Drool-worthy Meatball Parmesan Casserole is the best Italian dinner to crave! Juicy and flavourful homemade Italian meatballs are nestled in an aromatic marinara sauce. The dish is baked with copious amounts of mozzarella then sprinkled with a toasted Parmesan breadcrumb mixture for some crunch.
With my Italian roots I’ve been taught to make the best meatballs ever. This recipe makes perfectly seasoned Italian beef meatballs with loads of garlic and Parmesan cheese. The meatballs are oven cooked until crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. They’re nestled in tomato sauce and covered with shredded mozzarella that melts to perfection. Make sure and serve the casserole hot out of the oven to get that tantalizing and irresistible stretchy cheese pull.
In Italian we call this baked meatball dish polpette alla parmigiana. It’s a super delicious one pan meal and incredibly simple to make. With this recipe you can skip the store-bought processed, frozen meatballs and make these easy homemade meatballs instead. My family agrees this Italian Parmesan meatball casserole is a winner. Everything from the juicy meatballs, zesty marinara sauce, melty mozzarella to the crispy Parmesan breadcrumb topping is superb! It’s a great recipe when you want some easy Italian comfort food at home.
Make this dish with my homemade Classic Marinara Sauce, which is our tried and true family recipe. You seriously need to try it! But, any good quality jarred tomato sauce will do for this recipe as well. Go with whatever is easiest for you.
Ingredients Needed
Only a few ingredients are needed to create this delicious meatball bake.
(Ingredient amounts are listed in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post).
- Lean Ground Beef – Make sure the beef is fresh and use lean meat.
- Garlic – Adds lots of garlic-y flavour to the meatballs.
- Parmesan Cheese – For the meatball mixture and also for the breadcrumb topping.
- Panko Breadcrumbs – To bind the meatballs and also used for the breadcrumb topping.
- Salt, Pepper, Oregano, Granulated Garlic & Thyme – To season both the meatballs and the Parmesan breadcrumb topping.
- Egg – Used to bind the meatballs and keep them from falling apart.
- Marinara Sauce – Use homemade marinara sauce or a good quality jarred one.
- Mozzarella – Sprinkled over the meatball casserole to create a nice cheesy pull.
- Olive Oil – To moisten the Parmesan breadcrumb topping.
How to Make Meatball Casserole
(Note: This is an overview of the instructions. The full instructions are in the recipe card below.)
- Add ground beef, garlic, Parmesan, panko breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, oregano and egg to a large mixing bowl.
- With your hands gently mix until the ingredients are evenly combined.
- With lightly oiled hands, form 24 balls, about 2 ½ tablespoons each and place the meatballs on a foil lined baking sheet.
- Bake the meatballs for 14 – 16 minutes until browned.
- Spread the marinara sauce and ¼ cup of water in a 9” x 12” baking dish and nestle the browned meatballs in the sauce.
- Sprinkle the top with mozzarella.
- Bake the dish lightly covered with foil for 15 – 20 minutes then remove the foil and broil for 1 – 2 minutes until the cheese topping is golden brown.
- Meanwhile make the toasted breadcrumb topping. Add breadcrumbs, granulated garlic, oregano, thyme and olive oil to a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Stir until breadcrumbs are moistened and toasted to golden brown then stir in Parmesan and parsley.
- Sprinkle the toasted Parmesan breadcrumb topping on top of the meatball casserole as soon as it comes out of the oven.
What to Serve with Meatball Casserole
Explore all these wonderful ways to serve this cheesy meatball parmesan casserole. Whichever you choose, you’ll be guaranteed to have a delicious experience.
- Spaghetti, Rice or Polenta – The classic spaghetti and meatballs will please anyone. Serve the meatball casserole over spaghetti, or try changing it up and serve over a bed of rice or polenta.
- Meatball Sub – Anything turned into a sandwich is always a favourite. Tuck juicy meatballs covered in melt-y cheese and marinara sauce in fresh sub buns. It doesn’t get much better than that.
- Crusty Bread or Garlic Bread – Crusty Italian bread for dipping and scooping out the tender cheesy meatballs is irresistible. To elevate the flavour even further, try serving with warm garlic bread.
- Side Dishes – Make the meatball parmesan a complete meal by serving it alongside sides like a fresh crisp salad or cooked vegetables of your choice.
- Party Appetizer – Everyone loves party meatballs! Serve the meatballs as an appetizer by adding toothpicks. Your guests will love the melt-y cheese pull and flavour of these baked Italian meatballs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Avoid adding too many non-meat ingredients because the more you add the more difficult it is for the mixture to stay together. It’s also important not to over mix the meat ingredients and not to pack the balls too tightly; this leads to tough, dense meatballs. Gently combine the meat ingredients with your hands, then roll balls around in the palms of your oiled hands but don’t pack them too tightly.
My preference is to use lean ground beef for meatballs because it has less fat and I simply prefer the flavour. But you could also use ground veal, ground lamb, ground chicken or ground turkey. If you don’t mind the extra fat, then it would be fine to use a medium ground beef or ground pork or a combination of those two.
For this meatball parmesan casserole, the meatballs do need to be lightly baked until brown and crisp before they get nestled in the marinara sauce and topped with cheese. This creates a nice outer crust to the meatballs and ensures they stay together. However, they don’t have to be cooked all the way through because they finish cooking in the marinara sauce in the oven.
