A Cheesy Meatball Casserole made with homemade beef and Italian sausage meatballs, rigatoni, marinara, Italian seasoning, and oodles of mozzarella cheese all baked to perfection. First the homemade meatballs are mixed, rolled, and baked. Then the uncooked pasta is combined with sauce, water, and seasoning all in one casserole dish making this family friendly meal easy.
How to make meatball casserole
Start by combining the Italian Sausage, ground beef, breadcrumbs, onion, garlic, Italian Seasoning, milk, Parmesan Cheese, chopped parsley, and eggs in a large bowl. Use your clean hands to combine the mixture. Then using a small cookie scoop (for portioning) roll the meatballs and place them on a parchment covered baking sheet. Bake for about 20 minutes or until browned and cooked through. Then set them aside on an elevated cooling rack so the baking process stops.
Now in a deep baking dish add the rigatoni, marinara sauce, water, and Italian seasoning, Cover the casserole dish tightly with aluminum foil. Bake for 30 minutes then remove from the oven and add the baked meatballs to the casserole dish with the pasta. Cover and bake another 10 minutes or until the pasta is tender and the meatballs are heated through. Then remove the foil and sprinkle with the cheese. Bake for another 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and very lightly browned. Top with chopped parsley and serve promptly.
Recipe notes and helpful tips
- Don’t overmix the meatball mixture. Skip the machines and gently combine by hand or with a wooden spoon. Mix just until combined.
- Don’t roll the balls too tight. Just roll enough for the ball to hold together.
- To help the meatballs keep their spherical shape place the baking sheet in the freezer for about 30 minutes.
- These meatballs are absolutely delicious however feel free to substitute any fully cooked fresh or frozen meatballs. If using frozen meatballs make sure they are completely thawed. You can use chicken, turkey, pork, beef meatballs or any combination.
- You can substitute rotini, penne, mostaccioli, elbows, or cavatappi pasta for the rigatoni.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Freeze leftovers for up to 3 months. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight. Then microwave at a reduced power so the meatballs heat up before the pasta is overcooked.
What to serve with Meatball Casserole
- Fresh Italian bread or cheese garlic bread
- A simple garden salad or Italian chopped salad
- Tortellini soup or fresh vegetable soup.
- Roasted cauliflower or steamed broccoli.
- Air fryer asparagus or roasted brussels sprouts.
More pasta recipes you will love!
Cheesy Meatball Casserole
A Cheesy Meatball Casserole with homemade meatballs, rigatoni and marinara sauce all smothered in a blanket of mozzarella and fresh parsley. This family friendly dish is always a welcome sight on the dinner table.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 70 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings
- Category: main meal beef
- Method: stovetop/bake
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1 lb. Italian Sausage
- 1 lb. ground beef
- ¾ cup Panko Breadcrumbs
- ½ onion minced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
- ⅓ cup milk
- ½ cup grated Parmesan Cheese
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 2 eggs
Casserole
- 16 ounce package uncooked rigatoni
- 24 ounces marinara
- 3 cups water
- 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cover a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Combine the Italian Sausage, ground beef, breadcrumbs, onion, garlic, Italian Seasoning, milk, Parmesan Cheese, chopped parsley, and eggs in a large bowl. Use your clean hands or a wooden spoon to combine the mixture.
- Using a small cookie scoop (for portioning) roll the meatballs and place them on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes or until browned and cooked through. Set them aside.
- In a deep 9×13 inch baking dish add the rigatoni, marinara sauce, water, and Italian seasoning, Cover the casserole dish tightly with aluminum foil. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and add the baked meatballs to the casserole dish with the pasta. Cover and bake another 10 minutes or until the pasta is tender and the meatballs are heated through.
- Remove the foil and sprinkle with mozzarella. Bake uncovered for another 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and very lightly browned. Top with chopped parsley and serve promptly.
Notes
- Don’t overmix the meatball mixture. Skip the machines and gently combine by hand or with a wooden spoon. Mix just until combined.
- Don’t roll the balls too tight. Just roll enough for the ball to hold together.
- To help the meatballs keep their spherical shape place the baking sheet in the freezer for about 30 minutes.
- These meatballs are absolutely delicious however feel free to substitute any fully cooked fresh or frozen meatballs. If using frozen meatballs make sure they are completely thawed. You can use chicken, turkey, pork, beef meatballs or any combination.
- You can substitute rotini, penne, mostaccioli, elbows, or cavatappi pasta for the rigatoni.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Freeze leftovers for up to 3 months. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight. Then microwave at a reduced power so the meatballs heat up before the pasta is overcooked.
Keywords: cheesy meatball casserole, meatball casserole recipe, meatball pasta casserole
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Vickie
Made this for dinner, it was over the top delicious!
Felt like we were in Tuscany! We added little dollops of cream cheese into sauce along with mozzarella, it was out of this world! Thankyou for an amazing recipe❤️
★★★★★
Beth Pierce
The pleasure is all mine! I am so glad that you enjoyed it.
Chrissy
Made this tonight bur changed it up a bit. I used 1 pound of hamburger, 3/4 of a pound of ground pork & 1/4 of a pound of Italian sausage.
It turned out excellent!! I will definitely make again & double the meatball recipe to freeze for some meatball subs in the near future!! Thanks Beth for all your amazing recipes!!
★★★★★
Beth Pierce
You are most welcome Chrissy! So glad that you liked it!
Denise
I made this and EVERYONE loved it!
Tavo
I loved using panko breadcrumbs for the recipe! I think it was a real game-changer!
★★★★★
kushigalu
Flavor-packed casserole recipe. It was delicious! Thanks for the great recipe.
★★★★★
Dannii
You had me at cheesy meatballs. My kids and I just loved this delicious recipe. Thanks for sharing!
★★★★★
Ieva
A lovely midweek recipe! Easy to prepare and loved by the whole family! 🙂 Thanks a lot for sharing!
★★★★★
Andrea
Oh my, these are fabulous meatballs! This cheesy meatball casserole is amazing and the whole family enjoyed it!
★★★★★
Patti
Can this recipe be cut in half?
Beth Pierce
Yes but cook in a smaller casserole dish like an 8×8 or 9×9. Total time on the casserole might be reduced by a few minutes too!
Jenny
Hi, can you cook noodles first then add to casserole?
Beth Pierce
Yes you can but you will not need the water or that lengthy of baking time.
Amanda
My kids LOVED this casserole. I’ll be making it over and over for sure.
★★★★★
Beti | easyweeknightrecipes
My family loved this! It was incredibly delicious! Thanks for the great recipe.
★★★★★
katerina @ diethood.com
I am loving this cheesy meatball casserole!! I can’t wait to try it!
★★★★★
Catalina
Who can resist to these meatballs?! A must try recipe for sure!
★★★★★
Erin | Dinners,Dishes and Dessert
This Cheesy Meatball Casserole couldn’t look any more perfect!
★★★★★
Erik
So much to love here. Thanks for the serving suggestions, too!
★★★★★