Mix your ingredients, pop the dish in the oven, and create magic with my Dump and Bake Meatball Casserole. Nestle tender, juicy meatballs in a savory tomato sauce with pasta, and top with melted cheese, to deliver maximum flavor with minimal preparation. Sneak in any extra veggies for extra flavor and to make it your own. Try more delicious meatball recipes with my Meatball Stuffed Mushrooms or my Meatball Salad recipe.
Casseroles are always a great way to use up larger amounts of ingredients, or to easily serve a bigger crowd. Make a one-pan dish like my Cabbage Roll Casserole, or for more of a side dish, my Caprese Zucchini Casserole and Zucchini Cornbread Casserole.
Ingredients
Find most of the ingredients for this Dump and Bake Meatball Casserole in the freezer and pantry, making it very convenient. Scroll down to find substitutions for many of the ingredients, or keep reading to see what I used to make it.
- Tomato Sauce
- Elbow Macaroni (or other medium-sized pasta)
- Frozen Italian Meatballs
- Water
- Dry Basil and Oregano
- Bell Pepper
- Mushroom
- Shredded Mozzarella
- Fresh Basil for garnish
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 425F and lightly grease a 9"x13" baking dish. Make sure that the meatballs are thawed out before assembling the casserole.
Place the thawed meatballs and the uncooked pasta in the baking dish. Pour the tomato sauce and the water over the ingredients.
If wanting to add more vegetables to the dish, add them with the seasoning. Stir everything to evenly distribute the ingredients.
Cover the baking dish tightly with aluminum. Place in the preheated oven and bake for 35 minutes.
Remove the baking dish from the oven and discard the foil cover. Stir around the ingredients.
Sprinkle the grated mozzarella cheese evenly over the casserole.
Place the Dump and Bake Meatball Casserole back into the oven. Cook for another 10 minutes or until the cheese starts to take on color.
Remove the casserole from the oven and let it rest for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with chopped fresh basil and serve.
Substitutions and Variations
- Pasta - Use any type of medium-sized pasta for this dish like; Penne, Bowtie, Fusilli.
- Vegetables - The addition of extra vegetables in this dish is totally optional, but a great way to use up, or sneak in extra veggies.
- Meatballs - Replace frozen Italian meatballs with any type of frozen meatballs, like chicken, pork, or even vegetarian.
Storage
Store any leftovers of the Dump and Bake Meatball Casserole, in airtight containers. Not only is this dish extremely easy to make, but it also keeps very well. Place in the refrigerator for 2-3 days, or portion it out in the freezer for up to a month.
Recipe
Dump and Bake Meatball Casserole
Ingredients
- 450 grams Elbow Macaroni uncooked
- 400 grams Frozen Meatballs thawed
- 680 ml Tomato Sauce
- 3 cups Water room temperature
- 1 medium Bell Pepper finely diced
- 6 pieces Cremini Mushroom halved and sliced
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 tablespoon Dry Oregano or Basil
- 1½ cup Grated Mozzarella
- ¼ cup Fresh Basil optional garnish
Instructions
- Preheat you oven to 425F and lightly grease a 9"x13" casserole dish.
- Place the uncooked pasta and the thawed meatballs into the baking dish. Pour the tomato sauce and the water over the ingredients and sprinkle in the dry oregano and salt. (Skip to step 4 if you are not adding additional vegetables.)
- Add the chopped mushrooms and bell pepper to the dish and mix everything together until all the ingredients are well distributed.
- Mix the ingredients in the baking dish until they are all evenly distributed. Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes.
- Remove the foil from the baking dish and give the casserole a good stir. Sprinkle the grated cheese all over the top of the casserole and place back into the oven for 10 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and let it rest for 5 minutes before serving. Sprinkle the optional fresh basil over the top and serve.
