and me and my husband love it too! Thanks!
Kate says
This pasta is soooo good. We loved the flavors and the oozy cheese topping.
Sky Pilgreen says
Thank you, Kate!
Sonia says
What a wonderful idea – thank you so much for sharing this recipe and all that cheesy goodness! My friends LOVED it! Thanks again!!!!
Dina and Bruce says
Just when we thought we had made meatballs all the ways. This cheesy goodness happened! Yum!
Tara says
Oooh, such a fantastic pasta dish. You had me at all the melty cheese. It looks absolutely amazing.
Sky Pilgreen says
Thank you!
Suja md says
I made this for my family, It was delicious. Thanks for this
Sisley says
there is only one way my family would like meatballs more and that is covered in cheese! So delicious and so much fun to make.
Sky Pilgreen says
My family is the same way, anything covered in cheese is a winner! Glad your family liked these cheesy meatballs!
Tayler says
I made this pasta bake for dinner last night and it was wonderful! Perfectly cheesy and easy to make!
Sky Pilgreen says
So glad that you enjoyed this recipe!
Gianne says
The meatballs are flavorful and juicy, the pasta is perfectly cooked, and the cheese on top is just divine. It's easy to make and a crowd-pleaser every time!
Sky Pilgreen says
Thank you, Gianne!
Dannii says
This was total comfort food. My kids really enjoyed it too.
Ned says
Cheese, pasta and meatballs were the perfect combo and I loved this recipe so much! Thank you!