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Dump and Bake Meatball Casserole

This Dump and Bake Meatball Casserole only needs 6 ingredients and you don't even have to boil the pasta before! Quick to make because you 'dump' the ingredients into a casserole dish and let it bake. Easy, family-friendly dinners don't get any easier than this meatball casserole that uses frozen meatballs. 
Course Dinner
Cuisine American
Keyword dump and bake meatball casserole, meatball casserole, meatball casserole with frozen meatballs, meatball dump casserole
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 8
Calories 445kcal
Author Jessica - Together as Family

Ingredients

  • 1 box (16 oz) rotini pasta uncooked
  • 3 cups water
  • 1 jar (24 oz) pasta sauce
  • 1 bag (14 oz) frozen precooked meatballs thawed
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 425° F. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray.
  • Dump the uncooked pasta into the baking dish, then add the water, pasta sauce, meatballs and salt. Cover the pan with tin foil.
  • Bake for 35 minutes, stirring everything together hallway through.
  • Once done, stir the pasta again and top it with shredded mozzarella cheese. Bake for an additional 5-8 minutes until the cheese has melted.
  • Serve with a garnish of parmesan cheese or chopped fresh parsley if wanted.

Notes

Frozen Meatballs : To thaw these, place them in the fridge overnight or early in the morning the day of. If you're in a hurry and forgot to set them in the fridge, try thawing them in the microwave. They do need to be thawed completely before adding them to the casserole dish. 
If you can't find a 14 oz size meatball package at the store you can use one similar in size (18 ounces) or buy the larger pack (28 ounces) and use half of the bag in the casserole. I believe that 14 ounces of frozen meatballs is equal to approximately 3 cups. If using the larger sized meatballs (like the kind you find at Costco) you may want to cut the meatballs in half so they're similar in size to the store bought ones. 
Pasta Sauce : With so few ingredients, it's important to use a good-quality, good tasting pasta sauce. I prefer using Rao's homemade pasta sauce when I make this recipe. Another great brand with good flavor is Classico. You can use any variety/flavor of pasta sauce that you want. I stick with classic tomato & basil, but you can use a garden vegetable sauce, mini meatball pasta sauce, spicy vodka pasta sauce, cheese pasta sauce, parmesan, roasted garlic, etc.
Dried Seasonings : The purpose of this recipe is an easy, dump & go recipe, but you can definitely spice this casserole up as you prefer. Try adding dried garlic powder, dried basil, Italian seasoning. You can add any dried seasonings you want in this casserole. 
Why Do I Need To Stir It Halfway Through Cook Time? : It's important to stir everything together to help all the pasta get covered in the water and pasta sauce. This will also prevent any bits of the pasta noodles from becoming hard with a crunchy texture. 
Cheese : For best melting texture and taste, shred the mozzarella cheese from a block rather than buying it pre-shredded in the bag. You can also add more cheesy goodness by adding a layer of sliced cheese before you sprinkle on the shredded cheese. If using sliced cheese try using provolone, muenster, or mozzarella cheese. You can also add some parmesan cheese over top the casserole before serving. 

Nutrition

Calories: 445kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 58mg | Sodium: 905mg | Potassium: 543mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 561IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 175mg | Iron: 2mg