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This simple Meatball Pasta Bake cooks all in one pan in about 30 minutes – no boiling the pasta! A hearty, warming comfort food bowl for the perfect quick-win dinner.
You can rarely go wrong with a big bowl of pasta with meatballs, with rich, comforting tomato sauce. It usually goes down well with everyone in the family and is so just simple and satisfying.
We’re taking a big shortcut here of using ready-made meatballs for this recipe, but sometimes needs must, right? You can buy fresh in your weekly shop or even store frozen ones for ultra convenience when ideas, time or cupboard ingredients are in short supply.
Why you’ll love this Meatball Pasta Bake recipe
⭐️ Comforting, satisfying and delicious
⭐️ Convenient and quick
⭐️ Great for a batch cook
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About this Meatball Pasta Bake
This actually isn’t a ‘bake’ in the traditional sense as we use the grill at the end to make the cooking more energy efficient, but it is in the sense it’s all cooked and heated together. If you prefer, you can put it back in the oven to melt the cheese on top instead (at 200C for about 20 minutes).
I know we’re cheating a bit here with the meatballs, and those of you who would rather make homemade ones can follow my easy Meatballs and Spaghetti recipe here and substitute them into this pasta bake instead. Or for something a little different, you could try my Ikea-style Swedish Meatballs.
I actually find the shop-bought meatballs hold their shape better than homemade for this recipe – bonus! Buying the best quality meatballs you can afford will make a difference to the outcome of the flavour too.
Meatball Pasta Bake Ingredients
- Sunflower oil
- Meatballs – Your favourite type
- Onion – Fresh or pre-chopped frozen is fine
- Garlic – Same as above
- Mushrooms – I like chestnut as they have lots of flavour, you can swap in other vegetables if you prefer
- Tinned chopped tomatoes
- Chilli flakes
- Sweet smoked paprika – NOT regular paprika!
- Vegetable stock
- Tomato puree
- Pasta – Again, this is personal preference
- Mozzarella – I used grated, but you could swap for another cheese if you prefer
How to make Meatball Pasta Bake
1. Heat the oil and brown the meatballs.
2. Add onions, garlic and mushrooms and fry (according to the recipe timings below).
3. Add in tomatoes, chilli, paprika, stock, puree, pasta and salt and pepper. Stir, put the lid on and simmer until the pasta is tender.
4. Sprinkle cheese over the top and pop under the grill to melt the cheese for about 5 minutes.
Hint: If the pasta is not finished cooking and the sauce is already too dry, add a splash of water and continue cooking until the pasta is done.
Substitutions
- Vegetables – My children HATE mushrooms with a passion but I just love them so much that for once, I did use them! They just picked them out and ate some extra cherry tomatoes on the side. Feel free to substitute for or add any other vegetable you prefer.
Leftovers
In the fridge You can keep this recipe in the fridge for 3 days. Reheat fully in the microwave or on the hob with a dash of water before serving.
In the freezer I’m not a big fan of pasta from the freezer, all that said it’s still edible when defrosted and reheated fully, it can just go a bit squishy and overcooked.
Top tips
Paprika
Make sure the paprika is SWEET SMOKED PAPRIKA not regular paprika, or hot. Otherwise this will be very spicy!
Adapt this recipe
If you fancy something a little different, try adapting this recipe for my Meatball Orzo Bake or my Cheeseburger Pasta instead!
Meatball Pasta Bake FAQs
I would say no. Omit chilli flakes if you want but it just gives a tiny touch of warmth.
Use a NON-STICK pan for this. It will make your life so much easier. See my one pan recommendations here.
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Let me know how you got on and what you thought of these recipes. Please rate the recipe using the ⭐️ below.
Also I’d LOVE to see your cooking creations. If you’d like to share yours with me, you can tag me on Instagram (@tamingtwins).
Meatball Pasta Bake {30 Minute Meal}
Ingredients
- 2 tsp Sunflower oil
- 340 g Meatballs
- 1 Onion, Peeled and chopped
- 3 Cloves of garlic, Peeled and chopped
- 300 g Mushrooms, Sliced
- 400 g Tinned chopped tomatoes
- 1/2 tsp Chilli flakes
- 2 tsp Sweet smoked paprika
- 750 ml Vegetable stock
- 4 tbsp Tomato puree
- 250 g Pasta
- 150 g Mozzarella
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a large grill proof, deep frying pan (a saute pan) heat the sunflower oil over a medium heat.
- Add the meatballs and pan fry for about 5 minutes until starting to colour all over.
- Add the chopped onion, garlic and mushrooms and fry for a further 5 minutes until the vegetables are starting to soften and the meatballs are browned all over.
- Add the tomatoes, chilli, paprika, vegetable stock, tomato puree, dry pasta and plenty of salt and pepper. Give everything a good stir, put the lid on, reduce the heat to low and cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring regularly, until the pasta is cooked through and the liquid is absorbed.
- Preheat your grill to medium. Sprinkle the cheese over the top of the pasta and pop under the grill to melt the cheese – about 5 minutes.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
We tried your meatball pasta bake… yummy! One of the first recipes I have followed that come out as tasty as the reviews suggest. Myself and my son who is very hard to please really enjoyed your meal we added in one chili. I also took the advice of courgettes and some pointed peppers. We will definitely be visiting this recipe again I can’t believe how well the sauce came out; nice that consistency not watery. 5*
This is by far THE best pasta dish I think me and my family have tried.
It’s now a firm family favourite!
In fact, everything I have tried of your recipes have all be excellent!
I’ve made this with “home made” meatballs, in the form of sausages cut up, removing their skins and rolling in to balls. Bit more of a faff, but tasty.
Absolutely delicious meal!!!!! Adding this to the roasting menu in our house now.
This is a great recipe! I changed it quite a bit though if I’m honest. The original plan was to substitute the mushrooms for courgettes but I went a bit overboard with the veg and also added an orange pepper and some grated carrot! I put in an extra tin of tomatoes because of all the extra veg (which I think I maybe didn’t need tbh). I also left out the chilli flakes. It was super delicious though, I will be making it again! Thank you for yet another successful dinner!!
Amazing! So tasty, and two days’ meals sorted! Thanks for a brilliant recipe! 🙂
I really enjoyed it,its a shame my family didn’t try it when i’ve finish cooking it.Late back from work.Can i reheat back up the next day.
Delicious meal, I regularly make this for the family and it is always a hit! I swapped mushrooms for red & yellow peppers and it was amazing. Thank you for this recipe!
Made this for the kids and their friends who came around after school. We all loved it and the addition of the chilli makes this really tasty
Enjoyed cooking this dish, as I love One Pot Recipes. It’s finishing off in the oven to give an ‘ al forno’ taste along with some Part-Baked Rolls, which OH likes with pasta dishes. The ease of using frozen onions & garlic was very handy for me today, as only had to wash/slice the Mushrooms. Thank you!