Meatball Casserole

4.65 from 28 votes
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This casserole recipe with beef meatballs makes the best comfort food meal. With thick tomato sauce, and lots of cheese, this easy recipe is a must-make!

Easy casserole recipe with ground beef meatballs in tomato sauce topped with mozzarella cheese.
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What Pasta Should I Serve With Meatball Casserole

While beef meatballs are usually best on top of spaghetti, this is one of those casserole recipes that you serve with any type of pasta.

Or, for a really fun twist, pick up some crusty loaves of bread from the store to make meatball sandwiches instead!


Can I Freeze Beef Meatballs

Italian meatballs covered in homemade tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese.

Yes! Meatballs freeze beautifully. It’s easy to prepare a large batch of beef meatballs. You can use what you need to make this easy casserole recipe and freeze the rest for another meal.

Meatballs can be frozen raw or after browning them. If you decide to brown them first, allow them to cool for 10-15 minutes so that they’re easier to manage.

Arrange the beef meatballs in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet, then transfer it into the freezer. Once the meatballs are frozen, you can place them into a gallon-sized freezer bag or freezer-safe container.

Raw meatballs can stay in the freezer for up to four months, but cooked meatballs will only keep well for three months.


How Do I Store Leftover Casserole

homemade beef meatballs in one pot with tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese.

Leftover meatball casserole can safely be left in the refrigerator for up to three days. If you won’t be using it up during that time, consider freezing the leftovers for future use.

Divide the leftover casserole into meal-sized portions and place them into airtight freezer-safe containers or heavy-duty freezer bags. The cooked meatball casserole will keep well in the freezer for up to three months.

The casserole recipe is adapted from Martha Stewart. I absolutely love the mozzarella cheese that melts on top of the beef meatballs. They really do make all the difference.


Frequently Asked Questions

How many calories per serving?

This casserole recipe has 526 calories per serving.

Easy meatball casserole with beef meatballs, one cut in half.

What To Serve With Meatball Casserole

Serve this dish with Skillet Garlic Bread—it pairs perfectly! For a healthy meal and easy weeknight dinner, I recommend the following recipes.

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4.65 from 28 votes

Meatball Casserole

This easy casserole recipe with ground beef meatballs makes the perfect comfort food meal. With thick tomato sauce, and lots of cheese, this recipe is a must-make!
Prep Time: 40 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Servings: 8 people
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Ingredients  

  • 1 lb (500g) ground pork
  • 1 lb (500g) ground beef
  • 1 cup breadcrumbs , or Japanese panko
  • 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons Kosher salt
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 small onion, finely chopped
  • 1 pinch red-pepper flakes
  • 28 oz (800g) whole peeled tomatoes, pureed
  • 4 fresh basil leaves, optional
  • 8 oz (230g) fresh mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced

Instructions 

  • Using your hands, gently mix together the pork, beef, breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, salt, eggs, garlic, and parsley in a large bowl. Form the mixture into 2-inch (5 cm) balls.
  • Heat the oil in a large oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs and cook, turning them until browned all over, about 10 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer them to a plate.
  • Reduce the heat to medium. Add the onion and pepper flakes; cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is tender. Add the tomatoes and basil; simmer, stirring frequently, until the sauce is slightly thickened. Return the meatballs and their juices to the pan. Simmer, turning the meatballs, until they are cooked through.
  • Preheat the broiler and arrange the mozzarella cheese on top of the meatballs. Broil until melted, about 2 minutes. Serve immediately.

Nutrition

Serving: 8people, Calories: 526kcal, Carbohydrates: 16g, Protein: 32g, Fat: 37g, Saturated Fat: 15g, Cholesterol: 150mg, Sodium: 1037mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 4g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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About Rasa Malaysia

Bee is a recipe developer and best-selling cookbook author, sharing easy, quick, and delicious Asian and American recipes since 2006. With a strong following of almost 2 million fans online, her expertise has been featured in major publications, TV and radio programs, and live cooking demos throughout the United States and Asia.

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Recipe Rating





17 Comments

  1. John Lerno says:

    5 stars
    I have not been able to try it out yet because I was sick but I am back now I have a lot of work to do thank you ๐Ÿ™ ๐Ÿ˜Š you are the best ๐Ÿ‘Œ โค๏ธ ever.

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      Thanks John for the comment and 5 star rating!

  2. John Lerno says:

    5 stars
    Casserole with beef one of my favorite recipes and I have to try this ๐Ÿ˜‹ looks delicious ๐Ÿ˜‹ sorry i was not so active I’ve been sick for awhile but I am back again thanks again for your help in cooking love your recipes ๐Ÿ˜Š โ˜บ๏ธ from John from Belgium ๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ช

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      Thanks John for the comment and rating. Iโ€™m glad to hear that youโ€™re back and feeling better! :)

  3. Judy says:

    5 stars
    This recipe is certainly a keeper! The only change I will make next time is to double the sauce. It is so good and we like lots of sauce on our meatballs. And no, I wouldnโ€™t use any jarred sauce. Didnโ€™t have fresh mozzarella (forgot to put it on my shopping list!) but I had provolone slices and they we perfect. So glad I found this recipe, thanks.

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      :)

  4. Yeh Ximin says:

    5 stars

  5. Marea d says:

    I just made this recipe and it was amazing. I froze half the meatballs. The only change I made was to add a bottle of pasta sauce as well as tinned tomatoes. This is definitely a keeper recipe

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      Hi Marea, please try more recipes on my site: https://rasamalaysia.com/recipe-index-gallery/

  6. Michael says:

    5 stars
    I just finished off the frozen leftovers from this recipe I made a few weeks ago.. I have to say..YUM!!! I did change the Puree and basil to Newmans tomato & basil sauce… I will never be able to buy an outlets meatball sandwich again… these are soooo good… thanks for the recipe.

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      Hi Michael, thanks for trying my meatball casserole recipe.

  7. Marie Czarnecki says:

    5 stars
    They look great, and will try them soon. Also my SERVICE DOGGIE SHELTIE will inhale these, she loves food like this, I cook for her no crappy dog food for my pets…

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      Awesome, you will love this recipe.

  8. Sandy says:

    These sound wonderful. Would it be possible to freeze part either before cooking in sauce or with sauce. Then finishing with the meatballs thawed or frozen? When there are only two in the family, lots of good recipes are too big; so being able to cut recipe in half or freezing part is necessary?

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      Yes, I think you can freeze everything after they are cooked. :)

  9. Ray says:

    5 stars
    These meatballs were a hit. Great flavor.

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      Awesome Ray. Thanks for trying my meatball casserole recipe.