If you're looking for a comforting and tasty meal that the whole family will love, you can't go wrong with a meatball bake. This dish is easy to make and can be adapted to suit your taste preferences. You can use beef, pork, turkey, or a combination of meats for the meatballs, and you can add your favorite vegetables and seasonings to the sauce. In this article, we'll share our favorite meatball bake recipe along with tips for making it perfect every time.
Ingredients
For the meatballs: - 1 pound ground beef - 1/2 cup breadcrumbs - 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese - 1 egg - 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley - 1/4 cup chopped onion - 1 garlic clove, minced - 1 teaspoon salt - 1/2 teaspoon black pepper For the sauce: - 1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes - 1/2 cup water - 1/4 cup chopped onion - 1 garlic clove, minced - 1 teaspoon dried oregano - 1 teaspoon dried basil - 1/2 teaspoon salt - 1/4 teaspoon black pepper For the bake: - 1 pound pasta, cooked and drained - 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. 2. In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, egg, parsley, onion, garlic, salt, and pepper. Mix well. 3. Shape the meat mixture into balls about 1 inch in diameter. 4. In a large skillet, heat a tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs and cook until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. Remove the meatballs from the skillet and set aside. 5. In the same skillet, add the onion and garlic and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. 6. Add the crushed tomatoes, water, oregano, basil, salt, and pepper to the skillet. Stir well. 7. Add the meatballs back to the skillet and stir to coat them in the sauce. 8. In a large baking dish, spread half of the cooked pasta in an even layer. 9. Pour half of the meatball and sauce mixture over the pasta. 10. Repeat with the remaining pasta and meatball mixture. 11. Top the bake with shredded mozzarella cheese. 12. Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes. 13. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 15 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bubbly. 14. Let the meatball bake cool for a few minutes before serving.
Nutrition
This meatball bake recipe serves 6 people. Each serving contains approximately: - 590 calories - 24 grams of fat - 50 grams of carbohydrates - 38 grams of protein - 1230 mg of sodium
Tips and Variations
- You can use any type of pasta you like for this recipe, such as spaghetti, penne, or rotini. - If you're short on time, you can use store-bought meatballs instead of making your own. - To make this recipe lower in carbs, you can use zucchini noodles or spaghetti squash instead of pasta. - You can add your favorite vegetables to the meatball and sauce mixture, such as mushrooms, bell peppers, or spinach. - If you like a spicier sauce, you can add red pepper flakes or hot sauce to the sauce mixture. - You can also experiment with different types of cheese, such as cheddar or provolone, instead of mozzarella.
