About
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 9x13-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.
