Easy Dump And Bake Meatball Casserole
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Your favorite spaghetti and meatballs just got a cozy casserole makeover with this dump and bake meatball casserole! With minimal prep and plenty of flavor, this cheesy, comforting dish is always a hit. Make it for your family for an easy dinner or share it at your next potluck.
Table of Contents
Why We Love This Easy Dump And Bake Meatball Casserole
- Quick Prep – One of my favorite parts of this recipe is it is so fast to prep; you’ll love how easy it is with only 6 simple ingredients. (seven if you include water!) The oven does most of the work, and I can walk away while dinner bakes. Pair it with a side salad and some garlic bread, and dinner for an easy weeknight meal.
- Family Friendly Flavors – All the flavors of a baked spaghetti and meatballs, my family is always happy to see it on the table. You can use store-bought meatballs. I sometimes make it with homemade meatballs which I make in bulk and keep frozen for quick dinners. I added ricotta cheese both to give it a baked pasta flavor, and to help give my family a little more protein.
- Great To Share – This casserole is also great to take for a potluck or to a family in need, like when someone just had a baby or is sick. It’s easy and delicious, and great for both kids and adults.
Ingredients For This Easy Meatball Casserole Recipe
Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements and directions below in the recipe card.
- meatballs – frozen meatballs defrosted, I used a 28 ounce bag, use between 1.5 pounds- 2 pounds meatballs. You can use beef, pork, turkey, or any Italian style meatball. I have noticed the quality of frozen meatballs can really vary a lot, so use a meatball you enjoy. The meatballs do need to be defrosted before adding them to the casserole. You can also use a double batch of my homemade beef Italian meatball recipe . I like to meal prep them and keep them in one pound packs in the freezer.
- marinara sauce or you can use your favorite jarred pasta sauce.
- water
- Italian spice mix
- fusilli pasta or another short shaped noodle, you can use penne pasta, spirals, bowties, ziti, or another pasta shape.
- ricotta cheese – I used full fat. If using a lower fat ricotta, I recommend adding a beaten egg to the cheese for better flavor and texture
- mozzarella cheese – shredded, you can add a few shakes of parmesan cheese also if you like.
How To Make This Meatball Casserole Recipe
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 9×13 casserole dish with cooking spray. Defrost the meatballs in the microwave if not defrosted, half power for 4-5 minutes.
- Add the dried fusilli pasta into the casserole dish, spreading evenly.
- Pour the pasta sauce over the pasta. Add the water to the casserole dish.
- Place the meatballs into the casserole dish. Sprinkle the Italian seasoning over the entire casserole dish.
- Bake the pasta in the oven for 30-35 minutes or until the pasta is tender and the meatballs are hot all the way through. You can cover with foil and bake if you find it is getting too dark on top, of the casserole, but I have found it to work great uncovered.
- Dollop the ricotta cheese over the mixture in 6 large dollops. Spread a little with the back of a spoon. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over the entire baking dish.
- Place back in the oven and cook for an additional 5-10 minutes to warm and melt the cheese. Then serve and enjoy!
Quick And Easy Variation Ideas
Try Different Types Of Meatballs – Use beef meatballs, turkey meatballs, pork meatballs or chicken meatballs. When using frozen meatballs, they must be defrosted, or they won’t cook all the way through by the time the pasta has finished cooking. Cooking the casserole longer can cause the pasta to become gummy.
Add A Layer Of Ground Meat Instead – Don’t have meatballs? You can add a layer of cooked ground beef, ground sausage or ground turkey in place of the meatballs in a pinch.
Mix In Some Vegetables – You can add some vegetables right to the pan, like diced bell pepper, diced onion, shredded carrot or sliced mushrooms. Other vegetables that are more watery like spinach (frozen or fresh,) diced broccoli (fresh or frozen,) or diced zucchini can be added but must be sauteed first to remove the water before adding to the pan, or it can make the pan too watery which makes the pasta gluey.
Try Cottage Cheese – Cottage cheese can be swapped for ricotta cheese cup for cup if you prefer. It’s not my personal favorite, but I know a lot of people love cottage cheese in baked pasta dishes.
Add A Little Basil Pesto – A few spoonfuls of basil pesto can be mixed into the ricotta or spread over the casserole to add a pop of delicious flavor. I like to add the pesto after the pasta has cooked. I use a similar idea in my chicken rigatoni baked casserole adding basil pesto to add flavor.
Make It Spicier – Red pepper flakes at the table are usually my favorite choice to make an Italian pasta casserole like this so everyone in my family can customize how spicy they prefer dinner. You can also use a spicy sausage in the meatballs to give the whole casserole a kick.
Do I Have To Use Frozen Meatballs?
No, you can use homemade meatballs, but it will take longer. I make homemade beef meatballs in packs that are a pound each in the freezer, and add two to this casserole after defrosting them. You can also use a layer of cooked ground beef.
How Long Will This Easy Meatball Casserole Last?
Expect this casserole will last for about three days after you make it if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Leftovers can be frozen into individual portions, and will reheat ok from frozen.
More Easy Weeknight Pasta Recipes
Cheesy Baked Chicken Rigatoni Pasta
One Pot Cheesy Smoked Sausage Pasta Skillet
Easy Meatless Baked Ziti Recipe
Chicken Penne Alfredo
Mac And Cheese With Broccoli
Dump And Bake Meatball Casserole
Ingredients
- 1.5 pounds meatballs – frozen meatballs defrosted, I used a 28 ounce bag, use between 1.5 pounds- 2 pounds meatballs
- 3 cups marinara sauce 3 cups is about 24 ounces, or your favorite pasta sauce
- 3 cups water
- 2 teaspoons Italian spice mix
- 1 pound fusilli pasta or another short shaped pasta
- 1 cup ricotta cheese I used full fat, see notes
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese shredded
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 9×13 casserole dish with cooking spray. Defrost the meatballs in the microwave if not defrosted, half power for 4-5 minutes.
- Add the dried fusilli pasta into the casserole dish, spreading evenly.
- Pour the pasta sauce over the pasta. Add the water to the casserole dish.
- Place the meatballs into the casserole dish. Sprinkle the Italian seasoning over the entire casserole dish.
- Bake the pasta in the oven for 30-35 minutes or until the pasta is tender and the meatballs are hot all the way through.
- Dollop the ricotta cheese over the mixture in 6 large dollops. Spread a little with the back of a spoon. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over the entire pan.
- Place the pan back in the oven for 5-10 minutes to warm and melt the cheese. Then serve and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Did You Make This?
I would love to see it! Share your thoughts with me in the comments below!
Is it possible to make this in my Crockpot 3 quart casserole crockpot> I realize that the time would have to be adjusted to mayne 3-4 hours
Hi Pauline, I’m sure it’s possible to make this recipe in the crock pot, though I’ve not tried it. The trick is that you need to have enough liquid so that the pasta cooks, but that it doesn’t become either too liquidy or gluey. Since the crock pot cooks things lower and slower, that liquid ratio may be a little different then cooking it in the pan. I would watch the liquid carefully if you try it, and add more if needed. If you decide to try it, let me know how it goes! -Kristy