This do-it-yourself Meatballs Parmesan Casserole makes for one of the best weeknight meal, with do-it-yourself parmesan meatballs effervescent away in savory marinara sauce and topped with melted mozzarella cheese. It’s just like Hen Parmesan however with meatballs! Serve over pasta or as a meatball sub for a satisfying Italian dish any night time of the week.
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My household loves a great Italian dish, particularly basic favorites like Spaghetti and Meatballs, Baked Ziti, and Lasagna. This Meatballs Parmesan Casserole rapidly turned a favourite at our home as a result of it’s a crowd-pleaser (my husband and children love this dish!) and really easy to make, reheat, and double.
Meatball Parmesan Video
A meatball casserole in below an hour? Sure! See how Natasha makes this flavorful Italian Meatballs Parmesan recipe.
Straightforward Parmesan Meatballs Recipe
Our Meatball Parm Casserole comes as a mash-up of one of the best elements of our favourite Italian dishes: our Do-it-yourself Juicy Meatballs, savory sauce from our Straightforward Marinara Sauce, and casserole-style cooking so it’s simple to make and serve.
You’ll love how easy it’s to take advantage of flavorful meatballs, and it’s simple to share with a big group or make as meal prep. See our ideas under on making forward and freezing this Meatball Casserole.
Substances for Meatball Parmesan Casserole
With only a few meatball substances and your favourite marinara sauce, you possibly can whip up my baked Meatball Parmesan recipe. I do know a lot of you’re questioning if you should use store-bought meatballs and/or sauce as a shortcut—the reply is sure, and I’ve included variations under, however I promise these flavors are price the additional few steps!
- White bread – We use sliced sandwich bread, however you should use the within of soppy Italian or French bread as nicely, however take away the crust. Gluten-free bread will even work.
- Milk – Utilizing milk is finest to create tender and juicy meatballs, however you possibly can substitute it with chilly water
- Meat – a pound every of floor beef and floor pork. Use 80/20 or 85/15 for one of the best taste.
- Parmesan cheese – finely grated is finest. You’ll use half within the meatball and half on the highest
- Egg – this helps to bind the meatball
- Flavoring – garlic cloves, parsley, sea salt, and black pepper
- Marinara Sauce – we’ll want 3 cups. My Do-it-yourself Marinara Sauce works completely, however you possibly can substitute it along with your favourite store-bought sauce.
- Mozzarella Cheese – if in case you have an additional minute, shred or slice the cheese your self for one of the best meltiness
Variations
Listed here are a couple of different concepts to make this meatball casserole work for your loved ones:
- Storebought Meatballs – When you’re quick on time, strive store-bought meatballs. Select Italian-flavored or fundamental meatballs so the flavors mesh with the marinara sauce.
- Meat – we love this basic meatball mixture of beef and pork, however you possibly can substitute totally different proteins, like floor rooster, turkey, and even bison. Keep away from tremendous lean proteins so your meatballs don’t find yourself robust.
- Veggies – sauté diced veggies, equivalent to onion, inexperienced peppers, or chopped spinach, after which stir them into the sauce for an additional serving of greens
- Spice – For a spicy kick, add pink pepper flakes when including the garlic.
The right way to Make Baked Meatballs Parmesan
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Pour chilly milk or water over the diced bread, soaking for five minutes, after which use a fork to mash.
- Make the Meat combination – add floor beef and pork, half of the parmesan cheese, egg, garlic, parsley, salt, and pepper to the bread and blend till it simply comes collectively. Make certain to not over combine, since that may make the meatball robust. The combination might be moist, but when it isn’t, you possibly can add a splash of milk.
- Portion the meatballs – I used a medium trigger-release cookie scoop to portion, or about 2 Tbsp per meatball. Roll the combination right into a meatball utilizing moist fingers to concerning the dimension of a golf ball or 1 1/2″ in diameter.
Professional Tip:
To maintain meatballs from sticking to your fingers, set a small bowl of water subsequent to you and dip your fingers in water when rolling meatballs. If it begins to stay, simply re-dip your fingers in water. You’ll find yourself with completely easy meatballs.
- Sautee the Meatballs – Warmth a big skillet over medium warmth. Add oil to cowl the underside (I used about 2 Tbsp) after which add the meatballs in batches as soon as the oil is sizzling. Flip the meatball each 2 minutes to sear all sides.
- Assemble and Bake – Pour 1 cup of the marinara sauce right into a 9×13 casserole dish, after which put the meatballs into the sauce. Add the remainder of the marinara excessive of the meatballs and sprinkle with the opposite half of the parmesan cheese and all the mozzarella cheese. See our ideas under for storing the casserole at this stage, or bake coated in foil for about half-hour or till the meatballs are cooked to 165°F.
Can I make Meatball Parmesan in a Gradual Cooker?
Meatball casserole works nicely within the crockpot as nicely. Layer the marinara and browned meatballs within the gradual cooker on low for 3-4 hours or till the meatballs are cooked by after which prime with the cheese and cook dinner for 30 extra minutes or till the cheese is melted.
