Baked Meatballs with Three Ingredients

You don’t have to thaw the meatballs first for this simple recipe for baked meatballs with three ingredients. They’re covered in marinara sauce and gooey mozzarella, making them an easy family meal that everyone will love.

If you have a lot of hungry mouths to feed on a busy weeknight, waiting for meatballs to thaw is one of the most annoying things. I took that step out of this easy baked meatballs recipe. It’s a meal that you can dump and bake, so busy moms can do other things. It’s easy to figure out how to cook frozen meatballs here.

It’s comfort food that doesn’t break the bank. These cheesy baked meatballs are not only very easy to make, but they can also be served in a variety of ways. You can have it with pasta, over mashed potatoes, or anything else you like. It makes a lot of food, so it’s easy to feed a lot of people, even picky eaters. I mean, who can say no to all that gooey cheese?

Ingredients

• ◯ 24 ounces of frozen cooked meatballs (see note 1)
• ◯ 1 jar (24 ounces) of your favorite brand of marinara sauce
• ◯ 2 cups of shredded mozzarella

Instructions

1. Set your oven to 375F and move the rack to the middle.
2. Use Pam cooking spray to grease a 9×13 casserole dish, then add the frozen meatballs in a single layer. If you are using cooked meatballs that have been thawed, go to step 4.
3. After 20 minutes, take the casserole dish out of the oven and let the meatballs cool.
4. Add the marinara sauce to the meatballs and mix or toss until everything is mixed together. Spread it out evenly, then add the cheese on top.
   
5. Put the meatballs back in the oven for another 15 to 20 minutes, or until they are hot and bubbling (the middle of the meatballs should be 160F). Optional: Broil the cheese for a few minutes to get it brown.

Tips and Variations

I like Mezzetta, Rao’s, and DeLallo marinara, but if you have more time, you can make your own. You can find 1-inch pre-cooked frozen meatballs at the store that this recipe is for. You can use bigger meatballs, but they will take longer to cook, or you can thaw them first. The inside of the meatballs should be 160F when they are done. To keep an eye on the temperature, use a cheap instant read thermometer.

You don’t have to, but you can broil this to get the cheese brown. Just be sure to keep a close eye on it. You can easily switch out the mozzarella for another cheese that melts easily, like cheddar or a Tex-Mex blend. If you don’t like marinara, you can use another jarred tomato-based pasta sauce instead.

Serving Suggestions and Storage

I always want to eat them as they are with a big piece of my Extra Cheesy Garlic Bread and a side salad. I suggest mixed greens with my Homemade Olive Garden Salad Dressing. This combination works well in my house. Or put it on top of pasta. A twist on spaghetti and meatballs is always a good idea. Rice or Easy Garlic Mashed Potatoes are also great choices. It goes great with a very simple veggie dish like my Easy Brussels Sprouts and Bacon. It’s a great dinner for a weeknight.

You can keep the meatballs in the fridge for 3–4 days if you put them in a container that doesn’t let air in. In a covered saucepan or microwave, heat slowly over low heat. If you’re reheating the whole casserole dish, put it in the oven at 350F until the meatballs are 160F inside. I don’t think you should freeze leftovers because of the dairy.

This recipe calls for 1 inch of frozen cooked meatballs. You might need to cook them longer if your frozen meatballs are a lot bigger. If you’re not sure, for step 3, just follow the directions on the package of meatballs and then continue with the recipe as usual. If you want, you can use cooked homemade meatballs, but make sure they are 160F in the middle before you serve them. The serving size is based on a 24-ounce bag of frozen meatballs, which means that each person gets about five or six meatballs (about 45 1-inch meatballs in all). This recipe is very flexible, so you can use as many meatballs as you want. If you want to make this with fewer meatballs, you could always use less cheese and sauce and bake it in an 8×8 instead of a 9×13.