Meatball Casserole

This delicious meatball casserole is baked with pasta coated in marinara sauce, fresh Italian flavored meatballs made from scratch, and topped with mozzarella cheese.

Prep: 15

Cook: 45

Total: 1

Yield:6 servings

Equipment

Large bowl
large plate or baking sheet to place meatballs
Large pot to cook pasta
colander to drain pasta
Baking dish 9x13 inches

Ingredients

For the Meatballs

½ pound ground beef
½ pound ground Italian sausage
2 cloves garlic minced
1 large egg
¼ cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon milk of choice
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
salt more or less to taste
freshly ground black pepper more or less to taste

For the Casserole

16 ounces uncooked rotini pasta
1 24-ounce jar marinara
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425° Fahrenheit.
In large bowl, add all meatballs ingredients: ground beef and sausage, minced garlic, egg, milk, breadcrumbs, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Mix together until well combined but without over-mixing.
Scoop 2 tablespoons of meat mixture and roll between palm of hands, forming meatballs of even size. Repeat process with remaining meatball mixture until all gone, then set meatballs aside in plate or in baking sheet.
Bring large pot of water to boil, and cook pasta following package directions for al-dente (see Notes). Once cooked, drain pasta into colander, then add to 9x13 inch baking dish.
Pour jar of marinara sauce all over top of pasta and stir well.
Place meatballs over top of pasta in baking dish, nestling them into pasta and sauce. Sprinkle shredded mozzarella cheese all over top of dish.
Add meatball casserole to oven, and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until meatballs are fully cooked thru. Serve warm.

Notes

To avoid overcooked pasta: I recommend cooking pasta 1 or 2 minutes shy of package directions for al-dente as they'll continue cooking while baking.
Make it gluten free: use gluten free pasta and gluten free breadcrumbs.

Nutrition

Recipe By:Sam Guarnieri