Meatball Casserole is a casserole that is almost like a meatball lasagna with a mix of cheeses, noodles, meatballs, spaghetti sauce, and more cheese! The best part is that it is all baking in one dish and easy to have on the dinner table in no time! If this recipe sounds good to you, be sure to check out my homemade meatball recipe!
Meatball Casserole
Loaded with meatballs and a variety of cheeses, this pasta dish is a hearty and satisfying dish that is easy to put together. You could even make your own meatballs and egg noodles! My meatballs recipe, and even my chicken meatballs (yes, really), would taste great in this dish. And it’s easier than you might think to make your own egg noodles.
Just in case you want the easy version, that is the recipe I have listed below. Store-bought basic ingredients and a few minutes of prep and you are good to go!
Meatball Casserole Recipe
Meatballs: You can use premade storebought meatballs, or make your own homemade meatballs. If you are buying from the store just be sure they are thawed and precooked before adding them to this casserole.
Egg Noodles: Storebought or homemade egg noodles work great in this recipe!
Spaghetti Sauce: Storebought sauce in a jar works great, or feel free to use the sauce recipe from homemade spaghetti with meat sauce. The meat in the sauce can easily be omitted if desired.
How to Serve Meatball Casserole
We like it hot! My family of 7 can eat almost the whole pan, but just in case you have leftovers here is how we store them: I take out individual pieces and place them in airtight storage containers. Often when reheating leftovers it’s one or two people that want some, so having them individually proportioned helps. Be sure to label and date the containers.
Can I Freese Meatball Casserole?
Yes! When I am making a pan to freeze I do a few easy things. First I start with an aluminum foil casserole pan; these are cheap and if you happen to be gifting a meal to someone, you won’t need the pan back. Next, I follow the recipe up until the point of baking. At this point, I cover it with foil and label and date it. Place in the freezer for up to 3 months. Let it thaw in the refrigerator overnight before baking it the next day.
More Casseroles
Meatball Casserole
Ingredients
Cheese Mixture
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup ricotta cheese
- ¾ cup milk
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- ½ cup parmesan, grated (we prefer freshly grated)
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon dried parsley
- salt & pepper, to taste
- 12 ounces egg noodles, cooked al dente
Meatballs
- 40 meatballs, fresh or frozen (but thawed and precooked)
- 1 jar (24 ounces) spaghetti sauce
Toppings
- 1 ½ cups mozzarella cheese, freshly grated
- parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Cook the egg noodles, al dente, per package instructions. Drain and set aside.
Cheese Mixture
- In a medium bowl, mix the cream cheese, ricotta cheese, milk, mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, basil, parsley, salt, and pepper.
- Add the warm cooked noodles to the cream cheese mixture. Stir to combine.
Assembling
- Prepare a 9×13-inch baking dish by spraying it with nonstick spray.
- Spread the cheese mixture on the bottom of the prepared baking dish.
- Carefully set the meatballs on top of the cheese mixture.
- Pour the spaghetti sauce over the top of the meatballs, and top with the mozzarella cheese.
- Bake, uncovered until heated through (about 30 minutes).
- Serve warm, adding fresh parsley for garnish (optional).
Did you make this recipe?
You can tag me at @iamhomesteader.
We always make this recipe in conjunction with the Million Dollar spaghetti as together they use one tub of ricotta and both recipes go down really, really well in our house.
The creamy cheese layer is just so good. I usually make just a basic onion and garlic tomatoey sauce for the spaghetti sauce (I am too cheap to buy a jar in specifically) and it is always good.
Just another easy to make, easy to freeze, easy please recipe.
This was such a hit at our house. My stepdaughter is super picky, and she absolutely loved it! I’m definitely saving this recipe. Thanks so much!!
Served this at a small potluck and several people raved about it. It was delicious and served a lot of people as it’s pretty rich. I did swap cottage cheese for the ricotta due to personal preference. Will make again for sure!
What can you use in place of Ricotta Cheese?
Cottage cheese