Baked Spaghetti and Meatballs

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This baked spaghetti and meatballs gives you all the feels of a comforting Sunday night dinner, complete with homemade meatballs! But store bought pasta sauce AND the ability to make it ahead of time means you can enjoy this meal on a busy weeknight too!

You'll Love This

• It's comforting. There are few things MORE comforting than a big pan of saucy pasta loaded with homemade meatballs and tons of ooey gooey cheese. This baked spaghetti and meatballs really is comfort food at it's finest and your family is going to LOVE it!
• It's simple. While this recipe does include homemade meatballs, the ingredient list is very simple and you'll likely have most of the ingredients in your kitchen already. And the meatballs only contain 8 ingredients!
• It's a crowd pleaser. There is something in this meal for everyone! Plain noodles on the bottom for the picky eaters. Enough meatiness for those carnivores in your life. And plenty of red sauce for those in your family who just can't get enough (like me!). Baked spaghetti is one of the few meals that I know my whole family will enjoy!

Instructions

Place spaghetti in a single layer in a large baking dish. 

Top spaghetti with a layer of spaghetti sauce, reserving about a cup or so to add to the meatballs after baking.

In a large bowl combine ground beef, red onion, garlic, oregano, breadcrumbs, milk, 1 egg, chopped parsley and a large pinch of salt and pepper. 

Use hands to thoroughly combine, but do not over mix. 

Use a cookie scoop to scoop 30-32 meatballs. 

Lightly oil hands and roll into round, uniform meatballs. Place them on top of the spaghetti sauce. 

Bake meatballs for 30-35 minutes or until they are cooked through and dark golden brown on top. 

Drizzle with remaining spaghetti sauce. 

Then top with mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. 

Bake for another 8-10 minutes. Broil on high for 1-2 minutes until the cheese starts to get dark golden brown. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley and enjoy!

Tips

• This recipe uses homemade meatballs, but you can totally use frozen if you want! There is NO SHAME in using frozen meatballs - there's actually some really delicious options out there. My fave are these Italian seasoned meatballs. The bake time will be about the same since (although the meatballs are fully cooked already) they are frozen.
• If you're into making your own meatballs - which seriously everyone should try - then make sure you grab some grass fed, preferably local, ground beef. You'll be amazed at the flavor difference, I promise. Once you start buying grass fed beef, you'll never go back to that mystery meat at the grocery store. Plus, buying local ensures that you are getting a high quality, fresh products AND benefits your community and local farmers. My favorite local beef and pork comes from Deutsch Family Farms.

Make Ahead

• Follow the instructions in the recipe card below, but just before baking cover and refrigerate the casserole for up to 24 hours.
• I like to use this awesome cast iron enameled pan with lid when I'm making this dish ahead of time. I can throw it together, pop the heavy lid on and the whole thing goes in the fridge until I'm ready to bake. The best part is that this pan looks great so it can go right from your oven to the dinner table!
• Before baking, take the casserole out of the fridge and let it sit on the counter for about 30 minutes so it can come to room temp. Then bake as instructed in the recipe card below. Garnish with fresh parsley and enjoy!

Family Favorites

• 10 Minute Vegetarian Lasagna
• Tomato & Garlic Bucatini
• Smoked Gouda Mac & Cheese
• One Pot Gorgonzola Pasta
• One Pot Mushroom Stroganoff

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