Looking for a hearty casserole that’s sure to please the whole family? Then you’re going to love this Meatball Parmesan recipe!
Call it a meatball casserole or meatball bake, the end result is the same – a saucy comfort food dish of tender and moist homemade meatballs, nestled in marinara sauce and topped with grated melted parmesan cheese!
Serve your Parmesan Meatball over freshly made pasta or al dente spaghetti for a quick and delicious dinner. Or, add a scoop to hoagie buns for moreish meatball subs that the kids will rave about.
This dish of parmesan meatballs can be made in less than 30 minutes! It stores beautifully as a freezer meal in casserole form for those busy days ahead. Use store-bought marinara sauce or make your own tomato sauce by following this Marinara Sauce Recipe.
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This Meatball Parmesan recipes is essentially a meatball parmesan casserole or a hearty meatball parmesan bake. It’s super delicious and incredibly easy. It involves one-skillet cooking and baking, ideal for a busy mid-week dinner with minimal mess and cleanup required.
🧆 Ingredients:
- Marinara sauce – store-bought or you can homemake this: Marinara Sauce
- Meatballs – frozen or fresh made
- Mozzarella cheese – grated
- Parmesan cheese – freshly grated
- Salt and pepper – for garnish
- Fresh Italian parsley, fresh basil, and/or oregano – for garnish
For a full list of ingredients and their measurements, 📋 please view my printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Substitutions and Variations
- Turn this dish into a casserole by cooking the meatballs and parmesan in a standard 9×13-inch casserole dish. Sprinkle on some crumbled breadcrumbs for a delicious casserole topping.
- We have kept this easy recipe low carb by adding only marinara sauce and cheese to the Italian meatballs. If you’re less concerned about adding carbs, mix some breadcrumbs (about ½ cup) with melted butter (1-2 tablespoons) and sprinkle this over the top of the cheese before baking. The crispy topping adds even more of an authentic flavor.
- Make this dish extra saucy and cheesy by simply increasing the ingredients. Likewise, reduce the sauce and cheese if you like.
- You can make use of jarred marinara sauce or make your own from scratch. Boost the flavor of a jarred sauce by simmering some minced garlic and/or Italian seasoning in the sauce before adding the meatballs.
- If you don’t have parmesan cheese, try different kinds of cheese like gruyere cheese or provolone cheese instead.
- Instead of ground turkey, use ground beef, ground pork, or other ground meat. Sometimes, I like to combine meats as well.
🔪 Instructions:
PREP: Prepare meatballs. You can use Turkey meatballs or this juicy meatballs recipe: beef/pork meatball recipe. You can also use frozen meatballs.
Step 1: Spread the delicious marinara sauce in a large skillet. I use a cast iron pan but any oven-proof baking dish is good too. Bring the sauce to a simmer over medium heat.
Step 2: Nestle the meatballs into the sauce in a single layer. If you are using larger meatballs, you can fit about 12 in a standard skillet. Adjust the number of meatballs depending on their size and the size baking dish you’d like to use. There is lots of flexibility with this recipe. Frozen meatballs do not need to be thawed ahead of time.
Step 3: Bring the meatballs to a simmer and cook until the meatballs are heated through (this will take longer if they are frozen).
Step 4: Cover the top of the meatballs and sauce with cheese. We like a nice, thick layer of cheese, but you can add however much you’d like.
Step 5: Place the skillet into a 400°F oven and bake for 5-10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and turning golden brown and the sauce is bubbling up around the edges of the pan.
Step 6: When your Meatballs Parmesan skillet is hot and cooked, remove from the oven and garnish with any freshly chopped herbs you’d like.
GARNISH/SLICE/SERVE: Scoop hot meatballs and sauce from the skillet and serve over crusty bread or hot pasta.
- Instead of making this Meatball Parmesan in a cast iron skillet pan, you could also make it in a casserole dish which may be particularly helpful if you anticipate needing to store leftovers or are intending on making it as a freezer meal. You’ll need to double the meatball recipe and cheese if you use a standard 9×13-inch casserole dish.
- Add a small amount of table salt and pepper to the top of the cheese for a good boost of seasoning. I think it brings out the flavors of the dish more, but is optional.
- Using an ice cream scoop will help to form even-sized meatballs with the meat mixture.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, you can! It actually makes a great freezer meal. Prepare your meatballs and sauce and place them in a freezer-safe casserole dish with grated cheese over the top. Then wrap the dish in plastic wrap and a layer of aluminum foil and freeze.
When you’re ready to serve this dish to the family, thaw it overnight in the refrigerator and then heat it in the oven, covering the casserole with foil and baking for 30-40 minutes or until the sauce is bubbling up and the cheese has melted.
With a few minutes to go before removing your Meatball Parmesan from the oven, set your oven to the broil setting, uncover the casserole dish and allow the cheese to brown.
Once completely cool, store any leftover Meatball Parmesan in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
To reheat, start by defrosting it in the refrigerator overnight. Then, heat it back up in the oven till hot throughout by placing the leftovers in a casserole dish with additional grated cheese over the top and an aluminum foil covering. Reheat till the sauce is bubbling and the cheese has melted. Then, allow the casserole to broil for a few minutes before serving.
Since this is quite a hearty dish by itself, you could serve it alongside a fresh green salad as a low-carb option.
Other options include serving Meatball Parmesan over a helping of spaghetti pasta or noodles, over some garlic bread or French bread, or in a hoagie bun as a delicious meatball sub!
MORE ITALIAN-INSPIRED RECIPES TO TRY
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Meatball Parmesan
Ingredients
- 3 cups marinara sauce ½ recipe Marinara Sauce
- 12 large meatballs 1 recipe Turkey Meatballs
- 1 ½ cups freshly grated mozzarella cheese
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- Salt and pepper for garnish
- Fresh Italian parsley basil, and/or oregano for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Prepare meatballs and marinara sauce.
- Heat marinara in a medium oven-proof skillet.
- Nestle meatballs down into the sauce and bring to a simmer.
- Spoon some of the marinara sauce up over the meatballs.
- Sprinkle with a teaspoon or two of freshly minced herbs if desired.
- Spread grated cheeses over the top of the meatballs and sauce. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Place skillet in the oven and bake 5-10 minutes or until cheese is melted. (Turn on the broiler for 2-3 minutes to brown the cheese a bit if desired).
- Garnish with freshly snipped herbs and serve immediately.
Notes
- Prepare as a freezer meal by combining meatballs and sauce and layering in an oven-safe casserole dish. Cover with grated cheese. Wrap in one layer of plastic wrap and one layer of aluminum foil. Freeze. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30-40 minutes until sauce is bubbling up, meatballs are heated through, and cheese is melted. Uncover and broil to brown the cheese on top.
- Serve over spaghetti, other pasta, toasted French bread, or in a hoagie bun as a meatball sub.
- This can also be made in a casserole dish. Double the meatball recipe and the cheese and prepare in a 9×13 casserole dish.
- Sauce and cheese amounts can be varied as much or as little as you’d like for personal taste. You could also use provolone or gruyere cheeses.
- Adding a little salt and pepper to the top of the cheese really adds some seasoning. It’s optional, of course.
- For a super-fast meal, use jarred marinara sauce and frozen meatballs. Simmer the frozen meatballs in the sauce until heated and then continue with the recipe instructions. If using jarred sauce, feel free to add herbs and seasonings to the sauce while it simmers.
Nutrition
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