This post contains affiliate links.

One Pan Meatball Casserole is one of those dump it and forget it family favorites that everyone loves.  It makes a great freezer meal and I've adapted it for the slow cooker and instant pot. 

One pan dishes are the kind of recipes that motivate me to make dinner.  I love the thought of few dishes and easy prep!  Some of my favorite one pan meals include Easy Beef Stroganoff, Cottage Pie, and One Pan Jambalaya.

A white casserole dish with ziti pasta, meatballs and cheese lifted out with a spoon.

This is one of those magical dinners where uncooked noodles, sauce, and meatballs are all added to a casserole dish and baked together in the same pan! It doesn't get much easier then that, and it's the type of warm and comforting meal that everyone in your family will love!

Ingredients you'll Need:

  1. Uncooked ziti pasta: or penne noodles
  2. Marinara sauce: homemade or store-bought
  3. Milk: makes it creamy, but additional water or broth can be substituted.
  4. Water
  5. Spices: garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, and salt
  6. Cooked meatballs: I like to use my homemade chicken meatballs.
  7. Shredded mozzarella cheese
  8. Optional toppings: parmesan cheese and fresh chopped herbs (such as basil, oregano, and parsley for garnish)

Uncooked ziti noodles, marinara sauce, meatballs, milk, spices and shredded cheese on a marble board.

How to Make Meatball Casserole:

  • Mix. In a large baking dish stir together uncooked pasta, marinara sauce, water, milk, spices and meatballs.
  • Bake. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake at 425 degrees F for 40 minutes.

Side by side photos of a casserole dish with uncooked pasta, sauce and spices, then water and meatballs added.

  • Stir and check.  Check the pasta—we want it to be al dente (firm, but almost perfectly cooked). If it’s still too hard, cover the dish and return to the oven for a few minutes.
  • Add cheese.  Sprinkle mozzarella over the top and bake uncovered at 425 degrees F. for 5-10 more minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.
  • Serve. Allow to cool for at least 15 minutes before serving, to allow the sauce to thicken up.

Cooked meatballs pasta casserole with cheese sprinkled on top and then baked.

Want to make a smaller batch? Cut the recipe in half and bake in an 8’’ or similar size dish.

Can I use frozen meatballs? I suggest thawing the meatballs first, so that everything bakes in as quick of time as possible. If you bake the dish with frozen meatballs it will take longer to bake.

A white plate with cheesy pasta, red sauce, meatballs and a fork.

Slow Cooker: Prepare as directed, but leave out the milk and add an additional 24 oz jar of marinara sauce. Be sure the ziti noodles are covered with sauce. Cook on HIGH for 2 – 2 ½ hours, or LOW for 3 ⅓ -4 hours or until pasta is tender. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top during the last few minutes of cooking and return the lid to allow the cheese to melt. Optional: place under broiler for a few minutes to toast the cheesy top.

Instant Pot: Here is my very similar Instant Pot version. https://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/instant-pot-penne-pasta-with-meatballs/

Make Ahead Instructions: This meatball casserole can be assembled completely the night before, but I wouldn’t do it any sooner than that or the noodles may have a mushy texture after baking.

Freezing Instructions: Prepare the meatball casserole up until baking. Cover with a double layer of aluminum foil and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge before baking, or to bake from froze, baked covered for 1 hour and 30 minutes, and uncovered for 15-20 minutes longer.

CONSIDER TRYING THESE POPULAR DINNER RECIPES:

You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST for more great recipes!

A white casserole dish with ziti pasta, meatballs and cheese lifted out with a spoon.
Save Print Pin Review Add as a trusted Google source
4.99 from 283 votes

One Pan Meatball Casserole

Author: Lauren Allen
One Pan Meatball Casserole is an easy, dump it and forget, family favorites.  I've included options for making it in the slow cooker or as a freezer meal!
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 50 minutes
Total: 1 hour
Servings: 8

Ingredients 
 

  • 16 oz. package uncooked ziti pasta
  • 24 ounces marinara sauce
  • 1 cup milk
  • 2 cups water
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoons Dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • Meatballs, , fully cooked, thawed
  • 2 cups shredded mozzarella , (or Italian blend cheese)
  • Optional: Parmesan cheese and fresh chopped herbs (such as basil , oregano, and parsley for garnish)

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
  • In a 9x13 inch baking dish stir together uncooked pasta, marinara sauce, water, milk, spices and meatballs.
  • Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 40 minutes.
  • Uncover; stir. Check the pasta for doneness. We want it to be al dente (firm, but almost perfectly cooked). If it’s still too hard, cover the dish and return to the oven for a few minutes.
  • Sprinkle mozzarella over the top and bake uncovered for 5-10 more minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.
  • Allow to cool for at least 15 minutes before serving, to allow the sauce to thicken up.

Notes

Want to make a smaller batch? Cut the recipe in half and bake in an 8’’ or similar size dish.
Make Ahead: This recipe can be assembled completely the night before, but I wouldn’t do it any sooner than that or the noodles may have a mushy texture after baking.
Freezing Instructions: Prepare the recipe up until baking. Cover with a double layer of aluminum foil and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge before baking, or to bake from froze, baked covered for 1 hour and 30 minutes, and uncovered for 15-20 minutes longer.
Slow Cooker: Prepare as directed, but leave out the milk and add an additional 24 oz jar of marinara sauce. Be sure the ziti noodles are covered with sauce. Cook on HIGH for 2 - 2 ½ hours, or LOW for 3 ⅓ -4 hours or until pasta is tender. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top during the last few minutes of cooking and return the lid to allow the cheese to melt. Optional-place under broiler for a few minutes to toast the cheesy top.
Instant Pot: Here is my very similar recipe for Instant Pot Penne Pasta with Meatballs.

Nutrition

Calories: 335kcal, Carbohydrates: 49g, Protein: 16g, Fat: 8g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Cholesterol: 25mg, Sodium: 932mg, Potassium: 469mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 7g, Vitamin A: 607IU, Vitamin C: 6mg, Calcium: 205mg, Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Text me new recipe ideas!

Simple, tasty ideas sent once a week. No spam.

Text Signup
HAVE YOU TRIED THIS RECIPE?!

RATE and COMMENT below! I would love to hear your experience.

Related Posts

Share Recipe

Pin

Published

About The Author

Lauren Allen

Welcome! I’m Lauren, a mom of four and lover of good food. Here you’ll find easy recipes and weeknight meal ideas made with real ingredients, with step-by-step photos and videos.

Learn More
4.99 from 283 votes (251 ratings without comment)
Subscribe
Notify of

82 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Robert B
7 days ago

5 stars
Made this tonight. I read through the comments and ended up adding Hunts Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes, mushrooms and a little bit of onion, red pepper and green pepper. I used 1 1/2 Jars of Marinara. 1 cup milk and 1 cup water. Also used about 1/2 bag of the small Frozen Italian Meatballs thawed. Cooked for about 50 minutes total (checked after 40) to be sure noodles (Rotelle) were cooked.
It was BURSTING with flavor. I mean flat out OUTSTANDING! Will definitely be in the rotation! Thank you for the idea for this delightful dish!

0
Reply
1 … 5 6 7