Cheesy Meatball Pasta Bake

 

I had a half a pound of ground beef leftover from the other day and decided to make a casserole with it. Actually I decided to make meatballs, but when I saw this tasty looking Meat Ball Casserole on Kitchen Sanctuary, I decided that it sounded so delicious I would make that instead!

I love meatballs and I love pasta, combining them with a really tasty sounding sauce and some cheese seemed like perfection to me! 

 

I will confess I am not a person who typically enjoyed ground meat mixed in with pasta. I will tolerate it in small amounts, but I am much happier if it comes in the form of meatballs or some such, rather than being crumbled throughout.

I think this stems back to my childhood and it is a texture thing.  It just doesn't feel good in my mouth. It has nothing to do with taste.

 

My mother always used really cheap ground beef when were growing up.  Maybe they didn't have a choice. I just know that to me it was nasty.  It was filled with lots of bits of gristle and chewy bits that I didn't like.

Sometimes there were even bits of bone.  As soon as my teeth hit any of those things my gag reflex would start to work and that was it for me. I couldn't eat whatever it was we were being served.

 

 

I became an expert at picking out the meat. At the end of the meal there would be a pile of it on the edge of my plate.  Then I would be made to sit and eat what I had picked out.   I was very stubborn. I can remember sitting in front of it for hours as it congealed on my plate.

I used to try hiding it in various places.  None of which worked. I was always sussed out.  It was many years before my mother stopped forcing me to eat it. I vowed in  my heart to never force my children to eat anything that they really didn't like.  It creates issues with food that none of us need.

Anyways, to make a long story short. I prefer my ground meats to be separate from the rest. That's just me.

 

The meatballs for this dish are very simple. The original used minced shallots, etc.  I stuck to flavored powders, garlic and onion. This gave all of the flavor and a meatball that was far less prone to crumbling.

Also if there is someone in your house who doesn't like chopped things in their meatballs, like onions, etc. you can still have the benefit of the flavor without any actual chunks of stuff.

The sauce is filled with flavor. I am not overly fond of smoked paprika. I am not sure what it is, so I left that out, but by all means use it if you wish. I added some balsamic vinegar to the sauce, which added another depth of flavor that was quite nice.

 

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE CHEESY MEATBALL PASTA BAKE

Simple store cupboard ingredients. I am sure you will probably have most, if not all, of this in your cupboard right now! Note, this is a small batch recipe and designed to serve two people. Double the amounts if you wish to serve more.

For the Meatballs:

• 9 ounces (250g) lean ground beef
• 1 tsp onion power (not salt)
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder (not salt)
• 1/4 cup (30g) dry bread crumbs
• 1 egg yolk (freeze the white for another day)
• 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
• salt and black pepper to taste
• low fat baking spray

 

For the sauce:

• 1 cup (226g) chopped tomatoes in juice
• 1/4 cup (60ml) beef stock
• 1/2 TBS balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 TBS Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika (optional)
• salt and black pepper to taste

You will also need:

• 4 1/2 ounces (125g) dry pasta (I used penne) (a generous cup)
• 1/3 cup (40g) grated strong cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup (23g) grated mozzarella cheese
• 2 TBS grated Parmesan cheese
• chopped parsley to garnish

 

You can use any type of pasta macaroni shape in this that you like. I used penne because it has lots of little nooks and crannies for the sauce to nestle in, what with it being hollow and having ridges.

Fine dry bread crumbs are what you want to use. You could also use the equivalent in finely crushed cracker crumbs, or even crushed stuffing crumbs.  Just don't overdo the amounts. You want these to be nice and meaty.

Use a quality tinned tomato.  You do get what you pay for when it comes to tomatoes that are going to be used in a sauce like this. I used an Italian Seasoning mix for the spice, but you could use a small amount of oregano, some basil and a bit of marjoram if you don't have any Italian seasoning mix.

HOW TO MAKE CHEESY MEATBALL PASTA BAKE

Nothing could be simpler to put together.  This is quick, easy and delicious!

