Let’s be honest with ourselves; we never grew out of loving spaghetti and meatballs. Why would we? Little spheres of savory, beefy goodness atop a bed of tender spaghetti. Oh, and plenty of mozzarella and parmesan cheese. Now, with the Meatball Spaghetti Bake, we can bring a childhood love into adulthood! The cheesy, melty, sliceable bake contains homemade meatballs and an abundance of fragrant garlic for a true nostalgic trip! Meatball Spaghetti Bake is like childhood wrapped up in casserole form!
Ingredients
- olive oil, to taste
- 1/2 pound thin spaghetti
- 1 slice white bread, lightly toasted and cut into 1/4-inch pieces
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk, divided
- 1/2 pound ground beef
- 1/2 pound ground pork
- 6 large eggs, divided
- 1 cup parmesan cheese, grated, divided
- 3 cloves garlic, 1 minced and 2 thinly sliced, divided
- kosher salt, to taste
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 8 ounces part-skim mozzarella, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
- 4 sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped
- 1 cup prepared marinara sauce
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves, chopped
Directions
Step 1 –Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
Step 2 –Brush a 9×13-inch baking dish with the olive oil.
Step 3 –Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
Step 4 –Cook the spaghetti to al dente, according to the package directions.
Step 5 –Strain the pasta.
Step 6 –Add the pasta back to the pot and toss it with some of the olive oil.
Step 7 –Soak the toasted white bread with 2 tablespoons of the milk in a medium bowl, tossing occasionally, until the bread is completely soft, about 5 minutes.
Step 8 –Combine the beef, the pork, 1 of the eggs, 1/3 cup of the parmesan, 1 clove of the minced garlic, the salt, and the pepper in a separate medium bowl.
Step 9 –Add the soaked bread to the meat mixture and gently incorporate all of the ingredients together with your clean hands until well-combined.
Step 10 –Brush a baking sheet with the olive oil.
Step 11 –Drop teaspoonfuls of the meatball mixture onto the prepared baking sheet and roll the drops into balls, spacing them out evenly. Make sure you brush a little of the olive oil on your hands before shaping the meatballs.
Step 12 –Bake until the meatballs are golden-brown and almost cooked through, about 10 minutes.
Step 13 –Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F.
Step 14 –Add the meatballs, the mozzarella, and the sun-dried tomatoes to the cooked pasta, tossing to combine.
Step 15 –Transfer the pasta mixture to the prepared baking dish.
Step 16 –Whisk together the marinara sauce, the remaining eggs, the remaining parmesan cheese, the remaining milk, the remaining 2 cloves of the sliced garlic, and the salt in an empty bowl.
Step 17 –Pour the sauce mixture over the spaghetti mixture and press the spaghetti mixture into a flat, even layer.
Step 18 –Sprinkle the parsley over the top.
Step 19 –Cover the baking dish with foil and bake until the casserole is hot and almost completely set, about 30 minutes.
Step 20 –Remove the foil and continue to bake until the top is set, about 10 minutes.
Step 21 –Let the casserole cool for about 5 minutes.
Step 22 –Cut the bake into serving-size squares and serve.
