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This dump-and-bake meatball casserole is exactly what it sounds like—just toss everything in a baking dish and let the oven do the work. No boiling, no fuss, barely any prep. It’s a cozy, crowd-pleasing dinner that’s as easy as it gets.
This is one of my favorite low-effort meals for busy days when cooking feels like too much. Tender pasta, juicy meatballs, and melty cheese all baked together in rich marinara until bubbly. It’s cozy, satisfying, and couldn’t be easier. Save this one for the nights when you need dinner to practically make itself.
Why This Casserole is a Weeknight Winner
- It’s fast and fuss-free. No need to boil pasta or dirty extra pans. Just add everything to one dish and bake.
- Takes 5 minutes to prep. You can have it in the oven before your kids finish asking what’s for dinner.
- Comfort food ingredients. Pasta, marinara, meatballs, and melty cheese. Simple and satisfying ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen.
- One dish = less cleanup. Everything cooks together in the oven, so you’re not left with a pile of dishes.
- Balanced and filling. With whole grain pasta, added veggies like broccoli, and plenty of protein, it’s a complete meal that tastes like comfort food but still keeps you full.
And if you love this recipe, you’ll love my Philly cheesesteak casserole too!
Recipe Ingredients
One of my favorite parts of this recipe is that it uses simple, minimal ingredients.
- Whole grain rotini: You won’t notice this whole grain rotini swap, but you will notice that it keeps you a little bit fuller than traditional pasta! If you don’t have whole grain on hand or you don’t like it, you can use any dry pasta, like ziti or penne pasta. Note: Chickpea pasta, unfortunately, doesn’t work.
- Frozen Turkey Meatballs: Let’s be honest, sometimes there’s just no time for homemade meatballs. Keep a bag of frozen meatballs from the store in your freezer so you’ve got them ready to go for this recipe!
- Broccoli: I like to grab the bags of pre-washed fresh broccoli to make my life a little easier, and then just give them a rough chop from there. You can use frozen broccoli too, just make sure it’s thawed first.
- Jarred Tomato Sauce: Choose a flavorful, yummy pasta sauce that you love! In my opinion, one of the best spaghetti sauce options out there is Rao’s Tomato Basil sauce or Carbone, but you can use any that you like or a simple marinara sauce. If you typically add garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, or any additional spices, feel free to do that.
- Shredded cheese: This recipe gets topped with shredded parmesan and shredded mozzarella cheese!
How to Make a Meatball Casserole
Let’s take a quick look at how to make this casserole:
1. Add uncooked rotini pasta to a 9×13″ casserole dish or large baking dish.
2. Add fillings. Top with defrosted and cooked meatballs, chopped broccoli, a jar of sauce, and 2 cups of water.
3. Gently mix. Try to keep pasta on the bottom as much as possible.
4. Cover and bake for 50 min. Halfway through, mix pasta gently to prevent undercooked pasta.
5. Remove from oven and carefully remove foil. Noodles should be al dente. Sprinkle cheese on top.
6. Broil for 1-2 minutes. Until cheese is melted and bubbly. Enjoy!
Note: Sometimes a few straggler noodles will manage to escape the bottom and will be uncooked or crispy! I like to simply remove those before topping with cheese.
Variation Ideas
- Go vegetarian. Skip the meatballs and use legume-based meatballs to keep it plant-based while still getting plenty of protein.
- Use your favorite meatballs. Beef, pork, turkey, chicken, or plant-based—whatever your crew loves, it’ll work here. Just make sure they’re fully cooked if they’re not frozen.
- Swap the veggies. Not into broccoli? Try diced bell peppers, onions, zucchini, or even spinach. This recipe is super flexible with whatever you’ve got on hand.
- Switch up the cheese. Mozzarella makes it classic, but feel free to try shredded sharp cheddar, Monterey Jack, or even a little crumbled feta for a tangy twist.
Recipe Tips
- Thaw your meatballs first. If they’re still frozen, the pasta may overcook before the meatballs heat through.
- Use a large enough baking dish. If it’s too crowded, the casserole won’t bake evenly and could take longer.
- Don’t be afraid to add seasonings! It’s still absolutely delicious without and I purposely omitted them to keep this recipe super super simple, but garlic powder, onion powder and Italian seasoning are all delicious additions.
- Finish with toppings and sides. A sprinkle of grated parmesan, a slice of garlic bread, and a simple side salad turn this into a full meal.
Storing Leftovers
Store leftover dump and bake casserole in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days!
More Easy Dinners
Dump and Bake Meatball Casserole
Equipment
- 1 9×13" Casserole Dish
Ingredients
- 16 oz Whole grain rotini
- 1 lb Turkey meatballs
- 4 cups Broccoli, chopped
- 32 oz Tomato sauce, I prefer Rao's or Carbone jarred pasta sauce
- 2 cups water
- 1/2 cup Shredded Parmesan Cheese
- 1.5 cup Mozzarella cheese, shredded
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Add uncooked pasta to large casserole dish (9×13").
- Add thawed meatballs, chopped broccoli, and tomato sauce on top of the pasta.
- Add 2 cups of water to the casserole dish.
- Gently mix the meatballs, sauce and broccoli. Try to keep the pasta as close to the bottom of the dish as possible. Cover tightly with aluminum foil.
- Bake in the oven for about 50 minutes, gently stirring halfway through to promote even pasta cooking. Remember to keep the pasta as close to the bottom of the dish as possible so that the moisture can cook the noodles evenly.
- Remove from oven, carefully remove aluminum foil. Sprinkle cheese on top of the casserole. Note: Sometimes a few straggler noodles will manage to escape the bottom and will be uncooked or crispy! I like to simply remove those before topping with cheese.
- Broil in oven for 1-2 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbling. Serve with additional cheese, if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
- Make sure meatballs are fully thawed before baking or meatballs and pasta may cook unevenly.
- If using frozen broccoli, make sure to thaw or microwave before adding to the bake or it may cook unevenly.
- Ensure your casserole is big enough (at least 9×13″) so that the dish isn’t crowded.
- Chickpea pasta unfortunately does not work for this recipe.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should only be used as an estimate.
This turned out so yummy! I used spicy Otamot sauce from Whole Foods to increase the veggies and vitamins in the dish. My husband, baby, and I ate this all week. This dish is going to be a staple in our house.
So glad you loved it Amanda! One of my favorites too 🙂
We are obsessed with this recipe. I’ve made it twice now and it is so easy. In addition to the broccoli we added spinach (just raw and mixed in) for some extra veg. This is joining our regular rotation.
Adding spinach to this is so smart! Thank you for sharing and I’m so glad you love it!
Can this be frozen after baking it? The leftovers?
I probably wouldn’t freeze this one since it uses thawed frozen meatballs.