Preheat the oven to 400*F/200*C/ gas mark 6. Spray a baking dish (9 by 11) with some low fat cooking spray set aside.

Crumble the beef into a bowl. Add the seasonings for the meatballs, salt and pepper to taste, along with the crumbs and the egg yolk. Mix well together. Shape into 6 meatballs and then place into the baking dish.

Cook the meatballs in the preheated oven for 15 minutes until nicely browned.

While the meatballs are cooking, cook the pasta to al dente according to the package directions. Drain well and rinse. Drain again.

While the pasta is cooking, whisk all of the ingredients for the sauce together in a bowl.

Nestle the pasta in between the meatballs in the baking dish. Pour the sauce over top of everything. Mix the three cheeses and sprinkle them over top of the sauce.

Return the baking dish to the oven and cook for a further 10 to 15 minutes until the sauce is bubbling, the cheese has melted and the meatballs are cooked through.

Sprinkle with paprika and serve. Some vegetables and a salad go very nicely along with this.

 

This was really delicious and such an easy casserole to throw together. Other than cooking the pasta it all cooked in the same dish. It was also really quick.

The meatballs were really delicious and the sauce equally so.  Added to the pasta and with the cheese this was a truly winning combination. All you need on the side is a salad or a vegetable and maybe some garlic toast!

 

 

Some other meatball recipes in The English Kitchen that you might enjoy are:

SWEDISH MEATBALLS -  A delicious mix of beef and pork with some spices.  Cooked and simmers in a lush creamy sauce.  These are fabulously tasty. I personally think they are better than the ones you get at that Scandinavian furniture store.  Seriously.

PINEAPPLE SWEET AND SOUR MEATBALLS - These are an old family favorite.  It is a recipe I adapted through the years from one given to me by my late Mother in Law. Its all in the sauce.  You can use a ready made meatball in this or you can make your own from scratch.  Its delicious either way.

RECIPE HERE

Yield: 2

Author: Marie Rayner

Cheesy Meatball Pasta bake

Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 25 MinTotal time: 40 Min

A tasty dish of meatballs, pasta and cheese? Count me in! This is fabulous!

Ingredients

For the Meatballs

• 9 ounces (250g) lean ground beef
• 1 tsp onion power (not salt)
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder (not salt)
• 1/4 cup (30g) dry bread crumbs
• 1 egg yolk (freeze the white for another day)
• 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
• salt and black pepper to taste
• low fat baking spray

For the sauce:

• 1 cup (226g) chopped tomatoes in juice
• 1/4 cup (60ml) beef stock
• 1/2 TBS balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 TBS Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika (optional)
• salt and black pepper to taste

You will also need:

• 4 1/2 ounces (125g) dry pasta (I used penne) (a generous cup)
• 1/3 cup (40g) grated strong cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup (23g) grated mozzarella cheese
• 2 TBS grated Parmesan cheese
• chopped parsley to garnish

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400*F/200*C/ gas mark 6. Spray a baking dish (9 by 11) with some low fat cooking spray set aside.
2. Crumble the beef into a bowl. Add the seasonings for the meatballs, salt and pepper to taste, along with the crumbs and the egg yolk. Mix well together. Shape into 6 meatballs and then place into the baking dish.
3. Cook the meatballs in the preheated oven for 15 minutes until nicely browned.
4. While the meatballs are cooking, cook the pasta to al dente according to the package directions. Drain well and rinse. Drain again.
5. While the pasta is cooking, whisk all of the ingredients for the sauce together in a bowl.
6. Nestle the pasta in between the meatballs in the baking dish. Pour the sauce over top of everything. Mix the three cheeses and sprinkle them over top of the sauce.
7. Return the baking dish to the oven and cook for a further 10 to 15 minutes until the sauce is bubbling, the cheese has melted and the meatballs are cooked through.
8. Sprinkle with paprika and serve. Some vegetables and a salad go very nicely along with this.

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