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Our Baked Meatball Parmesan has tender Italian-style meatballs smothered in homemade tomato sauce and covered in three types of cheese – then baked until hot and bubbly!
Incredible (and easy!) Meatball Parmesan
Our Baked Meatball Parmesan is a very simple (and very delicious) dish…I’m drooling just looking at these photos!
It starts by combining some of our most popular recipes here on A Family Feast – our homemade Italian Tomato Sauce and our Italian-Style Meatballs.
We placed the cooked meatballs in an oven-safe baking dish, then poured a generous amount of sauce on top. Next, we topped the meatballs with three kinds of cheese: Parmesan, Mozzarella and Provolone.
Finally, the Meatball Parmesan is baked in the oven until the sauce is hot and bubbly, and the cheeses are melted and golden brown on top.
Options for Making the Meatballs for This Recipe
We have two delicious Italian-Style Meatball recipes on our site, and either can be used for this Meatball Parmesan:
- You can follow this recipe to make meatballs cooked in a frying pan.
- Or, bake up a big batch of meatballs following this recipe instead.
Either meatball recipe will work great in this casserole!
Key Ingredients & Substitutions
- For the Meatballs:
- Ground Beef, Pork, and Veal
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Onions and Fresh Garlic
- Dense Bread soaked in Milk
- Eggs
- Seasonings – Including salt, ground pepper, dried basil, and oregano
- Fresh Italian Flat-Leaf Parsley
- Grated Parmesan Cheese
- For the Tomato Sauce:
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Red Pepper Flakes
- Onions and Fresh Garlic
- Seasonings – Including salt, ground pepper, dried basil, and sugar.
- Fresh Mint
- Canned Whole San Marzano Tomatoes
- Grated Parmesan Cheese
- Unsalted Butter
- For Baking the Meatball Parmesan:
- Grated Parmesan Cheese
- Shredded Mozzarella
- Provolone Cheese
- Spaghetti or other pasta of your choice, for serving.
Cooking Tips & Tricks
- For the best flavor and texture, we always recommend grating your own cheese.
- Pre-shredded cheeses often have a coating added that prevents the shreds from sticking to each other in the bag. This can impact how well the cheese melts.
- Also, never used the jarred Parmesan cheese – it just isn’t the same!
Special Tools You’ll Need
- Various Measuring Cups & Spoons
- Cutting Board & Sharp Knife
- Cheese Grater
- Large Mixing Bowls
- Scoop – To portion the meatballs.
- Sheet Tray or Large Skillet – Depending on which meatball recipe you choose to follow, you’ll either fry or bake them.
- Large Heavy-Bottomed Pot with Lid
- Heat Diffuser – Optional, but recommended. This is used to prevent the sauce from scorching as it cooks.
- 9×9 Casserole Dish
- Pot – To cook the pasta.
- Strainer
How do you serve Meatball Parmesan?
- Serve your Baked Meatball Parmesan – like we did – with spaghetti or any other favorite cooked pasta.
- Or, make meatball subs following this recipe.
- You can even use the meatballs in a fantastic meatball lasagna recipe.
- Or, simply eat the meatballs with some crusty garlic bread on the side.
Can I make this recipe ahead and freeze it?
You sure can – this recipe freezes very well. Just be sure your casserole dish is freezer safe, as well as oven safe.
Here’s another time-saving tip: Bake up a big batch of meatballs and cook our Italian Tomato Sauce ahead of time and keep a stash in your freezer. Then – when the craving for our Baked Meatball Parmesan strikes – thaw the meatballs and sauce and assemble your casserole.
From there – you can have Baked Meatball Parmesan ready for a delicious family meal in under an hour!
This Baked Meatball Parmesan recipe originally appeared on A Family Feast in May 2018. We’ve updated the post, and we’ve given you more options to cook your meatballs. But, overall, the delicious recipe remains the same.
You might like these other Meatball Recipes
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Baked Meatball Parmesan
Our Baked Meatball Parmesan has tender Italian-style meatballs smothered in homemade tomato sauce and covered in three types of cheese – then baked until hot and bubbly!
Ingredients
1 quart of Italian Tomato Sauce, see recipe here
16 large Italian-Style Meatballs*, see recipe here
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 pound shredded mozzarella
1/4 pound provolone cheese, cut into small pieces
Pasta of your choice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Cook pasta according to box directions.
- Heat tomato sauce in a sauce pan and hold.
- Heat meatballs in the microwave if cold.
- Line the bottom of a 9×9-inch casserole dish with about 1 ½ cups tomato sauce.
- Lay the meatballs 4×4 into the prepared casserole dish and top with another 1 ½ cups sauce then sprinkle on the Parmesan.
- Mix the mozzarella and provolone together and spread over the top of the meatballs and sauce and bake for ten minutes to heat through and melt the cheese. Finish under the broiler to brown if desired.
- Serve with cooked pasta mixed with the remaining sauce and additional Parmesan cheese.
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Notes
*You can also follow our Baked Italian-Style Meatball recipe and use those in this recipe. These meatballs are a little smaller than the fried meatballs, but the flavor is very similar.
Love this recipe!
Thanks Diane!
Can you cook the meatballs in the oven? And if so…..at what temp and for how long……Thanks a bunch
Yes you can. I’d bake them at 375 and depending on the size, it will probably take 20-25 minutes.
Wow, this recipe makes my mouth watering! Thanks for sharing!!!
Thanks – hope you’ll give the recipe a try!
Can u use frozen meatballs?
Sure Nancy – while we think homemade meatballs are the best, you can certainly make this recipe with frozen meatballs if you prefer.
Excellent!
Thanks Sandra!