Easy Dump and Bake Meatball Casserole Recipe

Spread the love

Dump and Bake Meatball Casserole

You only need six things for this Dump and Bake Meatball Casserole, and you don’t even have to boil the noodles first. You may make it quickly by putting all the ingredients in a casserole dish and letting it bake. This meatball casserole is the easiest family-friendly dinner ever. It uses frozen meatballs and jarred pasta sauce, which are both easy to get.

Recipe for Dump and Bake Meatball Casserole

My kids love pasta dinners like this simple dump-and-bake meatball casserole! The flavors are light, it takes less than five minutes to make, and kids love it at the dinner table. You can’t ask for much more than that 😉

You just “dump” this meatball casserole into one baking dish, and the oven handles the rest. It’s easy for anyone to prepare because all you need are frozen meatballs, canned spaghetti sauce, and dried noodles.

My family loves simple pasta meal recipes like this Easy Garlic Parmesan Pasta or my Creamy Tomato Beef Pasta. Everyone loves pasta and cheese!

Timing

Time to get ready: 5 minutes
Time to cook: 40 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes

You only need six things for this Dump and Bake Meatball Casserole, and you don’t even have to cook the noodles first! It’s easy to make because you just “dump” the ingredients into a casserole dish and let it bake. This meatball casserole that uses frozen meatballs is the easiest, family-friendly dish you can make.

Equipment

A 9×13-inch ceramic baking dish
Grater for cheese
Cooking spray

Ingredients

◯ 1 box (16 oz) of uncooked rotini pasta
◯ 3 cups of water
◯ 1 jar (24 oz) of spaghetti sauce
◯ 1 bag (14 oz) of frozen, pre-cooked meatballs, thawed
◯ 1 teaspoon of kosher salt
◯ 2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese
◯ Freshly grated parmesan cheese
◯ Chopped fresh parsley

Instructions

Set the oven to 425°F. Use cooking spray to coat a 9×13 baking dish.
Put the raw spaghetti in the baking dish, then add the water, pasta sauce, meatballs, and salt. Put tin foil over the pan.

Bake for 35 minutes, tossing the whole mixture together halfway through.
After it’s done, toss the spaghetti again and add shredded mozzarella cheese on top. Bake for 5 to 8 more minutes, or until the cheese is melted.
If you wish, you can add parmesan cheese or chopped fresh parsley on top.

Tips & Notes

Rotini pasta doesn’t need to be boiled before you make this casserole. This is why the prep is so easy: you just drop the dry, uncooked pasta into the baking dish.

You can use any kind of pasta sauce you desire! I normally choose with the standard tomato and basil, but there are a lot of other choices, such garden vegetable, parmesan, spicy vodka, roasted garlic, three cheese, and more. You can even use up leftover spaghetti or pasta sauce from a meal you had before.

Frozen Pre-Cooked Meatballs

Before you make the dish, these need to be completely frozen. I put the bag of frozen meatballs in the fridge the night before or the morning of, and by dinner time, they’re ready to use.

Salt

Kosher salt is preferred.

Shredded mozzarella cheese

Use freshly shredded for best melting texture and taste.

Optional Toppings

You can add freshly grated parmesan cheese and/or chopped fresh parsley on top of the dish before serving if you desire.

Meatballs

You can use any kind of frozen meatballs in this recipe. Italian, homestyle, and other types are also good options. The recipe below calls for a 14 oz package, so make sure you use that one.

You can use a packet of meatballs that is 18 ounces or buy the bigger one (28 ounces) and use half of it in the casserole if you can’t locate one that is 14 ounces. I suppose that 14 ounces of frozen meatballs is equal to around 3 cups. If using the larger sized meatballs (like the kind you purchase at Costco) you may want to chop the meatballs in half so they’re close in size to the shop bought ones.

Pasta Sauce

You may use any kind of pasta sauce you like as long as the jar is 24 ounces. Use a “mini meatball” pasta sauce, a “garden vegetable” pasta sauce, or my personal favorite, the classic tomato and basil sauce, to make the meatballs even better.

With so few ingredients, it’s crucial to choose a good-quality, good taste pasta sauce. I prefer using Rao’s homemade pasta sauce when I make this recipe. Another fantastic brand with good flavor is Classico. You can use any variety/flavor of pasta sauce that you choose. I stick with classic tomato & basil, but you can use a garden vegetable sauce, mini meatball pasta sauce, spicy vodka pasta sauce, cheese pasta sauce, parmesan, roasted garlic, etc.

