Meatball Casserole (Without Pasta)

Hand holding a skillet with a baked casserole of meatballs, red sauce, and cheese.

Meatball casserole made with homemade ground beef meatballs, marinara, spinach, and mozzarella. A cheesy, family-friendly dinner with no pasta required.

Course dinner, Main Course

Cuisine American, Italian

Keyword beef meatball casserole, casserole, cheesy, comfort food, easy, kid-friendly, meatball casserole, meatballs

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 30

Total Time 45

Servings servings (about 5-8 meatballs with sauce)

Calories 276

Author Robyn Conley Downs

Equipment

Skillet

Ingredients

½ cup panko bread crumbs
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
¼ cup finely chopped fresh basil leaves
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 large egg
1 ½ pounds lean ground beef
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 cups marinara sauce
4 cups chopped baby spinach (about two big handfuls)
½ cup shredded part skim mozzarella cheese
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 450F.
In a large bowl, combine the bread crumbs, ¼ cup Parmesan, basil, garlic, salt, and egg, mixing well.
Add the ground beef and gently mix until well combined.
Roll the beef mixture into small meatballs about 1-inch in diameter–about 30-40 meatballs.
Heat a large 12-inch high sided oven-proof skillet over medium high heat. Add the olive oil and the meatballs in an even layer, avoiding overcrowding. Cook for 5 minutes, or until browned on one-side, then flip and cook an additional 3-4 minutes (they do not need to be cooked all the way through at this point).
Turn off the heat and add the spinach and marinara sauce, stirring gently until just combined, being careful not to break apart the meatballs.
Cover with an even layer of the mozzarella and sprinkle evenly with 2 tablespoons of Parmesan.
Cover with foil and bake for 10 minutes, then uncover and bake an additional 10 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and lightly browned.

Notes

Flat leaf parsley can be substituted for fresh basil in the meatballs.
This casserole has no pasta, but you can certainly serve it with cooked pasta or spaghetti if you like! Or, make my easy homemade garlic bread for dipping. Yum!

Nutrition