One Pan Meatball Pasta Bake
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Let me blow your mind with this ridiculously easy baked meatballs and pasta recipe!
I like to refer to this recipe as a “back pocket pasta” because it’s simply a good pasta recipe to have on hand! It has all of your favorite pasta flavors, it’s quick, really easy to make, and I’m officially claiming it our new go-to pasta and meatballs recipe!
Plus, I think everyone needs a few go-to recipes that you can easily whip up and know the whole family will love. Family dinner win? Yes, please!!
There is nothing better than the smell of pasta, meatballs, red sauce, and cheese baking in the oven. It’s a classic comfort, and you’re going to love my shortcut hack.
A few more of my go-to pasta favorites you’ll love include this Ground Turkey Shell Pasta, Italian Sausage and Peppers Pasta , and this nostalgic Hamburger Macaroni.
Table Talk with Tawnie
This is one of those recipes I love having handy for the busiest of weeknights (and weekends!) I’m using homemade meatballs because the flavor truly beats any frozen meatballs, BUT of course, if you have a favorite frozen meatball and want to make this recipe in even more of a pinch, frozen meatballs work well, too. No need to cook them, just add them in frozen and let them bake in the oven with the rest of the dish. I know you’ll love this cheesy saucey meal and can’t wait to hear what you think in the comments!
- Rigatoni: You’ll add uncooked rigatoni noodles directly into the casserole dish and they cook in the oven! A 12 oz. box (about 4 cups) is all you’ll need.
- Store-bought marinara sauce: Use your favorite sauce! We love using Rao’s. (I use the 28 oz. sauce), plus more sauce as desired.
- Fresh mozzarella: I recommend using fresh, low-moisture mozzarella. It melts (and tastes) much more beautifully in the casserole compared to pre-shredded cheese.
- Meatballs: This recipe uses a modified version of these beef meatballs. It’s a straightforward recipe using ground beef, Italian breadcrumbs, an egg, onion and some seasonings. It’s absolutely delicious!
- Garnish ideas: Fresh parsley, red pepper flakes, and Parmigiano Reggiano!
Step by Step Directions
(For the full recipe, scroll down to the recipe card below)
Prepare the meatballs
Mix all meatball ingredients until just combined. Then form into 1-1½ inch meatballs. Bake at 375°F for ~12-15 minutes and set aside.
Assemble
In the baking dish, add the pasta bake ingredients, then carefully add the pre-baked meatballs and gently nestle them into the pasta.
Bake
Cover tightly with foil and bake for 35-40 minutes.
Add cheese & finish baking
Remove foil and sprinkle cheese on top. Bake uncovered for another 10-15 minutes. Tip: I like to broil for the final few minutes until it’s bubbly and lightly golden😋
Serve & enjoy!!
Allow the pasta dish to rest for a few minutes to help everything set up. Garish with fresh parsley and ENJOY!
Expert Tips
- Cookie scoop: Use a cookie scoop to portion the meatballs. This keeps them in uniform size.
- Add extra sauce: One of the main problems with pasta bakes is the dryness, since the pasta soaks up a lot of that yummy red sauce. When serving, add more warmed marinara on top. Be generous!
- Doctor up store-bought marinara: Elevate the flavor with fresh garlic, fresh or dried herbs, olive oil, red pepper chili flakes, cheese, etc. I recommend using a high-quality marinara so you don’t have to add anything to it (our favorite is Rao’s brand!)
- Additional flavor: Feel free to add more flavor when assembling the ingredients in the bake. I find just a little salt and black pepper go a long way but you could add Italian seasoning, oregano, onion powder, dried basil, parsley, chili flakes, etc.
- Broil at the end: I like to broil for the final few minutes until it’s bubbly and lightly golden.
- Let it rest: Allow the pasta bake to rest for a few minutes after baking to allow everything to set up. This will make serving easier!
Variations / Substitutions
- Ground turkey: Feel free to use ground turkey instead of ground beef for the meatballs.
- Different pasta shape: I haven’t tested this recipe with a different noodle shape, but I bet it would work well! Perhaps a ziti or penne noodle would bake up similarly to rigatoni.
- Add veggies: Free free to add veggies into your bake, like fresh spinach, kale, or zucchini.
- Gluten-free: Use gluten-free pasta to make this pasta bake gluten-free.
FAQs
Can I use frozen meatballs?
Yes. Be sure to thaw frozen meatballs prior to adding to the casserole dish. I also recommend buying small cocktail-sized meatballs so they are easier to eat.
Do I have to cook the noodles before adding to the dish?
Nope! That’s the best part. This is essentially a dump and bake recipe, the noodles cook in the casserole dish which is why the water is added in.
How can I moisten a dry pasta bake?
Freshly made, this pasta bake is not dry. But as it sits and if you enjoy it for leftovers it may become dry so I recommend tossing in some extra marinara sauce when reheating.
Can I use my own meatball recipe?
Of course! If you have a favorite go-to homemade meatball recipe you prefer to use, go right ahead!
