Easy Baked Spaghetti and Meatballs Casserole - Recipe Diaries (2024)

Baked Spaghetti and Meatball Casserole is loaded with baked hearty meatballs, noodles, marinara sauce, and lots of cheese. If you think meatballs and spaghetti are boring think again! This casserole will change your mind.

There are about 24 days left until Spring (counting down every day) and I am so sick of Winter. So, so sick of it. In February alone, Fargo had 17.3 inches of snow and it hasn’t snowed that much since 1940. If it snows any more there’s not going to be any room left for it. I’ve been dreaming about waking up early in the morning and being able to sit out on my deck. The only thing getting me through the rest of Winter is making warm and comforting casserole dishes or soups.

Baked Spaghetti and Meatball Casserole is loaded with baked hearty meatballs, noodles, marinara sauce, and lots of cheese. If you think meatballs and spaghetti are boring think again! This casserole will change your mind.

If you like casseroles try Baked Cream Cheese Spaghetti Casserole, Chicken Dorito Casserole, or Pizza Pasta Casserole.

Homemade or Storebought Meatballs?

Homemade meatballs are the way to go here. You can use a bag of frozen ones if you like but I’ve been loving my 1 smart point meatball recipe lately. Last week, I made Meatball Sammies with them and this week I made a Baked Spaghetti Casserole. My meatballs are so easy to make you might want to keep some in the freezer so all you have to do is heat them up. All the ingredients get added to a bowl and I use a 1-inch scoop to form the meatballs. They take 15 minutes to bake in the oven and that is it!.

The meatballs are probably the hardest part of this recipe and if you can master that then all you have to do is boil some noodles and dump in a jar of marinara sauce into a bowl. I have my own zero point marinara sauce recipe but I like to use the help of store-bought marinara sauce. I don’t have all day to sit there and babysit a pot of sauce boiling over a stove.

Ingredients Needed

• Lean Gound beef - Is considered better than higher fat options for several reasons. First, it has less saturated fat, which can contribute to heart disease and other health issues.
• Egg - The best type of eggs you can buy at the store are organic or free-range eggs, while others may prefer eggs from specific breeds of chickens
• Panko bread crumbs are a type of breadcrumb commonly used in Japanese cuisine. Panko bread crumbs can be found in most grocery stores and are often used as a substitute for traditional breadcrumbs in recipes.
• Onion - yellow or white
• Garlic cloves - Chopped fresh garlic can take some time to chop so I often always use the freshly minced garlic that comes already made in a jar.
• Parsley - fresh or dried
• Salt and pepper - to taste
• Marinara sauce - Store bought jarred marinara sauce is convenient to have at home for a quick meal. My favorite marinara sauce is always Rao’s because it has all clean ingredients on the back of the ingredients list
• Spaghetti noodles - or any long type of noodle will work
• Part skim mozzarella - I like to use Reduced-Fat Cheese because it has a lower calorie count and less saturated fat than regular cheese, but it may also have a different taste and texture.
• Grated parmesan cheese - is a hard, granular cheese that originated in Italy. It is typically made from cow's milk and has a sharp, nutty flavor. Parmesan cheese is often grated and used as a topping for pasta dishes, salads, and other foods.

How to make Baked Spaghetti and Meatball Casserole

1. Preheat oven to 400ºF. Spray a large cookie sheet with cooking spray.
2. In a small saucepan cook the onions until they are soft and tender. Let them cool.
3. Mix together onion, bread crumbs, garlic, egg, cheese, salt, pepper and parsley in a large mixing bowl.
4. Add in ground beef and mix gently until combined. Do not overwork. Form into 1-inch balls and place on prepared cookie sheet.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, or until meatballs are browned and cooked through.
6. While the meatballs are baking in the oven, cook your spaghetti noodles according to the package directions.
7. In a large bowl, combine your meatballs, noodles, sauce, and parmesan cheese. Mix everything together and add that to an 8X11 pan. Top with the part-skim mozzarella cheese and bake the casserole in an oven for 15 to 20 minutes.
8. Serving Size: 1 cup

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