Meatball pasta bake is perfect for anyone who loves spaghetti and meatballs. Baked pasta and meatballs topped with melted cheese is a fantastic family dinner!
My kids love meatballs and spaghetti Bolognese. Which I always think is really the same thing in different shapes.
They’d eat them all the time, so sometimes, I need to add a little variation. Meatball pasta bake and bolognese pasta bake are a great way to change things up without doing anything too different.
Why I Love Meatball Pasta Bake
This easy meatball pasta bake recipe is fantastic because:
- It’s easy, quick, and fairly cheap – a simple meatball pasta bake is the perfect midweek meal.
- If your kids love meatballs, they’ll love this too.
- Pasta bake with meatballs is always comforting and warming. Excellent comfort food.
- Baked pasta with meatballs is super filling.
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Ingredients For Meatball Pasta Bake
When I make my cheesy meatball pasta bake, I use:
Cooking Spray – Or olive oil.
Beef Meatballs – I use a large pack, but fewer will work, too.
Red Onion
Garlic Puree – You can use fresh garlic, but I love a quick and easy cheat, so always have a puree tube in the fridge.
Closed Cup Mushrooms – Other mushrooms are good too, I often use chestnut.
Chopped Tomatoes – For a simple, rich tomato sauce.
Paprika
Beef Stock
Tomato Puree
Salt and Pepper
Conchiglie Pasta – You can make pasta bake with any pasta. I love shells so that the sauce can get stuck in or something with deep ridges.
Mozzarella
Mature Cheddar
You’ll Also Need
To make your meatball pasta bake recipe, you’ll also need:
- Chopping board and a sharp knife.
- Large saucepan and colander for the pasta.
- Spatula or spoon.
- Large, non-stick, flameproof and heatproof dish. I use my cast iron Dutch oven, which is suitable for use on the hob and in the oven. If you don’t have something you can use both ways, you’ll need to transfer your pasta bake mix from a flameproof pan to an oven dish before you bake.
- Cheesegrater
How to Make Meatball Pasta Bake – Step-by-Step Instructions
Full, easy-to-follow instructions and quantities are available in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step One
Cook the pasta for your baked meatball pasta to the packet instructions, but for around half of the time specified. Drain, rinse in cold water so it doesn’t stick together, and set it to one side. For white pasta, this usually takes about 5 minutes. A little more or less is fine.
Step Two
Liberally mist a non-stick, flameproof, heatproof dish with cooking spray and warm over medium heat on the hob. Or, heat a splash of oil.
Step Three
Add the meatballs and cook for 5-10 minutes, stirring often until the outsides have browned. If your pan isn’t very wide, you might find it easier to do this in two batches. Return all of the browned meatballs before moving on.
Step Four
Add the onions and fry for a further 5 minutes, stirring often.
Step Five
Stir in the garlic and mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often until the mushrooms have reduced and softened.
Step Six
Pour in the chopped tomatoes and stock, and add the paprika, tomato puree and a pinch of salt and pepper to taste.
Step Seven
Bring to a simmer, stirring often, taking care to scrape the bottom of the pan or dish.
Step Eight
If necessary, reduce the heat to cook at a low simmer.
Step Nine
Simmer for 20 minutes until the sauce has thickened. Simmer for a little longer if you need to.
Step Ten
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C.
Step Eleven
Remove from the heat.
Step Twelve
Stir through the pasta, allowing the sauce to get into the shells or ridges.
Step Thirteen
Top liberally with grated cheese.
Step Fourteen
Place in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes until the cheese is golden brown.
Top Tips
For the perfect pasta bake:
- Use your favourite meatballs. You can make your own, home made meatballs with ground beef are brilliant, but I buy them.
- Use pasta that you love and that isn’t super smooth. Shells, ridges and shapes where the sauce can stick are best.
- If you like firm pasta, don’t precook it or only simmer it for a few minutes.
- Make sure you stir well before adding the cheese top, or the heavy meatballs will all sink to the bottom of the cooking dish.
- Top liberally with cheese.
