This Meatball Pasta Bake has tender penne pasta baked in meat sauce and marinara, topped with delicious Italian meatballs and mozzarella cheese. It’s always a huge hit with the entire family!
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Baked Penne Pasta With Meatballs
This Baked Meatballs and Penne Pasta has all of the components of a cozy home cooked meal that the entire family will love. It’s hard to beat baked penne with meatballs served warm with your favorite homemade bread or green salad.
This is one of those meals that you will very often have all of the ingredients on hand for, so you can pull from the freezer and pantry, toss into a baking dish and bake. You can also make the meatballs and marinara sauce from scratch if you’d like, but we know that you don’t always have that kind of time on your hands. Frozen meatballs and spaghetti sauce from the jar will work just fine, too!
If you want, try drizzling your pasta with pesto or hot sauce. Honestly, you can toss in a few ingredients that your family loves and it’s bound to turn out great! Have some fun in the kitchen and let your kids help bring dinner together.
If you love meatballs, be sure to try our crockpot meatball bake and our meatball sub sandwiches.
Baked Penne with Meatballs Video Tutorial
Penne Pasta and Meatballs Ingredients
- Penne Pasta - cook only to al dente, according to the package instructions. You don’t want to cook the pasta too far because it will turn mushy in the oven. Besides penne, we also like to use ziti, rigatoni or cavatappi pasta.
- Olive Oil - you can also substitute avocado oil in this recipe.
- Onions - either white or yellow onions will work great. They should be diced fairly small.
- Garlic - fresh minced garlic tastes best.
- Ground Beef - for a pasta bake, we like to use 90/10 ground beef, which is lean enough to keep the dish from getting too greasy.
- Spaghetti Sauce - use your favorite marinara sauce or pasta sauce. We often use store bought, but you can also make your own (try our Roasted Marinara Sauce with Fresh Tomatoes in the summer, or The Best Homemade Marinara Sauce throughout the rest of the year!).
- Mozzarella Cheese - don’t skimp on the cheese! We like mozzarella because it isn’t as greasy as others and has such a beautiful cheesy pull once baked. Other favorites are Monterey Jack or pepper jack.
- Parmesan Cheese - we like fresh grated Parmesan, as opposed to the stuff in the can. You can purchase pre-grated, or grate yourself.
- Meatballs - you can make homemade meatballs (we are partial to our Spicy Italian Meatballs) or use store bought. Either will work! If you use frozen meatballs, you’ll want to be sure and defrost them first.
How to Make Meatball Penne Pasta Bake
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Boil the pasta to al dente, according to package instructions, then drain and set aside.
- Heat a large saucepan over medium heat and add the olive oil. Add the onions and cook until soft and light golden brown. Next, add the minced garlic and cook while stirring for about 2 more minutes.
- Add the ground beef and cook until only a little pink shows, or about 7-8 minutes, then add spaghetti sauce and mix until combined.
- Remove from the heat and add the cooked pasta into the tomato and meat sauce, stirring until combined. Add half of the mozzarella and Parmesan cheese and mix to combine.
- Spray a 9" x 13" baking dish with non-stick cooking spray and add the pasta mixture, then top with the rest of the mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Place the meatballs evenly around the baking dish, pressing them in gently.
- Bake uncovered in a 400 degree oven for 20-25 minutes minutes, or until cheese is melted and lightly golden. Remove from the oven and let cool for at least 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! One of the best things about casseroles is the fact that they are perfect for meal prep, and leftovers generally taste great. You can prep this entire pasta bake up to the point that you would bake, then cover with foil and store in the fridge overnight.
The next day, remove from the fridge and let the baking dish come to room temperature for 30 minutes or so while your oven preheats. Then bake as directed, and enjoy!
If you want to make this even further in advance, you can wrap in plastic and foil, then store in the freezer for up to 1 month. Once you are ready to bake, remove from the freezer and thaw in the fridge overnight. The next day, follow the same directions as above for baking this from the fridge.
You can use pre-made meatballs for this penne pasta bake or you can use our recipe for Spicy Italian Meatballs. Whether you use homemade meatballs or store-bought, pre-made meatballs, you better believe it will turn out delicious!
If you decide to make your own, we suggest making a large batch and storing them in the freezer. That way, whenever you need meatballs you can just grab and go.
Recipe Variations of Baked Pasta with Meatballs
- Vegetarian - skip the ground beef and meatballs altogether and you’ve got yourself a vegetarian pasta bake!
- Mushroom Pasta Bake - another vegetarian alternative would be to nix the meatballs and ground beef and mix in sauteed mushrooms instead. They add an amazing flavor and texture to the pasta bake.
- Sausage Pasta Bake - substitute diced or sliced sausage for the beef in this recipe. Or for real meat lovers, you could use both!
- Spicy - add pepper jack cheese, red pepper flakes and spicy Italian sausage for a hot and spicy pasta bake.
Baked Penne Pasta with Meatballs Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 16-oz box Penne Pasta
- 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- 2 medium Onions diced
- 3 Tablespoons Garlic minced
- 1 lb Ground Beef
- 1 24-oz can Spaghetti Sauce your favorite brand
- 2 cups Mozzerella Cheese shredded
- ⅓ cup Parmesan Cheese grated
- 15 large Meatballs homemade or store bought, thawed if frozen
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Cook penne pasta to al dente, according to package instructions, then drain and set aside.
- Heat a large saucepan over medium heat and add the olive oil. Add the onions and cook until soft and light golden brown. Next, add the minced garlic and cook while stirring for about 2 more minutes.
- Add the ground beef and cook until only a little pink shows, or about 7-8 minutes, then add spaghetti sauce and mix until combined.
- Remove from the heat and add the cooked pasta into the tomato and meat sauce, stirring until combined. Add half of the mozzarella and Parmesan cheese and mix to combine.
- Spray a 9" x 13" baking dish with non-stick cooking spray and add the pasta mixture, then top with the rest of the mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Place the meatballs evenly around the baking dish, pressing them in gently.
- Bake uncovered in a 400 degree oven for 20-25 minutes minutes, or until the cheese on top is lightly golden. Remove from the oven and let cool for at least 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
Nutrition
More of Our Favorite Pasta Recipes
- Chicken Spaghetti
- Viral Feta Pasta Recipe
- Easy Baked Ziti
- Homemade Lasagna
- Slow Cooker Tortellini Pasta Bake
- Ground Beef Pasta Bake
- More Pasta Recipes
- More Inexpensive Dinner Ideas
This delicious and tender penne pasta baked in meat sauce is topped with Italian Meatballs and so much ooey-gooey mozzarella cheese. It's an amazing pasta bake the entire family will love.
Cheryl yarborouh
Very good! And easy. But too much for us 2. Will be eating again tonight! Lol. With some extra sauce , garlic bread & salad. Thank you, will keep in my dinner cycle!!