Dinner
Cheesy Meatball Casserole
Tender beef and basil meatballs nestle among twirls of whole-wheat pasta in rich marinara, all blanketed with melted mozzarella that turns lightly golden and irresistibly stretchy.
- Total
- 1 hr
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 40 min
- Serves
- 8
Nutrition per Serving
- Calories
- 465
- Protein
- 29g
- Carbs
- 53g
- Fat
- 17g
- Fiber
- 7g
- Sugar
- 6g
- Sodium
- 607mg
Ingredients
- 16 oz whole-wheat fusilli pasta
- 1 (24 ounce) jar lower-sodium marinara sauce, divided
- 1 lb 90%-lean ground beef
- 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup grated sweet onion
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil, plus more, for garnish
- 1 large egg
- 2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
- 2 cup shredded low-moisture part-skim mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add pasta; cook until the center of the pasta is still somewhat firm, about 4 minutes less than package directions. Drain the pasta and transfer to a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Add half of marinara sauce to the pasta and stir to coat.
- Combine ground beef, panko, onion, basil, egg, Italian seasoning, salt and crushed red pepper in a large bowl; gently mix with your hands (do not overmix). Form the mixture into 16 (about 1 1/2-inch) meatballs, nestling the meatballs into the pasta mixture as you work. Pour the remaining marinara sauce over the casserole and top with cheese.
- Bake until a thermometer inserted into the meatballs registers at least 160°F and the cheese is lightly browned, 35 to 40 minutes. Garnish with basil, if desired.