Name: Easy Baked Meatball Parmesan Casserole
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 1 Bag Frozen Meatballs (Cooked according to package directions); 2 cups Pasta Sauce; 2 cups Shredded Mozzarella Cheese; 1 cup Shredded Parmesan Cheese; 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning; 2 tablespoons Olive oil; `15 medium Red Ripe Tomatoes; 1 large Onion (finely chopped ); 3 medium Garlic Cloves; 1 ½ teaspoon Salt; 2 tablespoons Brown Sugar; ½ teaspoon Chili Powder; 1 teaspoon Dried Basil; 2 tablespoons Olive Oil; 1 cup Chopped Mushrooms ((Optional))

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My favorite thing about this Easy Baked Meatball Parmesan Casserole recipe- you only need 6 ingredients and it is ready in minutes.

Oh! Also, it can feed a crowd. We all love affordable, easy recipes, don’t we? It doesn’t get cheaper and easier than this Meatball Parmesan Casserole recipe.

Meatball Parmesan in a casserole dish with a vegetable side plate.

I shared it with my sister and she said it was a great idea for dinner after a long working day. Actually, even her picky kids loved this dish, all 4 of them! How cool is that?

For this recipe, I used frozen meatballs (I always have this in my freezer). However, if you prefer making fresh meatballs, you can go ahead and use them.

There are times when I buy lots of ground meat from the farm sales in the neighborhood.

At the beginning of the month, I love baking a large batch of meatballs and storing them in the freezer. I anticipate those busy weekday dinners or Sunday afternoons when no one feels like cooking up a storm!

Jump to:

Why I love Meatball Parmesan Casserole
How to make Meatball Parmesan Casserole
INGREDIENTS AND SUBSTITUTION
FAQ MEATBALL PARMESAN CASSEROLE
The Process
EXPERT TIP
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Easy Baked Meatball Parmesan Casserole

Why I love Meatball Parmesan Casserole

Meatball Parmesan Casserole dish in an oven.

It is ready in a jiffy: the Meatball Parmesan Casserole recipe only takes 15 minutes in the oven! Making the meatballs in advance will save you lots of time.

Our youngest has very low levels of patience when it comes to hunger. This meal has calmed the storm he causes every time he paces up and down the kitchen, waiting for a meal.

It is easy to make: You honestly do not require any serious culinary skills to make this dish. The many times I have delegated the preparation of this dish to my children, we had success!

It is filling: Meatballs by themselves are usually loaded with eggs, and breadcrumbs making them a complete meal. I enjoy this dish with bread, roasted vegetables, or salad.

It is moist and delicious: the cheese in the dish as well as the source adds the necessary moisture to the casserole dish. The combination of meaty and milky flavors blends beautifully as well.

It is hard to get my children to eat meatballs, but whenever we bake them in the casserole, hardly one is left in the dish. Lol

How to make Meatball Parmesan Casserole

As I mentioned before you do not need a degree in culinary science to make this dish lol.

The kind that dreads cooking like my husband can easily make this dish. It rarely turns into a mess as long as you have used the right amount of each ingredient.

To prepare the meal, preheat the oven to 180 C. Arrange the meatballs on the greased casserole dish. Pour the pasta sauce on the meatballs. Grate the cheeses and sprinkle them on the meatballs.
Bake the dish for 20 minutes until the top has an attractive golden brown color.

Get the dish from the oven and sprinkle the top with parmesan cheese and chopped herbs. Serve hot with your favorite side dish.

INGREDIENTS AND SUBSTITUTION

Meatball Parmesan ingredients in glass bowls.

It's good to know the ingredients that make this meal stand out as a quick, nutritious dinner option.

Freshly baked or frozen meatballs

As I mentioned earlier, I love making meatballs from scratch. On the first Saturday of the month, we usually prepare meals that will last us the entire month.

Our homemade meatballs are made of ground beef, bread crumbs, eggs, onions, herbs, and seasoning. The listed ingredients are combined in a mixing bowl.

Once the ingredients are combined, form balls and bake them in an oven. Once they are ready, let them cool then use the meatballs as desired. You can substitute ground beef with ground pork, turkey, or chicken.

Mozzarella Cheese

Mozzarella cheese adds a mild lactic flavor to the dish, the flavor can easily go unnoticed.

But what stands out, is the stretchy and springy characteristic of the mozzarella cheese. It is mainly used for making pizza.

Using this cheese in the dish, reminds my folks about pizza you know, lol. For this property, I wouldn't substitute it with any other cheese, after all, it is the easiest to find and also to make at home you know.

However, if you can get gruyere cheese, it would be the best substitute for mozzarella.

A plate of meatball meals on a blue cloth.

Parmesan cheese

Parmesan cheese has a strong distinct taste. It is hard and gritty in texture. It is used in little amounts complementing perfectly with mild mozzarella and ground beef.

I usually bake half of it in the casserole and sprinkle the rest when the dish is baked. It tastes delicious and acts as garnish as well.

Tomato Pasta sauce

There was no way we would ever buy pasta sauce while growing up, no way. Not with all the tomatoes my mother grew in her garden.

Anyway, can you really compare the taste of store-bought sauce with made-from-scratch pasta sauce? If you cannot get fresh tomatoes, it's alright to pick a jar of pasta sauce from your grocery store.

Making the traditional Italian pasta sauce takes lots of hours but it is worth the effort. However, you can make a simpler version as described below.

Italian seasoning

Oh, the dish will taste boring without this ingredient. I love the blend of dried basil, oregano, thyme, marjoram, rosemary, and sage.

These herbs elevate the deliciousness of the meatball casserole. Don't skip it, trust me.

Olive Oil

I loooove olive oil. I drizzle it on my pizza, and bruschetta, and add it to my favorite salad dressing.

Olive oil has a distinct aroma, it adds a fruity and nutty flavor to the meatball casserole.

A close up of meatballs and some vegetables.

FAQ MEATBALL PARMESAN CASSEROLE

Can I use ground pork or turkey?

Yes, ground pork and turkey make delicious meatballs as well.

How can I store leftover meatball casserole?

Cover the casserole dish with plastic wrap and store it in the refrigerator. However to save on storage space, store the leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate.

The Process

A can of baked meatballs next to an greased casserole dish.

Grease the casserole dish with olive oil.

Place the meatballs in a greased casserole dish.

A baking dish with meatball ingredients inside.

Pour the pasta sauce over the meatballs.

Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes.

EXPERT TIP

Use homemade ingredients.

To get the best rest, make your own meatballs and pasta sauce. The dish will taste very authentic and be nutritious as well. Preparing the meatballs and pasta sauce ahead will save time.

Use blocks of cheese instead of shredded cheese.

Shredded cheese has less moisture compared to blocked cheese.

Shredded cheese is coated with anti-caking agents that will affect how your mozzarella will melt. Just like grandma did, let's shred our cheese.

If you tried this Easy Baked Meatball Parmesan Casserole Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you liked it in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!