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Dump and Bake Meatball Casserole

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Possibly the most perfect comfort food, this meatball casserole is a dump and bake meal that your whole family will love! There is virtually no prep work – it utilizes uncooked pasta and frozen meatballs! – and it all bakes in the oven in about 45 minutes!

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 1 pound rotini pasta, uncooked
  • 2 (24 ounce) jars Prego spaghetti sauce
  • 3 cups (24 ounces) water
  • 28 ounces frozen Italian meatballs
  • 8 ounces whole milk mozzarella cheese, shredded
  • Kosher salt
  • fresh cracked pepper

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 375 degrees.
  2. Mix uncooked pasta, one jar of spaghetti sauce, and 24 ounces of water in a large baking dish. Add the remaining jar of spaghetti sauce on top.
  3. Add the frozen meatballs and toss to coat in the spaghetti sauce keeping them above the pasta. Try to keep the pasta submerged in the sauce/water so that it cooks evenly.
  4. Cover tightly with tin foil.
  5. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until the pasta is cooked al dente and the edges of the casserole are bubbling.
  6. Top with shredded cheese and bake for a few more minutes until the cheese melts.
  7. Broil for 1-2 minutes until the cheese starts turning golden brown on top. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley and enjoy!
  8. If you loved this recipe, please leave a 5-star rating and review below!

Equipment

Notes

    • Use the 24 ounce spaghetti jar to measure the water! After you’ve added the sauce to the pasta, fill the empty jar with water, pop the lid on, and give it a few shakes to loosen any leftover sauce from the sides of the jar and add it to the pasta. This way you don’t have to dirty a measuring cup AND you get every last bit of spaghetti sauce out of the jar!

    • Let it rest before serving! This will allow the liquid to redistribute back into the pasta so it’s not watery.

Find it online: https://midwestfoodieblog.com/meatball-casserole/