This Easy Meatball Pasta Bake recipe is perfect for busy days! Just throw pasta, onions, peppers, garlic, oregano, passata, meatballs and parmesan into one pan, then let the oven do all the hard work. Better still, it’s high in protein, surprisingly low in calories and ideal for meal prep.
The easiest ever Meatball Pasta Bake?
This Easy Meatball Pasta Bake is one of my favourite pasta bakes EVER, because it is delicious – and so easy!
You literally just throw a few simple ingredients into a pan, pop it all in the oven and 40 minutes later you have a delicious pasta bake.
There’s no need to faff around pre-cooking the pasta or frying up the veggies – and that means – not only is it unbelievably easy – there’s also only one pan to wash up. Making it perfect for busy days.
Better still, it’s high in protein, surprisingly low in calories, and ideal for meal prep.
How to make Easy Meatball Pasta Bake
This Meatball Pasta Bake really is unbelievably easy to make.
All you need to do is throw pasta, onions, peppers, garlic, oregano, salt, pepper, passata and water in an oven dish. Mix everything together, then place the meatballs evenly on top. Cover the dish with foil and cook for 35 minutes.
After the 35 minutes is up, remove the foil, sprinkle with parmesan and cook for a further 5 minutes, uncovered. Easy peasy!
(Full recipe given in the recipe card below.)
What to serve with Meatball Pasta Bake
This quick and simple pasta bake is a complete meal in its own right, but if you want to add some sides, it’s delicious served with a simple side salad and/or some garlic bread.
What to drink with Meatball Pasta Bake
The Italian flavours in this One Pan Meatball Pasta Bake pair beautifully with Italian reds such as Chianti (Sangiovese), Montepulciano d ’Abruzzo, Barbera, Nero d’Avola, or Primitivo (AKA Zinfandel). Other good options include Sangiovese or Zinfandel from elsewhere in the world.
Love quick and easy one pan dinners?
Then you’ll love these recipes…
- Easy Chicken Thigh Traybake
- Chicken and Potato Traybake with Lemon and Garlic
- Nando’s Chicken and Rice [One Pan Recipe]
- Lamb Kofte Meatball Traybake
Lamb Kofte Meatball Traybake
Can you reheat Meatball Pasta Bake?
Yes, in fact this is a great meal prep recipe! Place any leftovers in a lidded container in the fridge, where they will keep for up to 3 days.
Reheat in your oven (set to 220C / 200C fan / gas mark 7 / 425F) for 10-15 minutes, or until piping hot all the way through.
Alternatively, you can reheat this Meatball Pasta Bake in the microwave.
Can you freeze Meatball Pasta Bake?
Yes, you can freeze this dish.
Place the cooked and cooled Meatball Pasta Bake in a lidded container in the freezer, where it will keep for up to 1 month.
Defrost overnight in the fridge and reheat as above.
If you like this recipe…
…you might also like:
- Easy Beef Biryani
- Easy Beef Mince Tacos (Soft Tacos)
- Beef Chow Mein (Chinese Takeaway Copycat)
- Fusilli Bolognese
- Super Simple Savoury Mince
Easy Beef Mince Tacos
Easy Meatball Pasta Bake (One Pan, High Protein)
Ingredients
- 200 g pasta (I recommend fusilli)
- 1 medium onion finely diced into ½cm x ½cm pieces
- 1 red pepper diced into 1cm x 1cm pieces
- 1 yellow pepper diced into 1cm x 1cm pieces
- 3 cloves garlic grated or crushed
- 2 teaspoons oregano
- Salt and black pepper (to taste)
- 400 g passata
- 300 ml water
- 20 mini meatballs (See Note 1)
- 80 g parmesan cheese grated (See Note 2)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 220C / 200C fan / gas mark 7 / 425F.
- Place the pasta, onions, peppers, garlic, oregano, salt, pepper, passata and water in a large roasting dish. (See Note 3.)
- Use a large spoon to mix everything together, then ensure that the contents of the roasting dish are evenly spread out.
- Place the meatballs evenly on top.
- Cover the dish with foil and place it in your preheated oven for 35 minutes. (See Note 4.)
- After the 35 minutes is up, remove the roasting tin from the oven and double check the pasta is cooked to your liking. (It should be done just a tiny bit less than your preference, as it will have 5 more minutes in the oven.)
- Sprinkle over the parmesan cheese.
- Place the roasting dish back in the oven and cook for a further 5 minutes, uncovered.
- Serve at the table, accompanied by a simple side salad.
Notes
- I prefer to use mini meatballs so everyone gets more meatballs – 20 mini meatballs should weigh 325-350g (I use Tesco Finest Mini Meatballs), but you can use larger meatballs if you prefer.
- To make this quick and easy, I like to use pre-grated parmesan.
- The dish I use is 31cm x 25cm x 5cm, so that is the size I recommend. But this dish is fairly flexible – you can use a slightly smaller or larger dish and it will be just fine.
- Cooking time will of course depend on the specific brand/shape of pasta you use and your personal preferences. I use Tesco Fusilli and this comes out cooked all the way through, but not too soft. If you like your pasta less cooked, reduce the main cooking time by 5 minutes. If you like your pasta very soft, increase the main cooking time by 5 minutes.
- Suitable for freezing.
- Nutrition information is approximate and meant as a guideline only.
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