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Dump and Bake Meatball Casserole

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You don’t even have to boil the pasta first for this Dump and Bake Meatball Casserole. It only needs six things. You just “dump” the ingredients into a casserole dish and let it bake, so it’s quick to make. This meatball casserole is the easiest family-friendly dinner ever. It uses frozen meatballs and jarred pasta sauce, which are both easy to find.

My kids love pasta dinners like this simple dump and bake meatball casserole! The flavors aren’t too strong, it takes less than five minutes to make, and kids always love it at the dinner table. You can’t ask for much more than that 😉

You just “dump” this meatball casserole into one baking dish, and the oven does the rest. It’s easy for anyone to prepare because you only need frozen meatballs, jarred pasta sauce, and dried pasta.

My family loves easy pasta dinner recipes like this Easy Garlic Parmesan Pasta or my Creamy Tomato Beef Pasta. Pasta and cheese are always a hit!

Prep and Cooking Times

Prep Time 5minutes minutes
Time to cook: 40 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes

Equipment

Ceramic Baking Dish (9×13)
Cheese Grater

Ingredients

You don’t have to boil the rotini pasta before making this casserole! This is why the prep is so easy: you just put the dry, uncooked pasta in the baking dish.

H2O
You can use any kind of pasta sauce you want! I usually go with the classic tomato and basil, but there are a lot of other choices, like garden vegetable, parmesan, spicy vodka, roasted garlic, three cheese, and more. You can even use pasta or spaghetti sauce that you have left over from a previous meal.
Frozen pre-cooked meatballs—You need to thaw these all the way before you make the casserole. I put the bag of frozen meatballs in the fridge the night before or the morning of, and they are ready to use by dinner time.
Salt that is kosher
Shredded mozzarella cheese
Optional Toppings: Before serving, you can sprinkle some freshly grated parmesan cheese and/or chopped fresh parsley on top of the casserole if you want.

◯ 1 box (16 oz) rotini pasta uncooked
◯ 3 cups water
◯ 1 jar (24 oz) pasta sauce
◯ 1 bag (14 oz) frozen precooked meatballs thawed
◯ 1 teaspoon kosher salt
◯ 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425° F. Spray a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray.
Dump the uncooked pasta into the baking dish, then add the water, pasta sauce, meatballs and salt. Cover the pan with tin foil.

Bake for 35 minutes, stirring everything together hallway through.
Once done, stir the pasta again and top it with shredded mozzarella cheese. Bake for an additional 5-8 minutes until the cheese has melted.
Serve with a garnish of parmesan cheese or chopped fresh parsley if wanted.

Serving Suggestions

Serve with a side salad such as a bag of leafy greens and add some grape tomatoes and chopped cucumbers.

I also like to buy the pre-mixed, ready to use salad mixes, at the grocery store like the Caesar salad.

Serve with some of my Cheesy Garlic Bread, Easy Breadsticks Recipe, Garlic Parmesan Knots, or some of these gooey gooey Cheese Bombs that are made in the air fryer.

Or try some of these sweet like candy Slow Cooker Sweet Glazed Carrots for a veggies side dish.

Tips for Best Results and Ingredient Details

Casserole Stirring and Texture

This casserole turns out best when you stir it all together halfway through the cook time. This allows for all the pasta to be covered in the sauce and water mixture, which prevents the ends from drying out and having a crunchy texture when eating. I really think you should make this dinner when you can stir it halfway through. When you stir the casserole, all the pasta will mix with the water and soften while it cooks. It’s fine if you can’t stir it halfway through the cooking time, but keep in mind that some parts of the pasta noodles will be crunchy because they weren’t stirred into the water halfway through.

It’s important to stir everything together to help all the pasta get covered in the water and pasta sauce. This will also prevent any bits of the pasta noodles from becoming hard with a crunchy texture.

Meatballs

You can use any kind of frozen meatballs for this recipe. Italian, homestyle, and other types are all good options. The recipe below calls for a 14 oz. package, so make sure you use that one. You will need a 14 ounce bag of frozen meatballs. You can find this size at the grocery store.

If you are using the larger meatballs, like what you get at Costco, make sure they are thawed before use and you may want to cut them in half. To thaw these, place them in the fridge overnight or early in the morning the day of.

