Meatball Pasta Bake
You guys, prepare yourselves for THE biggest food coma, because this pasta bake means business. Juicy homemade meatballs buried in a rich tomato sauce, baked with gooey cheese on top. After trying this meatball pasta bake you’ll never have to wonder ‘what to serve with meatballs for dinner?’ ever again! Here’s why you’re going to LOVE it:
Homemade Meatballs – Here I’ll show exactly how to easily get soft and juicy homemade meatballs. Flavoursome – Not just a cheesy pasta bake, the entire dish is BURSTING with flavour! Family Dinner – Perfect to feed a family and easily made ahead of time!
Homemade Meatballs
For this pasta bake I do make my own meatballs, just because it’s too easy and delicious not to! I’ve got a detailed post on Homemade Meatballs so definitely check that out, but in summary, here are my 3 top tips for juicy meatballs.
How to make the best meatballs
Arguably the most important step is using a panade. This ensures the meatballs stay nice and juicy during and after the cooking process. Here’s how easy it is to make a panade:
How to make a panade for meatballs (quick summary)
How to make Meatball Pasta Bake
Right, meatballs out the way, let’s talk pasta bake. Here’s what you’ll need:
Meatball Pasta Bake Ingredients
Meatballs Pasta Cheese Sun Dried Tomatoes Tomato Passata (pureed tomatoes in US) & Chopped Tomatoes Onion & Garlic Basil & Parsley
What Cheese to use?
For this recipe I always use cheddar. You could also do half and half cheddar/mozzarella if you want some extra cheese pull 😋
What Pasta to use?
I LOVE rigatoni in this pasta bake, just for the pure fact that the tubes are wide enough for the sauce to settle in. Any other short cut pasta would work though. Whatever you choose, make sure you only just cook it until al dente. You want it still a little bit hard before you combine with the sauce.
How to make a meatball pasta bake (quick summary)
What to serve with Meatball Pasta Bake?
Cheesy Pesto Garlic Bread Pull Apart Caprese Bread Roasted Garlic Bread Easy Cheesy Garlic Bread Garlic Butter Potato Skins Feta Bruschetta
Can I prepare Meatball Pasta Bake in advance?
Absolutely! I recommend cooking everything, but allowing it to cool before combining in the dish (just so the pasta doesn’t bloat and the sauce thins). It’s also extra important to only cook the pasta until al dente if you’re resting it over night. Just cool, combine and cover in the fridge and add 5-10 mins onto baking time if cooking straight from the fridge! If you like the sound of this meatball pasta bake, definitely make sure you check out my Easy Cheesy Veggie Pasta Bake, Chicken Pasta Bake, Taco Pasta Bake and Broccoli Pasta Bake! If you’re looking for more similar recipes give these a ganders too:
Unique Meatball Recipes
Cranberry Turkey Meatballs Buffalo Chicken Meatballs (stuffed with blue cheese) Crispy Gnocchi and Sausage Meatballs Homemade Meatball Subs (stuffed with cheese) BBQ Meatballs
Alrighty, let’s tuck into the full meatball pasta bake recipe shall we?!
How To Make Meatball Pasta Bake (Full Recipe & Video)
If you loved this Meatball Pasta Bake recipe then be sure to Pin the recipe for later! Already made it or got a burning question? Give me a shout in the comments below and pick up your free ecookbook along the way!
