How to make Baked Spaghetti and Meatballs

Baked spaghetti and meatballs is a hearty casserole made in the oven and full of the best Italian flavors. Spaghetti noodles and homemade meatballs are smothered in sauce and coated with gooey cheese before being baked to perfection.

Baked Spaghetti And Meatballs Ingredients

Substitutions And Additions

MEATBALLS: If you prefer not to make your own homemade meatballs, you can use store-bought frozen meatballs in this recipe. Just make sure to completely thaw them before using them in your casserole.

Likewise, you can freeze your homemade meatballs and thaw them out to use them at a later date.

PASTA: Any type of noodles would work for this recipe. If you prefer to use smaller, bite-sized noodles in place of the long spaghetti noodles, I would recommend penne or rotini.

If you don’t have spaghetti noodles but would like to stick with a long noodle, you could use angel hair, fettuccine, or linguine.

SAUCE: Any red sauce will work to make baked spaghetti and meatballs. For a fun twist on this recipe, you could also use a pink (rosé) sauce that combines white and red sauce. You could also opt to use a white sauce if you prefer!

If you would like to make your own tomato sauce, you could try our homemade pasta sauce recipe.

How To Make Meatballs For Spaghetti

STEP ONE: Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and set it aside.

STEP TWO: In a large bowl, combine ground beef, ground pork, Italian breadcrumbs, whole milk, minced garlic, Italian seasonings, onion powder, dried parsley, parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, and lightly beaten eggs.

Using your hands, mix all ingredients in the bowl until just combined, being careful not to overmix the meat.

STEP THREE: Use a small scoop to form small meatballs or a large scoop to form large meatballs.

A small scoop will make about 34 meatballs, and a larger ice cream scoop will form about 17 meatballs. You can also use your hands!

STEP FOUR: Place the meatballs on the foil-lined baking sheet and place them in the oven.

Cook at 400°F for 18 to 20 minutes if making small meatballs or 25 minutes if making large meatballs.

They should be cooked through at this point and browned on the top. Remove from the oven and set aside.

STEP FIVE: In a large pot of water, cook spaghetti according to package directions until pasta is al dente. Drain water and add cooked pasta noodles back to the pot.

Drizzle olive oil over noodles and toss to coat. Add ¾ cup mozzarella, ¼ cup parmesan cheese, 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, and ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper. Toss pasta to coat with cheese and seasonings.

STEP SIX: Turn the heat down on your oven to 375°F. Spray a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray. Add the noodle mixture to the bottom of the baking dish.

STEP SEVEN: Remove the meatballs from the baking sheet and place them on top of the noodle mixture. Nestle each meatball down in the noodles so that only the top half is sticking out.

STEP EIGHT: Add 32 ounces of your favorite pasta sauce to the top of the casserole.

Use a fork to spread out the noodles in between the meatballs so the sauce can fall down among the noodles.

STEP NINE: Cover the casserole and place it in the oven at 375°F. Cook for 20 minutes.

Remove the foil and sprinkle the remaining cheese (1¼ cup total) over the top of the casserole.

STEP TEN: Place back in the oven at 375°F and continue to cook for 15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the sides are bubbling.

How To Serve This Meatball Pasta Bake

Nothing completes a spaghetti dish like garlic bread. This cheesy pull-apart bread and these dinner rolls are also delicious options.

Or sneak a vegetable in with your bread by using our cauliflower breadstick recipe.

Add a Caesar salad on the side for a complete meal. And, of course, an extra sprinkle of tangy parmesan cheese is never a bad idea.

What about sticking with the Italian theme and adding our easy tiramisu recipe for dessert?

For more pasta casseroles, try our baked tortellini and ravioli lasagna.

Storing Baked Spaghetti With Meatballs

IN THE FRIDGE: Store leftover baked spaghetti and meatballs in an airtight container in the fridge if you plan to eat it within a few days.

IN THE FREEZER: This casserole also makes for a great freezer meal. Place the airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months and allow it to thaw out completely before reheating it in the oven.

You can also store any leftover meatballs in the freezer. They are easy to thaw out and reheat in a casserole or put on top of spaghetti when you are ready to use them at a later date. Simply store them sealed tight in a Ziploc freezer bag.

You’ll Love This Recipe For Baked Spaghetti And Meatballs

Spaghetti noodles and homemade meatballs are swimming in pasta sauce and coated with a delicious cheese blend. This is a simple oven-baked dish for your next family dinner night.