Easy Meatball Casserole Recipe

Easy Meatball Casserole Recipe with homemade meatballs and covered with melted mozzarella cheese. Perfect on its own, with noodles or in subs!

EASY MEATBALL CASSEROLE RECIPE:

🌟This cheesy meatball casserole ticks off all of the yummy requirements needed to please everyone in the family. Yes, it’s cheesy goodness but the meatballs are really the star of this dish. They’re moist and crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside.

🌟One thing you can do to help out future you is make a double batch of Meatballs and freeze the other half. It helps on those nights that you haven’t figured out what to make for dinner and now everyone is starving. No need to panic in that moment, you’ll be one step closer to getting this casserole in the oven.

🌟You can even go one step further and make your own Marinara Sauce. Not only is it super easy to make, it’s more cost effective than buying a premium store bought brand. The flavor is outstanding and worth just the little bit of effort it takes. The recipe yields about 4 cups so you’ll have some left over to use for another dish.

HOW TO MAKE EASY MEATBALL CASSEROLE RECIPE:

Marinara sauce: Use a good homemade sauce or pick a good store-bought sauce. Good marinara sauce often goes on sale, so you can stock up for when you want to make this later.

Cheese: Be generous with the cheese, we want it to be enough to both melt and to brown on top.

Baking: If your baking pan is broiler safe, you can skip the five minutes of baking at 425 degrees by just turning on the broiler and quickly browning the cheese.

VARIATIONS ON EASY MEATBALL CASSEROLE:

Veggies: Add in cooked broccoli, cauliflower, carrots or any other vegetable your family enjoys.

Meatballs: The meatballs are made from ground beef but you could swap for a ground pork sausage or chicken. Try using turkey meat for a healthier option.

HOW TO SERVE AND STORE:

Serve: This casserole shouldn’t be left out at room temperature for longer than 2 hours.

Store: Store any leftovers in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Freeze: Once completely cooled, store the casserole in a freezer safe storage bag or container and keep in the frozen for up to 3 months. Allow to thaw in the refrigerator overnight before reheating in the oven.

Easy Meatball Casserole Recipe 

Yield  : 8 servings

Prep Time : 25min

Cook Time : 25min

Total Time : 50min

Course : Dinner

Cuisine : Italian

Ingredients:

Meatball Ingredients:

• 3 slices bread

• 1/3 cup milk

• 1/2 cup yellow onion , minced

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

• 2 pounds ground beef (80/20)

• 2 large large eggs

• 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt

• 1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper

• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce

To Finish:

• 24 ounces marinara sauce

• 2 cups mozzarella cheese , shredded

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. In the bowl of your stand mixer add the milk to the slices of bread.

3. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a pan and add the minced yellow onions.

4. Cook them on medium low until translucent but not browned.

5. Remove from heat and let cool.

6. In your bowl with the milk soaked bread add the rest of the meatball ingredients including the cooked onions.

7. Mix it on low until the bread is broken apart and the meat is combined with the ingredients (using the stand mixer and not your hands helps keep the mixture cold and tender).

8. Using a meatballer/ice cream scoop or your hands scoop them into balls about the size of a ping pong ball.

9. Melt the remaining butter in the pan and cook the meatballs on medium high on all sides for around 2-3 minutes, getting a good sear on all sides, then remove from heat and set aside.

10. Coat the bottom of a baking dish with a thin layer of marinara sauce. Place the meatballs evenly into the baking dish and pour the remaining marinara sauce over the top.

11. Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese evenly over the baking dish.

12. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake for 18-20 minutes.

13. Increase the oven temperature to 425 degrees, uncover the baking dish, and cook for an additional 5 minutes.

Nutritional Info:

Calories: 431kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 32g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Cholesterol: 160mg | Sodium: 929mg | Potassium: 711mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 741IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 206mg | Iron: 4mg