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Back-Pocket Baked Meatballs and Pasta Recipe

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4.3 from 13 reviews

Back-Pocket Baked Meatballs and Pasta is a comforting, easy-to-assemble pasta bake featuring homemade meatballs mixed in one bowl and baked together with rigatoni, mozzarella, and marinara sauce. This no-boil pasta dish saves time and delivers hearty, savory flavors the whole family will enjoy.

Ingredients

For the Meatballs

  • 12 oz. ground beef
  • 1/3 cup Italian breadcrumbs
  • 2 Tbsp. white onion, finely chopped
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 Tbsp. ketchup
  • 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tsp. dried parsley
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 tsp. oregano

For the Pasta Bake

  • 12 oz. rigatoni, uncooked (about 4 cups dry pasta)
  • 28 oz. store-bought marinara sauce (We love Rao’s)
  • 8 oz. fresh mozzarella cheese, torn or cut into small cubes
  • 2 cups water
  • Salt and black pepper to taste
  • Fresh basil and Parmigiano Reggiano for garnish

Instructions

  1. Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 400°F to prepare for baking the pasta dish.
  2. Make the Meatballs: In a large bowl, gently mix ground beef, breadcrumbs, chopped onion, egg, ketchup, Dijon mustard, minced garlic, Worcestershire sauce, dried parsley, salt, and oregano just until combined. Avoid overmixing to keep meatballs tender.
  3. Form Meatballs: Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a cookie scoop or spoon, portion out about 2 tablespoons of the meat mixture each and roll into small meatballs. Place them on the baking sheet without touching. You should have around 20 meatballs.
  4. Layer Pasta: In an 8×10 inch baking dish, spread half of the uncooked rigatoni evenly in a layer.
  5. Add Meatballs and Cheese: Arrange half of the uncooked meatballs and mozzarella pieces evenly over the pasta layer.
  6. Add Sauce: Spoon half of the marinara sauce over the meatballs and pasta layer.
  7. Repeat Layers: Repeat the layering with the remaining rigatoni, meatballs, mozzarella, and marinara sauce. Season the top layer generously with salt and black pepper, ensuring all pasta is well covered to avoid drying out during baking.
  8. Add Water and Cover: Pour 2 cups of water evenly over the layers. Cover the dish tightly with foil to trap steam and help cook the pasta.
  9. Bake: Bake in the preheated oven for about 1 hour until the pasta is tender and meatballs reach an internal temperature of 165°F.
  10. Broil: Remove the foil and broil the dish for a few minutes to brown the top and make it bubbly.
  11. Cool and Garnish: Let the dish cool for 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh basil leaves and grated Parmigiano Reggiano. Serve warm, optionally with additional marinara sauce.

Notes

  • Add extra warmed marinara sauce when serving to prevent dryness, since the pasta absorbs a lot of sauce during baking.
  • Substitute ground turkey for ground beef if preferred. Use 12 oz. to maintain meatball to pasta ratio.
  • Other pasta shapes like ziti or penne may be used as substitutes for rigatoni with similar results.
  • Enhance flavor by adding Italian seasoning, oregano, onion powder, dried basil, parsley, or chili flakes during assembly if desired.
  • Recipe inspired by Food and Wine magazine.

Find it online: http://recipesbyliza.com/back-pocket-baked-meatballs-and-pasta-recipe/