Dried Seasonings

The point of this meatball casserole is to be a simple, dump-and-go meal that doesn’t need much work on your part. You can add as much spice as you want, of course. Put in some garlic powder, onion powder, basil, Italian seasoning, seasoned salt, and so on. I like kosher salt better because it’s easy to use, easy to prepare, and safe for kids.

Cheese

Add more cheesy pleasure to this casserole. Before you sprinkle the shredded cheese on top, put down some slices of provolone cheese or another kind of cheese. You could also add some parmesan cheese.

Shred the mozzarella cheese from a block instead of buying it already shredded in a bag. This will give it the best melting texture and taste. You can also add more cheese by putting a layer of sliced cheese on top of the shredded cheese. If using sliced cheese consider using provolone, muenster, or mozzarella cheese. You can also put some parmesan cheese over top the dish before serving.

Make Ahead

You can do it! If you make this dish ahead of time, it will be even easier. Make the casserole according to the directions and then carefully wrap it in tin foil. Put it in the fridge until you’re ready to bake it for dinner that night.
I don’t think it’s a good idea to make this the night before and let it sit in the water all night.
You only need a few minutes to get everything ready for this dish. I suggest putting it together right before baking it, but you can also make it in the morning and store it in the fridge.

Stirring Halfway

I strongly suggest making this dinner when you can stir it halfway through. Stirring the dish lets all the pasta combine with the water and get soft while it cooks.
It’s okay if you can’t stir it halfway during the cooking period, but keep in mind that some parts of the spaghetti noodles will be crunchy because they weren’t stirred into the water halfway through.

Why Do I Need To Stir It Halfway Through Cook Time?

It’s crucial to whisk everything together to assist all the pasta get covered in the water and spaghetti sauce. This will also stop any pieces of the pasta noodles from getting hard and crispy.

Alternative Pastas

Yes, you can, but make sure it’s around the same size as the spiral rotini pasta.
Penne pasta or micro bow-ties are two other types of pasta that will work. You might also try using medium shell pasta. I recommend using rotini noodles because that’s the only kind of pasta I’ve ever used to make this casserole. If you use a larger or different type of pasta instead of rotini, the baking time can be a little different.
Rotini is my favorite because it has the right form and all the grooves and spirals that keep in the sauce.

Using Leftover Pasta Sauce

Of course! This is the best way to use up excess pasta sauce. When I prepare this Slow Cooker Italian Sausage and Beef Spaghetti Sauce, I usually have extra. That one has even more meat in it! You could also make my Easy Spaghetti Sauce Recipe or my Homemade Spaghetti Meat Sauce.
Three cups of pasta sauce fit in a 24-ounce container.

Helpful Ideas for Making This Recipe

Halfway through cooking, stir: This casserole tastes best when you stir it all together halfway through the cooking time. This makes sure that all of the pasta is covered in the sauce and water mix, which keeps the ends from getting dry and crispy when you eat them.
Use a nice Quality Pasta Sauce: Since this dish only contains a few ingredients, it’s crucial to use nice ones that taste good. I enjoy Rao’s Homemade pasta sauce or Classico pasta sauce. Rao’s is the best spaghetti sauce by far, but it costs a lot. I like to use the basic tomato basil pasta sauce for this dish, but you can use any sauce you choose.
Kosher Salt: I think you should use kosher salt since it brings out the flavors of the other components without making the whole dish seem salty. You can use other salts, such table salt or sea salt, but you might not require as much. Start with 1/2 teaspoon or 3/4 teaspoon and add more if you need to.
Thaw the meatballs: This recipe calls for frozen meatballs, but you need to thaw them first before putting them in the casserole dish. I put the bag of frozen meatballs in the fridge that morning and took them out when it was time to make dinner. The dish won’t cook and get hot in the time it takes for the meatballs to thaw.
To thaw frozen meatballs, put them in the fridge overnight or early in the morning on the day you want to consume them. If you’re in a rush and forgot to put them in the fridge, you can try thawing them in the microwave. They need to be totally thawed before you put them in the casserole dish.
Size of meatballs: You will need a bag of frozen meatballs that weighs 14 ounces. You may get this size in the store. If you’re using the bigger meatballs, like the ones you find at Costco, make sure they are thawed first. You might also want to chop them in half.
Add some grape tomatoes and diced cucumbers to a side salad, like a bag of leafy greens.
I also prefer to get ready-to-use salad mixes from the store, like Caesar salad.
Serve with some of my Cheesy Garlic Bread, Easy Breadsticks Recipe, Garlic Parmesan Knots, or any of these gooey gooey Cheese Bombs that you can make in the air fryer.
For a vegetarian side dish, you might also make these Slow Cooker Sweet Glazed Carrots, which taste like candy.

Nutrition Information