Baked Meatball Parmesan – A Family Feast®
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Our Baked Meatball Parmesan has tender Italian-style meatballs smothered in homemade tomato sauce and covered in three types of cheese – then baked until hot and bubbly!
Incredible (and easy!) Meatball Parmesan
Our Baked Meatball Parmesan is a very simple (and very delicious) dish…I’m drooling just looking at these photos!
It starts by combining some of our most popular recipes here on A Family Feast – our homemade Italian Tomato Sauce and our Italian-Style Meatballs.
We placed the cooked meatballs in an oven-safe baking dish, then poured a generous amount of sauce on top. Next, we topped the meatballs with three kinds of cheese: Parmesan, Mozzarella and Provolone.
Finally, the Meatball Parmesan is baked in the oven until the sauce is hot and bubbly, and the cheeses are melted and golden brown on top.
Options for Making the Meatballs for This Recipe
We have two delicious Italian-Style Meatball recipes on our site, and either can be used for this Meatball Parmesan:
Either meatball recipe will work great in this casserole!
Key Ingredients & Substitutions
- For the Meatballs:
- Ground Beef, Pork, and Veal
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Onions and Fresh Garlic
- Dense Bread soaked in Milk
- Eggs
- Seasonings – Including salt, ground pepper, dried basil, and oregano
- Fresh Italian Flat-Leaf Parsley
- Grated Parmesan Cheese
- For the Tomato Sauce:
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Red Pepper Flakes
- Onions and Fresh Garlic
- Seasonings – Including salt, ground pepper, dried basil, and sugar.
- Fresh Mint
- Canned Whole San Marzano Tomatoes
- Grated Parmesan Cheese
- Unsalted Butter
- For Baking the Meatball Parmesan:
- Grated Parmesan Cheese
- Shredded Mozzarella
- Provolone Cheese
- Spaghetti or other pasta of your choice, for serving.
Cooking Tips & Tricks
- For the best flavor and texture, we always recommend grating your own cheese.
- Pre-shredded cheeses often have a coating added that prevents the shreds from sticking to each other in the bag. This can impact how well the cheese melts.
- Also, never used the jarred Parmesan cheese – it just isn’t the same!
Special Tools You’ll Need
- Various Measuring Cups & Spoons
- Cutting Board & Sharp Knife
- Cheese Grater
- Large Mixing Bowls
- Scoop – To portion the meatballs.
- Sheet Tray or Large Skillet – Depending on which meatball recipe you choose to follow, you’ll either fry or bake them.
- Large Heavy-Bottomed Pot with Lid
- Heat Diffuser – Optional, but recommended. This is used to prevent the sauce from scorching as it cooks.
- 9×9 Casserole Dish
- Pot – To cook the pasta.
- Strainer
How do you serve Meatball Parmesan?
Can I make this recipe ahead and freeze it?
You sure can – this recipe freezes very well. Just be sure your casserole dish is freezer safe, as well as oven safe.
Here’s another time-saving tip: Bake up a big batch of meatballs and cook our Italian Tomato Sauce ahead of time and keep a stash in your freezer. Then – when the craving for our Baked Meatball Parmesan strikes – thaw the meatballs and sauce and assemble your casserole.
From there – you can have Baked Meatball Parmesan ready for a delicious family meal in under an hour!
This Baked Meatball Parmesan recipe originally appeared on A Family Feast in May 2018. We’ve updated the post, and we’ve given you more options to cook your meatballs. But, overall, the delicious recipe remains the same.
You might like these other Meatball Recipes
Baked Meatball Parmesan
Our Baked Meatball Parmesan has tender Italian-style meatballs smothered in homemade tomato sauce and covered in three types of cheese – then baked until hot and bubbly!
Prep: 30 minutes (if meatballs and sauce are already prepared)Cook: 15 minutesTotal: 45 minutes
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Cook pasta according to box directions.
- Heat tomato sauce in a sauce pan and hold.
- Heat meatballs in the microwave if cold.
- Line the bottom of a 9×9-inch casserole dish with about 1 ½ cups tomato sauce.
- Lay the meatballs 4×4 into the prepared casserole dish and top with another 1 ½ cups sauce then sprinkle on the Parmesan.
- Mix the mozzarella and provolone together and spread over the top of the meatballs and sauce and bake for ten minutes to heat through and melt the cheese. Finish under the broiler to brown if desired.
- Serve with cooked pasta mixed with the remaining sauce and additional Parmesan cheese.
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Notes
*You can also follow our Baked Italian-Style Meatball recipe and use those in this recipe. These meatballs are a little smaller than the fried meatballs, but the flavor is very similar.
