Dump And Bake Meatball Casserole (Quick And Easy!)

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This Easy Dump and Bake Meatball Casserole is is ideal for hectic evenings! Family-friendly evening dinners don't get much better with just five basic ingredients! Just arrange the meatballs, cheese, pasta, and sauce in a dish. After that, let your oven handle everything. The outcomes are incredible!

dump and bake meatball casserole in casserole dish on countertop.

This simple dump and bake meatball casserole is one of my kids' favorite spaghetti dinner recipes! It's always a kid favorite at the dinner table, the flavors are mild enough, and it takes less than five minutes to prepare. Not much more could be asked for.

You essentially "dump" this meatball casserole into a single baking dish, and the oven takes care of the rest. The preparation time is low and simple enough for anyone to complete thanks to the dried spaghetti, frozen meatballs, and jarred pasta sauce.

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Why You'll Love This Recipe
Main Ingredients
How to Make A Dump and Bake Meatball Casserole
Make-Ahead and Freezing
Variations and Substitutions
Storage
Frequently Asked Questions
More Easy Weeknight Meals
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Dump And Bake Meatball Casserole (Quick And Easy!)
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Why You'll Love This Recipe

Basic ingredients. It makes use of basic items that you most likely already have on hand. For hectic weeknights when you don't have a dinner plan but still want something quick, satisfying, and healthful, this simple recipe is ideal. It's the ideal, incredibly easy weeknight supper!
Easy Prep: There is no need to boil pasta or do any precooking for this one-dish marvel. Just mix everything together and let the oven do its magic! It's perfect for busy weeknights when you have a lot of things to do.
Customizable: You can add more cheese, spicy meatballs, or your own vegetables. You can change this dish to suit your cravings indefinitely.
Potluck Perfect: The dish keeps warm for a while and travels well. Make it for friends who are in need or for off-site events.

Main Ingredients

This recipe's use of basic, minimal ingredients is one of my favorites.

ingredients for dump and bake casserole, labeled, on countertop.

Farfalle pasta. This recipe works well with uncooked penne or rotini. In casseroles, the short, robust shapes hold up well. The sauce will be properly captured by their ridges and curves.
Marinara Sauce. I used a homemade pasta sauce. You may use any type of spaghetti sauce! Although there are many choices, such as garden vegetables, parmesan, roasted garlic, three cheese, etc., I usually stay with the traditional tomato and basil. Even leftover spaghetti or pasta sauce from a prior meal can be used.
Frozen meatballs. Before making the dish, these must be fully thawed. The frozen meatballs are ready to eat by dinnertime if I put the bag in the refrigerator the night before or early the next day.
Spices. For a little more taste, I added a small pinch of crushed red pepper, but it is completely optional.
Mozzarella cheese. for a golden, elastic top layer and a creamy, melty texture. Additionally, mozzarella adds that traditional Italian taste.
Parsley. Chopped fresh parsley.

How to Make A Dump and Bake Meatball Casserole

Set the oven's temperature to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
Combine the meatballs, marinara sauce, water, uncooked pasta, salt, and crushed red pepper in a large baking dish. To make sure the pasta is coated evenly, give it a good stir.

meatballs and uncooked pasta in baking dish.

meatballs, uncooked pasta and pasta sauce in baking dish on countertop.

dump and bake casserole, uncooked, in baking dish on countertop.

Bake the dish in the oven for half an hour after securely covering it with aluminum foil.
Take off the foil and give the mixture a good swirl. Make sure the pasta is cooked through. Al dente, or soft but firm, is the ideal cooking temperature. Recover and bake for another 5 to 10 minutes if necessary.
Take out of the oven and carefully take off the aluminum foil. Cover the casserole with a layer of cheese.
Bake, uncovered, for a further 5 to 10 minutes, or until pasta is soft and cheese is melted.

Before serving, let the dish rest for five minutes. If desired, top with chopped fresh parsley or parmesan cheese.

Make-Ahead and Freezing

Make-Ahead Instructions: This meatball casserole can be made up to a few hours in advance of baking, but I wouldn't do it any earlier because the noodles might get mushy and gritty after baking.

Instructions for Freezing: Get the casserole ready for baking. Freeze for up to three months after covering with a double layer of aluminum foil and plastic wrap. To bake from frozen, thaw overnight in the fridge and then bake covered for 1 hour and 30 minutes and uncovered for 15 to 30 minutes.

Variations and Substitutions

This meatball casserole's versatility is its greatest asset. It allows us a great deal of creativity! You can try the following substitutions and variations:

Change pasta. This recipe can be made with any type of pasta. Because it's so simple to serve, I adore short pasta, like penne. Orecchiette, fusilli, rigatoni, and farfalle are other excellent choices. Baby shells and other small items will overcook in the dish, so avoid using them.
Different cheese. Change up the cheeses! While fontina, provolone, and asiago are also delicious substitutes, you can use just mozzarella.
Include some vegetables. Add some broccoli with some sliced or diced onion, green pepper, and red pepper.
Dried Seasonings: This meatball casserole dish is meant to be a simple, "dump and go" recipe that takes very little work on your part. Naturally, you can add as much spice as you like to this. Season with salt, garlic powder, onion powder, basil, and Italian seasoning. The simplicity of kosher salt appeals to me because it's kid-friendly and easy to prepare.

dump and bake meatball casserole with one serving removed.

Storage

Any cooling leftovers can be kept in the refrigerator for three to four days in an airtight container.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I Need To Stir It Halfway Through?

The best time to make this supper is when you can stir it halfway through. By stirring the casserole, all of the pasta will be incorporated into the water and will become softer as it cooks.

Can I make this in the slow cooker?

Indeed! Put everything in the crock pot except the cheese to prepare the dump and bake meatball casserole in the slow cooker. After 4 hours of cooking on low, or when the pasta is soft, add the cheese and continue cooking for another hour.

Can I Use Homemade Pasta Sauce Instead of Jarred?

Of course, yes! This is the ideal way to use up any extra pasta sauce you may have. Three cups of spaghetti sauce are contained in a 24-ounce container.

If you tried this Dump And Bake Meatball Casserole (Quick And Easy!) or any other recipe on my website, please feel free to leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the 📝 comments below. And remember to tag me on Instagram!

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