Yes you can! Preheat the air fryer to 375 degrees F. Arrange the meatballs in a single layer with space between each meatball. Cook for 13 – 16 minutes, flipping them halfway through. Depending on the size of your air fryer basket – you may have to do this in batches.
You can also fry the meatballs in a large skillet over medium-high heat with canola or vegetable oil. Add meatballs, in batches if necessary, flipping them over occasionally. Fry meatballs until crisp and golden on all sides.
For the best cheesy pull, use Italian mozzarella cheese. I used freshly shredded here but you can use pre- shredded bagged cheese if that’s easier for you. For the meatball filling and Parmesan breadcrumb topping, use freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
Pro-Tips and Variations for Making Meatball Parmesan
- Use homemade or a good quality jarred marinara sauce. I highly recommend my homemade Classic Marinara Sauce for the best results but you can also use purchased tomato sauce. If using homemade, you can make it up to 2 days ahead.
- Don’t overwork or over pack the meatballs. Work the meat mixture gently and use a spring release ice cream scoop to size meatballs. Roll the balls gently between lightly oiled hands, fill in any cracks, but don’t pack them tightly.
- Use different types of meat. Instead of lean ground beef you can use medium ground beef or ground pork which will yield a fattier meatball. You could also use ground veal, ground lamb, ground chicken or turkey.
- Other ways to cook the meatballs. Instead of baking the meatballs you can cook them in an air fryer at 375 degrees F for 13 – 16 minutes. You could also fry them until crisp and golden on all sides in a large skillet over medium-high heat with canola or vegetable oil.
- Toasted bread crumb topping. Don’t skip the savoury Parmesan breadcrumb topping! It adds more flavour and a little crunch to the meatball casserole recipe.
- Serve the casserole hot. For the best cheese pull serve the meatballs hot right out of oven.
Make Ahead and Storage Tips for Baked Parmesan Meatballs
- Make ahead: Assemble the casserole early in the day, refrigerate until needed. Once needed, bake as directed. Just add a little more time for baking because the ingredients will be cold.
- Store: Leftover meatball casserole can be stored in the refrigerator, covered tightly for 3 – 4 days. Reheat leftovers in a low oven or microwave.
- Freeze: Assemble the dish as directed right up until the mozzarella topping. Cover the dish tightlywith a cover and store in the freezer for 2 – 3 months. Once needed, thaw in the refrigerator overnight and bake as directed.
Love Italian Food? Then Try Some of These Recipes:
Italian Sausage Pasta
Pasta Fagioli Soup with Parmesan Crisps
Eggplant Parmesan
Shrimp Scampi Linguini
Zucchini Herbed Ricotta Pizza Bianca
Recipe
Meatball Parmesan Casserole
Homemade Italian meatballs are baked in marinara sauce topped with mozzarella and Parmesan breadcrumbs.
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 2 teaspoons canola or vegetable oil plus more for oiling hands
- 680 g lean ground beef (1½ pounds)
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- ¾ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons oregano
- 1 egg lightly beaten
Marinara Sauce and Cheese
- 2 cups homemade marinara sauce or jarred marinara sauce
- 200 g mozzarella shredded (2 heaping cups)
Parmesan Breadcrumb Topping
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
- ½ teaspoon each granulated garlic, oregano and thyme
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
- ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a medium-sized baking sheet with foil and drizzle with 2 teaspoons of oil.
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To make the meatballs, in a large mixing bowl add ground beef, garlic, Parmesan cheese, panko breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, oregano and egg. Gently mix with your hands just until the ingredients are evenly combined.
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With lightly oiled hands, form the mixture into 24 balls, about 2 ½ tablespoons each. Place the meatballs on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 14 – 16 minutes until browned. Remove from oven and reduce heat to 375 degrees F.
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Spread the marinara sauce and ¼ cup of water in a 9” x 12” baking dish. Nestle the browned meatballs in the sauce. Sprinkle with mozzarella then cover lightly with foil paper. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes until hot and bubbly. Remove the foil top, turn on the broiler and broil for 1 – 2 minutes until the cheese topping is golden brown.
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Meanwhile make the Parmesan breadcrumb topping. In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, add breadcrumbs, granulated garlic, oregano, thyme and olive oil. Stir until the breadcrumbs are moistened and cook until they toast to a golden-brown. Remove from heat and stir in the Parmesan cheese and parsley.
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When the meatball casserole comes out of the oven, sprinkle the toasted breadcrumb topping on top. For the best cheese pull serve the meatball casserole hot right out of the oven.
Recipe Notes
- I highly recommend my homemade Classic Marinara Sauce for the best results but you can also use purchased tomato sauce. If using homemade, you can make it up to 2 days ahead.
- Work the meat mixture gently and use a spring release ice cream scoop to size meatballs. Roll the balls gently between lightly oiled hands, fill in any cracks, but don’t pack them tightly.
- Instead of lean ground beef you can use medium ground beef or ground pork which will yield a fattier meatball. You could also use ground veal, ground lamb, ground chicken or turkey.
- Instead of baking the meatballs you can cook them in an air fryer at 375 degrees F for 13 – 16 minutes. You could also fry them until crisp and golden on all sides in a large skillet over medium- high heat with canola or vegetable oil.
- Don’t skip the savoury Parmesan breadcrumb topping. It adds more flavour and a little crunch to the meatball casserole recipe.
- Check the paragraph in this blog post “What to to Serve with Meatball Casserole” to explore the many ways you can serve this casserole.
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