Meatball Pasta Bake
The ultimate ziti pasta bake made with homemade meatballs in a delicious tomato sauce with parmesan and mozzarella cheese.
Ingredients
- 1 lb Ziti Pasta
- 1 15 oz. Diced Tomatoes canned
- 2 15 oz. Tomato Sauce canned
- 2 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
- 1 ½ cups Mozzarella Cheese grated
- ¼ cup Parmesan Cheese grated
- 1 tsp Dried Parsley or 2 teaspoon fresh chopped
- ½ teaspoon Dried Basil or 1 teaspoon fresh chopped
- 2 cloves Garlic minced
Meatballs:
- 1 lb Ground Beef
- ¼ cup Parmesan Cheese grated
- ¼ cup Onion finely chopped
- 2 cloves Garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 Egg
- 2 tablespoon Ketchup
- 1 tbsp Brown Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Mustard
- 1 teaspoon Parsley or 2 teaspoon fresh chopped
- ½ teaspoon Basil or 1 teaspoon fresh chopped
- ½ cup Breadcrumbs
- ¼ teaspoon Salt & Pepper each
- 2 tablespoon All-Purpose Flour
Instructions
- Start by making the meatballs: In a large bowl mix all of the meatball ingredients (except for the flour) until well combined. Form meatballs into tablespoon sized balls. Transfer to a baking sheet or large sheet and place in the freezer for 20 minutes to chill. Once meatballs are done chilling, roll in flour to fully coat.
- While the meatballs are chilling, boil ziti pasta and cook until al dente. Drain pasta and set aside.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add meatballs to the skillet and brown on all sides. Cover meatballs and let cook for another 10 minutes over medium-low heat until meatballs are cooked through. Remove meatballs from skillet.
- Heat oven to 350 degrees while you cook the sauce.
- Drain excess grease from skillet and add tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, minced garlic, and remaining seasonings. Stir sauce to combine and cook over medium heat until sauce begins to simmer. Once simmering, break up tomatoes with your spatula. Then, remove sauce from heat.
- Arrange the Meatball Pasta Bake in a large 9"x 13" baking dish of your choice. Pour ⅓ cup pasta sauce to coat the bottom of the dish. Follow by adding half of the ziti pasta. Next, evenly sprinkle half of the meatballs on top of the pasta. Pour half of the remaining sauce over pasta/meatballs. Sprinkle half of the parmesan and mozzarella cheese on top. Repeat these steps for the second layer.
- Place dish in the oven and bake for 20 minutes until cheese is melty and edges are golden. When done, remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes.
- Serve with your favorite garlic bread or fresh salad. Enjoy!
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