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Home » Dinner » Cheesy Meatball Bake

June 12, 2017 By Sara 16 Comments

Cheesy Meatball Bake

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This meatball bake recipe is homemade meatballs, broiled to perfection and smothered in tomato sauce and melted cheese. A quick and easy dinner option that’s sure to please the whole family!

Baked meatballs are comfort food at its finest. Serve your meatballs with a side of garlic knots and an antipasto salad for a complete meal.

Cheesy Meatball Bake Recipe | Meatball Skillet | Italian Meatballs | Baked Meatball Recipe #meatballs #beef #cheese #dinner #dinneratthezoo

A serving spoon in a pan of cheesy meatball bake.

Meatballs are one of my all time favorite things to eat, and lucky for me, my kids love them too! This meatball bake is the ultimate meal for all the meatball lovers in your like, how could anyone resist that blanket of melted cheese?

A skillet of baked meatballs with tomato sauce and melted cheese.

How do you make cheesy meatball bake?

This recipe starts with the meatballs. I use 90% lean ground beef here, and combine it with breadcrumbs, herbs, seasonings and parmesan cheese. The meatballs go into a skillet and get broiled to golden brown perfection. After the meatballs are cooked through, they are covered in marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese and take another trip under the broiler until everything is melted. Serve this meatball bake over pasta or as is with a crusty loaf of bread on the side and you’ve got an amazing dinner without a lot of effort!

Baked meatballs in a skillet with tomato sauce and melted cheese.

After the meatballs cook under the broiler, there may be some excess fat or liquid in the pan. That is normal, simply drain it out before you move to the next step of adding the sauce. I use a high quality store bought marinara sauce for this meatball bake, feel free to use whatever variety of sauce your family prefers. After the completed dish comes out of the oven, I like to add a sprinkling of fresh parsley, although fresh basil or oregano would also be a good choice.

A serving spoon in a skillet of meatball bake, topped with chopped parsley.

This meatball bake also makes a fun party appetizer, simply set out the skillet with some toothpicks or cocktail forks and let your guests indulge in all the cheesy goodness. Whether you serve this dish as an appetizer or for dinner, it’s bound to go on your permanent dinner rotation!

Still hungry? Follow Dinner at the Zoo on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest for more great recipe ideas!

Meatball Bake Video


This meatball bake recipe is homemade meatballs, broiled to perfection and smothered in tomato sauce and melted cheese. A quick and easy dinner option that's sure to please the whole family!
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5 from 9 votes

Cheesy Meatball Bake

This meatball bake recipe is homemade tender meatballs smothered in tomato sauce and covered in cheese.
Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Keyword cheesy meatball bake, meatball bake
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 4
Calories 537kcal
Author Sara Welch

Ingredients

  • 1 pound ground beef 90 percent lean
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • 1/4 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
  • 1/4 cup breadcrumbs
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • cooking spray
  • 2 cups marinara sauce
  • 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Instructions

  • In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, garlic, parmesan cheese, breadcrumbs, egg, salt, pepper and milk. Mix together until thoroughly blended.
  • Preheat the broiler. Coat the bottom of a 9 or 10 inch skillet with cooking spray.
  • Form meatballs that are approximately 1 1/2 inches in diameter and place the meatballs in a single layer in the pan.
  • Broil for 8-10 minutes or until meatballs are cooked through and browned on top. Drain off any fat or liquid in the pan.
  • Pour the marinara sauce over the meatballs and sprinkle the cheese over the sauce. Broil for 3-5 minutes or until cheese is melted and browned.
  • Sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately.

Nutrition

Calories: 537kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 36g | Fat: 37g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Cholesterol: 167mg | Sodium: 1722mg | Potassium: 802mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 995IU | Vitamin C: 8.6mg | Calcium: 355mg | Iron: 4.2mg

Filed Under: Dinner Tagged With: Beef, Italian food, Meatballs

Still hungry? Follow Dinner at the Zoo on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest for more great recipe ideas!

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Comments

  1. Billy says

    February 28, 2021 at 7:03 pm

    As has had already been stated. This a delicious recipe requiring minimal prep.

    Reply
  2. Arlene M. Puliafico says

    February 4, 2020 at 5:15 pm

    5 stars
    Just made these, and they look yummy. The only thing I changed was to add the fresh parsley in with the meatballs before I cooked them. I think this recipe will be a keeper for something fast and delicious. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
  3. Bea says

    July 29, 2019 at 5:15 pm

    5 stars
    OMG! This was so amazing all the cheesy goodness! I served it with a crusty french bread!

    Reply
  4. Thewellnessevolution says

    July 26, 2019 at 11:10 am

    5 stars
    Quick and easy! $10 to make. Love!

    Reply
  5. Chris Collins says

    May 23, 2019 at 1:18 pm

    5 stars
    I just drooled the whole way through this! That cheesy meatball goodness is almost too much to bare 😍

    Reply
  6. Shinta says

    May 23, 2019 at 12:48 pm

    5 stars
    I like that this is such an effortless meal! It sounds like a treat, my family would love to have this very soon!

    Reply
  7. Emily says

    May 23, 2019 at 12:34 pm

    This is the ultimate comfort food! My kids love this cheesy meatball bake!

    Reply
  8. Luci says

    May 23, 2019 at 12:31 pm

    5 stars
    Yummy, this would be so tasty on some bread or pasta.

    Reply
  9. Anita @ Daily Cooking Quest says

    May 23, 2019 at 12:23 pm

    5 stars
    Oh my, I’m swooning over the cheese! This and some freshly baked bread will be really good for dinner tonight.

    Reply
  10. Deb says

    February 9, 2019 at 7:12 pm

    5 stars
    Cheesy goodness! My family cleaned their plates!

    Reply
    • Carole says

      August 12, 2019 at 5:21 am

      The broiler element in my oven is broken. Can I just cook them in the oven? If so, what temperature and for how long?

      Reply
      • Sara says

        August 12, 2019 at 8:20 pm

        That’s fine!! 400 degrees F for about 15-20 minutes.

        Reply
      • Heather says

        November 30, 2020 at 5:56 pm

        Bake 350 in oven for 20 to 30 min

        Reply
  11. Michelle says

    August 19, 2018 at 5:33 pm

    I just made a double batch of these for a Sunday get-together. My only modification was to stuff each meatball with a mozzarella pearl. They were delicious!

    Reply
    • Sara says

      August 19, 2018 at 8:55 pm

      So glad to hear it was a hit, thanks for reporting back!

      Reply
  12. Elaine says

    September 22, 2017 at 7:29 am

    5 stars
    Every time I see that cheese I lose my last doubt as to what my favorite ingredient is. I really like everything cheese and your recipe is a great example of something I would cook to make myself happy! 😉

    Reply

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With 3 young kids, dinner can feel like feeding time at the zoo! I'm a mom on a mission to create easy, healthy and family friendly recipes ...Read More
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