The right way to Serve Parmesan Meatballs
This Parmesan Meatballs Casserole is such a flexible essential dish since you possibly can serve the meatballs in so some ways. Attempt serving over:
Make-Forward & Storage
It’s simple to make Meatballs Parmesan Casserole as much as 24 hours prematurely (if refrigerating) and as much as 3 months forward if freezing. Assemble the casserole in response to step 5, however earlier than baking, retailer the casserole like this:
- To Refrigerate Forward: earlier than baking, cowl with foil and refrigerate for as much as 24 hours. Cook dinner straight from the fridge, however add about 5 minutes to the baking time.
- Freezing Forward: earlier than baking, cowl with a layer of plastic wrap and prime with foil, after which freeze for as much as 3 months. When able to cook dinner, thaw it within the fridge in a single day, take away the plastic wrap layer, and cook dinner as directed, including 5 minutes to the baking time.
- Storing Leftovers – As soon as absolutely baked, retailer leftovers in an hermetic container within the fridge for 3-5 days or within the freezer for as much as 3 months. Thaw within the fridge after which reheat within the microwave (use a splatter guard!) or oven till heated by.
Meatballs Parmesan Casserole combines one of the best elements of so a lot of our favourite Italian dishes—do-it-yourself meatballs, marinara sauce, and melty cheese—in a scrumptious, crowd-favorite in below an hour. It’s good for a weeknight meal, or to feed a crowd. I do know you’ll love this recipe!
Extra Italian Casserole Recipes
We love how simple it’s to cook dinner and serve this Meatball Parm recipe out of a casserole dish, so when you strive it, you’ll wish to take a look at these different Italian casserole recipes:
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Meatballs Parmesan Casserole
Juicy tender Italian meatballs baked in a tomato marinara sauce and topped with gooey cheese – that is such a tasty method to serve meatballs! This can be a recipe that was created from our love of basic juicy meatballs and beloved Hen Parmesan. It’s good served over spaghetti, and even in a toasted bun as a saucy and tacky Meatball Sub!
Servings: 5 individuals (4 meatballs per serving)
- 3 slices white bread, crusts eliminated, diced
- 1/2 cup chilly milk, or water, plus extra if wanted
- 1 lb lean floor beef, 80/20 or 85/15
- 1 lb floor pork, I used 80/20
- 1/2 cup finely grated parmesan cheese, divided
- 1 massive egg
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 Tbsp parsley, finely chopped, plus extra to garnish
- 1 tsp nice sea salt
- 1/2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
- Oil for frying, I take advantage of further mild olive oil
- 3 cups marinara sauce, do-it-yourself or store-bought
- 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, 6 oz
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Preheat oven to 400F with a rack within the middle of the oven. In a big mixing bowl, add diced bread. Pour milk/water over the bread and soak for five minutes then mash with a fork.
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Add floor beef and pork, half of the parmesan cheese, egg, minced garlic, chopped parsley, salt and black pepper. Use your fingers to stir till simply mixed. Don’t over-mix. The combination ought to really feel very moist. If not, add a bit extra milk as wanted.
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Portion into golf-ball-sized meatballs, about 2 Tbsp per meatball. A set off launch scoop makes it simple to portion. Moist your fingers and roll into meatballs about 1 1/2” in diameter.
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Set a big skillet over medium warmth and coat the underside with oil, about 2 Tbsp. As soon as the oil is sizzling, add the meatballs to the skillet in batches and switch each 2 minutes to get a great sear on all sides. Every batch will cook dinner for about 8 minutes in whole. They don’t have to be absolutely cooked by at this level, simply browned throughout.
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Add 1 cup marinara to a 9×13 casserole dish. Organize the browned meatballs over the sauce in a single layer. Pour the remaining marinara excessive and sprinkle with the remaining parmesan cheese and mozzarella cheese.* Cowl with foil and bake till the meatballs are cooked by to 165 ̊F on an instant-read thermometer, the cheese ought to be melted and the casserole ought to be effervescent, about half-hour.
*Make-Forward Instructions
–Assemble and Refrigerate the Casserole Forward – You possibly can assemble the casserole as much as 24 hours forward of time, cowl it, and refrigerate till able to bake. If baking the casserole chilly from the fridge, add an additional 5 minutes of baking time.
–Freeze the Casserole – you possibly can assemble the casserole, cowl it with plastic wrap, after which aluminum foil for as much as 3 months. When able to bake, thaw within the fridge in a single day, make sure that to take away the plastic wrap below the foil and bake as directed.
–Reheating Leftovers – cowl with foil and reheat at 350 ̊F for about 20 minutes or till meatballs are heated by. You may as well reheat within the microwave, however I do advocate a splatter guard to maintain the microwave clear.
693kcal Energy19g Carbs49g Protein46g Fats
Vitamin Information
Meatballs Parmesan Casserole
Serving Measurement
4 meatballs
Quantity per Serving
% Day by day Worth*
* % Day by day Values are based mostly on a 2000 calorie food regimen.