If you’re in a hurry and forgot to set them in the fridge, try thawing them in the microwave. They do need to be thawed completely before adding them to the casserole dish.

If you can’t find a 14 oz size meatball package at the store you can use one similar in size (18 ounces) or buy the larger pack (28 ounces) and use half of the bag in the casserole. I believe that 14 ounces of frozen meatballs is equal to approximately 3 cups.

If using the larger sized meatballs (like the kind you find at Costco) you may want to cut the meatballs in half so they’re similar in size to the store bought ones. If the meatballs are frozen, they will not cook and get hot in the amount of time the casserole cooks for.

Pasta Sauce

You can use any kind of pasta sauce you want, as long as the jar is 24 ounces. Use a “mini meatball” pasta sauce, a “garden vegetable” pasta sauce, or my favorite, the classic tomato and basil sauce, to make the meatballs even better.

Because this recipe has so few ingredients, it’s important to use good quality ingredients that taste yummy. I like to use Classico pasta sauce or Rao’s Homemade pasta sauce. Rao’s is hands down the best pastas sauce, but it is pretty pricey.

When I make this recipe I like to stick with the classic tomato basil pasta sauce, but you can use whatever you prefer. With so few ingredients, it’s important to use a good-quality, good tasting pasta sauce.

I prefer using Rao’s homemade pasta sauce when I make this recipe. Another great brand with good flavor is Classico. You can use any variety/flavor of pasta sauce that you want. I stick with classic tomato & basil, but you can use a garden vegetable sauce, mini meatball pasta sauce, spicy vodka pasta sauce, cheese pasta sauce, parmesan, roasted garlic, etc.

Yes, of course! If you have extra pasta sauce this is the perfect way to use it up. I always seem to have leftovers when I make this Slow Cooker Italian Sausage and Beef Spaghetti Sauce. Even more meaty goodness with that one! You can also try making my Homemade Spaghetti Meat Sauce or my Easy Spaghetti Sauce Recipe. A 24 ounce jar of pasta sauce is equal to 3 cups.

Dried Seasonings

This meatball casserole is meant to be a simple “dump and go” recipe that doesn’t take much work on your part. Of course, you can spice this thing up as much as you prefer. Put in some Italian seasoning, seasoned salt, garlic powder, onion powder, basil, and so on.

The purpose of this recipe is an easy, dump & go recipe, but you can definitely spice this casserole up as you prefer. Try adding dried garlic powder, dried basil, Italian seasoning. You can add any dried seasonings you want in this casserole.

Kosher Salt

I like kosher salt better because it’s easy to find, easy to use, and safe for kids. I recommend using kosher salt because it elevates the flavors of the ingredients without making the overall dish taste salty. Other salts can be used, like sea salt or table salt, but you may need less of it. Begin with 1/2 teaspoon or 3/4 teaspoon and add more if you need to.

Cheese

You could add more cheese to this casserole. Put some slices of provolone cheese or another type of cheese on the bottom before you sprinkle the shredded cheese on top. You can even put some parmesan cheese on top.

For best melting texture and taste, shred the mozzarella cheese from a block rather than buying it pre-shredded in the bag. You can also add more cheesy goodness by adding a layer of sliced cheese before you sprinkle on the shredded cheese.

If using sliced cheese try using provolone, muenster, or mozzarella cheese. You can also add some parmesan cheese over top the casserole before serving.

Can I Make It Ahead of Time?

You can! You can make this recipe even easier by getting everything ready ahead of time. Follow the directions for making the casserole, then wrap it tightly in foil. Put it in the fridge until you’re ready to bake it for dinner that night.

I don’t think it’s a good idea to make this the night before and leave it in the water all night. This recipe is so easy to make that you only need a few minutes to get everything ready. I suggest putting it together right before you bake it, but you can also make it in the morning and put it in the fridge.

Is it okay to use a different kind of pasta in this dump-and-bake casserole?

Yes, you can, but make sure it is about the same size as the spiral rotini. Other pasta shapes that will work are penne pasta or the mini sized bow-ties. You could also use medium shell pasta.

The only kind of noodles I’ve ever used in this casserole are rotini, so that’s what I suggest. If you use a larger or different type of pasta instead of rotini, the baking time might be a little different. I like rotini best because it’s the right size and has all those grooves and spirals that keep the sauce in.

Nutrition Facts