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One Pan Meatball Pasta Bake
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 egg
- 1/3 cup Italian breadcrumbs
- 2 Tbsp. white onion (grated or very finely chopped)
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 2 Tbsp. milk
- 2-3 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 Tbsp. ketchup
- 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp. kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp. black pepper
Pasta Bake
- 12 oz short pasta (rigatoni, penne, or ziti)
- 3 cups marinara sauce
- 3 cups water or chicken broth
- 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tsp. salt (adjust based on sauce)
- 1½ cups shredded mozzarella (I used 1, 8 oz bag or shredded from a block)
- ~1/2 cup grated Parmesan
- Garnish: fresh parsley and chili flakes if desired
Last step! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Instructions
- Preheat: Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking dish.
- Make meatballs: In a bowl, mix all meatball ingredients until just combined. Form into 1-1½ inch meatballs and place on a parchment lined baking sheet.1 lb ground beef, 1 egg, 1/3 cup Italian breadcrumbs, 2 Tbsp. white onion, 2 cloves garlic, 2 Tbsp. milk, 2-3 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese, 1 Tbsp. ketchup, 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard, 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce, 1 tsp. Italian seasoning, 1 tsp. kosher salt, 1/2 tsp. black pepper
- Pre-bake meatballs: Bake at 375°F for ~12-15 minutes (they don’t need to be fully cooked because they’ll finish in the oven). Set aside. Start Timer
- Assemble the pasta bake: In the baking dish, add the uncooked pasta, marinara sauce, water or broth, Italian seasoning, and salt. Stir to combine.12 oz short pasta, 3 cups marinara sauce, 3 cups water or chicken broth, 1 tsp. Italian seasoning, 1/2 tsp. salt
- Add meatballs: Carefully add the pre-baked meatballs and gently nestle them into the pasta.
- Bake (covered): Cover tightly with foil and bake for 35-40 minutes. Start Timer
- Add cheese + finish baking: Remove foil and sprinkle mozzarella + Parmesan over the top. Bake uncovered for another 10-15 minutes Start Timer, until the cheese is melted. I like to broil for the final few minutes until it’s bubbly and lightly golden.1½ cups shredded mozzarella, ~1/2 cup grated Parmesan
- Rest and serve: Allow to rest for a few minutes before diving right in. It's saucy, hot, and it all cooks so perfectly! Garish with fresh parsley and ENJOY!Garnish: fresh parsley and chili flakes if desired
Notes
- Add extra sauce! One of the main problems with pasta bakes is the dryness since the pasta soaks up a lot of that yummy red sauce. When serving, add more warmed marinara on top. Be generous!
- Use ground turkey instead of ground beef for the meatballs. I use 12 oz. because I felt the full pound (16 oz.) was just too much meatball to pasta ratio. If you don’t mind extra meatballs, use the full pound of ground meat!
- Different pasta: I haven’t tested this recipe with a different noodle shape, but I bet it would work well! Perhaps a ziti or penne noodle would bake up similarly to rigatoni.
- Feel free to add more flavor when assembling the ingredients in the bake. I find just a little salt and black pepper go a long way, but you could add Italian seasoning, oregano, onion powder, dried basil, parsley, chili flakes, etc.
- Recipe inspired by Food and Wine.
- This recipe was updated in June 2026.
Nutrition Information
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is automatically calculated. It should only be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Kroll’s Korner can’t make any guarantees to the accuracy of this information.
📸 Photography by Angelica Oles
My family loved this and its a super easy weeknight meal! Thank you!
I am so glad, thank you Melanie!!
Confession—I cheated and used fresh pre-made meat balls from our deli. Made the meal even easier for this working mom on a weeknight. Thank you!!
LOVE THAT!! Amazing. Thank you!!
I also used premade meatballs – Al fresco chicken meatballs that I cut into quarters and also some leftover marinara with peppers and onion wedges – so, so yummy! Love when I can use leftovers.
We had this tonight, sorry didn’t take a picture. We will next time because it was so good. So easy. We will definitely have this again
I’m so glad you enjoyed it 🙂 thank you Susie!!
Delicious!! My husband and my 3 year old approved! Thank you for creating such delicious and simple recipes to help me feed my family!
Hi Claire! I am so glad:) My toddler loves this one too!! Thank you!!
Thus is the perfect family meal! Everyone thought it was delicious. I didn’t have Rigatoni so I used Penne and it still came out perfect.
I am so glad everyone enjoyed it! Also good to know the penne worked out, yay!! Thank you. xo, Tawnie
Delicious! I used farfalle and cooked it for 55 minutes prior to broiling. I also filled up the sauce jar with water rather than measuring 2 cups and I didn’t end up needing any extra sauce at the end.
Yay I am so glad it worked well with farfalle pasta! Thank you so much 🙂 xo, Tawnie
Five stars (my phone won’t let me change the stars)! I made this today, prepared earlier and baked It for dinner! My family loved it, I did make some changes. I used about 48 ounces of Raos sauce plus just shy of 2 cups of water. I also added mushrooms spinach and onion in between the two layers. When it came out it seemed super watery but once it sat and I mixed it a bit it thickened fast and wasn’t watery at all! I used ground Turkey and it was delicious! Thank you!
Hi Ashley! OMG thank you so so much! Love that Raos sauce too and love that you aded in some veg. I need to try that next time 🙂 It may have been watery from the extra sauce or veggies but the pasta def soaks it up especially as it sits 🙂 Once again, thank you so glad you enjoyed it! xx, Tawnie