- Leave your easy meatball pasta bake to stand for a few minutes before serving. This will allow the sauce to thicken and settle and prevent it from flowing to the bottom as soon as you dig in.
Serving Suggestions
I serve my meatball pasta bake with garlic bread and a simple side salad. You could also serve it on its own, though. It’s got pasta, cheese, meat, and veggies.
Variations
When you make meatball pasta bake, there are a few things that you could do differently.
Air Fryer Meatball Pasta Bake
You can absolutely make meatball pasta bake in an air fryer.
See my air fryer pasta bake recipe for some tips, or just prepare your pasta bake on the hob, before baking for 10 minutes in the air fryer.
Use Different Pasta
You can make pasta bake with pretty much any pasta. I prefer shells or tubes, but you can use what you have.
Use Different Cheese
Mozzarella and cheddar are my favourite baked pasta cheeses. They taste great and melt well.
Parmesan is a great option, too, and you can absolutely experiment with other cheeses on your cheesy meatball pasta bake.
Add Veggies
I love mushrooms, so there are loads!
You could also add peppers and spinach.
Use Mini Meatballs
A mini meatball pasta bake is brilliant, especially if you are making your own meatballs. They just won’t take as long to brown. The rest of the recipe will stay the same.
Leftovers
You can reheat leftover baked meatballs and pasta in the microwave, oven or air fryer.
Place in a suitable bowl, and sprinkle on a little water if it’s dry.
How long it takes to reheat will depend on how much you have left and the method you use, but make sure the meatballs are piping hot before serving.
Storage
Remove leftover meatball and pasta bake from the cooking dish and place in a clean tub or bowl to cool on the side (don’t leave it out for longer than 2 hours) before placing it in the fridge for 2-3 days.
FAQ
You can freeze meatball pasta bake in an airtight tub once it cools. Thaw fully in the fridge before serving.
Yes, you can make meatball pasta baked with lamb meatballs.
Other Recipes
If you like this meatball pasta bake, you might want to try some of my other easy midweek meals. My favourites include:
- Chicken Goulash
- Chicken and Chorizo Pasta Bake
- Leek and Potato Pie
- Air Fryer Katsu Curry
- Sausage Stroganoff
- Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato Curry
- Chicken and Halloumi Burgers
- Sweet Chilli Chicken Pasta
Recipe Card
Meatball Pasta Bake
Ingredients
- Cooking Spray
- 24 Beef Meatballs (This is a 680g pack)
- 1 Red Onion (Diced)
- 1 Teaspoon Garlic Puree (or two crushed cloves)
- 250 g Closed Cup Mushrooms (Sliced)
- 400 g Chopped Tomatoes
- 2 Teaspoons Paprika
- 300 ml Beef Stock (Made with one stock cube)
- 1 Tablespoon Tomato Puree
- Pinch Salt and pepper
- 250 g Conchiglie Pasta
- 100 g Mozzarella ( Grated)
- 35 g Mature Cheddar ( Grated)
Instructions
- Cook the pasta to the packet instructions, but for around half the specified time. Drain, rinse in cold water, and set to one side.
- Liberally mist a non-stick, flameproof, heatproof dish with cooking spray and warm over medium heat on the hob.
- Add the meatballs and cook for 5-10 minutes, stirring often until the outsides have browned.
- Add the onions and fry for a further 5 minutes, stirring often.
- Stir in the garlic and mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often until the mushrooms have reduced and softened.
- Pour in the chopped tomatoes and stock, and add the paprika, tomato puree and a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Bring to a simmer, stirring often.
- If necessary, reduce the heat to cook at a low simmer.
- Simmer for 20 minutes until the sauce has thickened.
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C.
- Remove from the heat.
- Stir through the pasta.
- Top liberally with cheese.
- Place in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes until the cheese is golden brown.
Notes
- If you don’t have anything that is both flameproof and heatproof and so suitable for use on the hob and in the oven, start by preparing your ingredients in a large, non-stick frying pan before transferring to a large ovenproof dish to bake.
Any nutritional information is given as a general guide only and may not be accurate. The information is provided using an online calculator and is specific to my ingredients. Please make your own calculations if you want precise information.
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