This easy meatball parmesan bake is the perfect last-minute casserole for busy evenings. It also freezes well, making it perfect to bring to a new mother or to store in your freezer for a homemade meal on a busy night. Just 4 ingredients, and easily made gluten free or keto with a few tweaks.
Every home cook needs a few super easy meal ideas in their back pocket. The kind of meal that can be made with just a few ingredients, and comes together in a flash. This meatball parmesan bake is exactly that!
Made with just 4 ingredients, this quick dinner recipe can be put together with frozen meatballs and jarred marinara sauce in literal minutes. OR you can prep ahead and make my juicy homemade freezer meatballs + a batch of homemade marinara sauce.
Not only that, this recipe can easily be made gluten free, low carb, and keto. Just choose meatballs without added breadcrumbs and you're good to go. It can't get much easier than that!
Ingredients
- Meatballs: You can use pre-cooked frozen meatballs, homemade frozen meatballs, or fully cooked homemade meatballs. This versatile dish works with anything!
- Marinara or pasta sauce: I used some of my homemade hearty marinara sauce, but store bought jarred marinara works great!
- Cheese: A blend of mozzarella and parmesan cheeses makes for a flavorful, yet stretchy cheese combo.
How to Make a Meatball Parmesan Casserole
This easy meatball parmesan bake is SO easy to make with just a few steps, and a few simple ingredients. Let's get started!
Start off by spreading about 1 cup of your marinara sauce in the bottom of a 9X13 baking dish. This prevents the meatballs from sticking and ensures they get totally saturated in delicious marinara.
Then, add meatballs in a single layer. Depending on the size of the meatballs, there should be 40-55 fully cooked meatballs.
Add the remaining marinara sauce on top of the meatball layer, and spread it out evenly with the back of spoon.
Once your sauce is all spread out, go ahead and sprinkle on the mozzarella cheese in an even layer. Then, add the shredded parmesan cheese.
Go ahead and add your meatball parmesan bake to the pre-heated oven and bake until all hot and bubbly, or for about 35-40 minutes.
Once the cook time is up, switch the oven to broil and cook for just 1-2 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly and starting to brown. You really need to watch it when your oven is on broil, as your meal can burn quickly if you're not careful!
Variations and Substitutions
Turkey Meatball Parmesan Bake: Substitute the standard beef meatballs for fully cooked turkey meatballs.
Meatball Parmesan Sub: One of out favorite things to do with this casserole is to spoon it onto toasted buns! This makes a delicious meatball parmesan sub that rivals all of the best take out places!
Gluten Free: Ensure you use a gluten free meatball, like my homemade freezer meatballs made with gluten free oats, or a store-bought version that is labeled gluten free.
Low Carb/Keto: The recipe as written is low carb so long as you choose meatballs that are all beef and made without breadcrumbs, oats or fillers. Also be sure to use a homemade marinara sauce, OR purchase a marinara sauce made without sugar.
What to Serve with Meatball Casserole
You may be wondering what you can serve on the side of this delicious meatball parmesan bake! The options are limitless, and it all depends on your person tastes and dietary needs.
- Steamed broccoli
- Roasted veggies
- Cauliflower Rice
- Rice
- Pasta
- Toasted buns for meatball subs
- Garlic bread
- Mashed potatoes
- Roasted potatoes
More Easy Meal Ideas:
- Healthy Sloppy Joes (AKA Sneaky Joes)
- Spinach, Mushrooms and Chicken Skillet
- Sheet Pan Sweet and Sour Chicken
- Homemade Hamburger Helper
- Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwiches
- Creamy French Mustard Chicken - Café Delights
Easy Meatball Parmesan Bake
This easy meatball parmesan bake is the perfect last minute meal idea! Just 4 ingredients come together to make a family favorite meal that works with SO many different side dishes!
Ingredients
- 45-50 precooked meatballs, frozen
- 4-5 cups marinara sauce, homemade or jarred
- 1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- ½ cup shredded parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375F and grease a 9X13 baking dish.
- Add 1 cup of marinara sauce to the bottom of your baking dish, and spread it along the bottom to distribute the sauce evenly.
- Add the meatballs, spaced tightly, on top of the marinara sauce.
- Top with the remaining marinara sauce and spread it with the back of a spoon.
- Sprinkle with the mozzarella cheese, and then top with the parmesan cheese.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes, or until bubbly and the meatballs are warmed through.
- Set your oven to broil, and broil the meatball casserole for 1-2 minutes, or until the cheese is lightly browned and bubbly.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
Low Carb/Keto: The recipe as written is low carb so long as you choose meatballs that are all beef and made without breadcrumbs, oats or fillers. Also be sure to use a homemade marinara sauce, OR purchase a marinara sauce made without sugar.
Gluten Free: Ensure you use a gluten free meatball, like my homemade freezer meatballs made with gluten free oats, or a store-bought version that is labeled gluten free.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 592Total Fat: 42gSaturated Fat: 15gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 23gCholesterol: 122mgSodium: 1834mgCarbohydrates: 24gFiber: 6gSugar: 12gProtein: 30g
Nutrition information is an estimate only.
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Kathy says
My grandkids loved this when the adults had something that they weren’t fond of 🤪. Some of the kids ate it on a sub bun and others just ate it along with a salad. Now they ask for it all the time!!
Dolly says
Oh yay! I'm so glad it worked out well for you and the kids love it now. It can be a struggle sometimes finding things for kids to eat.
Ashley says
I have made this before but served it immediately and it was delicious! Making a second time but can you make beforehand and refrigerate?
Dolly | Little Home in the Making says
I think you could definitely make it ahead of time. Just make sure to put the cold baking dish into a cold oven, then heat the oven with the dish inside. This prevents temperature shock, which can break your dishes! You also may need to add a bit of time to the total baking time since everything will be cold.