Description
Quick midweek meal Magic meatball casserole delivers comfort without complicated preparation. Italian-inspired pasta bakes effortlessly with juicy meatballs, promising delicious dinner in minimal time you can easily enjoy.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients:
- 1 bag frozen meatballs, defrosted
- 1 box bowtie pasta
- 1 jar marinara or spaghetti sauce
- 3 cups water
Cheese:
- 1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
Seasonings:
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
Instructions
- Warm the oven to 400°F, preparing a welcoming environment for this hearty casserole.
- In a spacious baking dish, gently tumble meatballs with marinara sauce and water, ensuring each meatball is generously coated.
- Introduce bowtie pasta into the mixture, stirring carefully to distribute ingredients evenly and prevent clumping.
- Shield the dish with aluminum foil and slide into the preheated oven, allowing the contents to simmer and meld together for 35 minutes.
- Carefully remove the foil and lavishly scatter mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses across the surface, creating a landscape of potential melty goodness.
- Return the uncovered dish to the oven for an additional 10-15 minutes, watching the cheese transform into a golden, bubbling blanket.
- Extract the casserole and grant it a brief 10-minute respite, enabling flavors to settle and sauce to slightly thicken before serving.
Notes
- Swap frozen meatballs with homemade or plant-based alternatives for personalized dietary needs and flavor variations.
- Keep extra liquid on hand to prevent pasta from drying out during baking, ensuring perfectly cooked and moist noodles.
- Choose whole wheat pasta for added fiber and nutrition, making this comfort dish slightly healthier without compromising taste.
- Experiment with different cheese blends like provolone or adding fresh herbs like basil to elevate the dish’s complexity and depth of flavor.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Category: Dinner, Lunch, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6
- Calories: 460
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 900 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 9 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 52 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 25 g
- Cholesterol: 50 mg