Servings
Font
Back
0 from 9 votes

Easy Meatball Pasta Bake

This is childs play. Literally as my child (not so small) can eat a whole tray of this single-handed. Its cheesy and the lovely tomato sauce just binds it together.

Servings: 6
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients

  • 250 gm Pasta. I like to use tubes or penne but you can use spaghetti
Sauce
  • 3 tins 400gm 1200 gm tomatoes chopped or crushed tomatoes
  • 250 ml chicken stock 1 cup / 8.5 fl oz
  • 150 gm onion diced
  • 2 cloves garlic crushed
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 2 tablespoons parsley chopped
Chicken Meatballs
  • 500 gm chicken mince or ground Turkey
  • 1/2 teaspoon oregano dried
  • 3 Tablespoons tomato paste
  • 40 gm panko crumbs 1/2 cup
  • 1 whole egg
  • 1 cup mozzarella cheese shredded
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
Topping
  • 100 gm cheddar cheese grated
  • 1/2 cup Mozzarella or Parmesan cheese extra shredded or both!
  • 40 gm panko crumbs

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Heat the oven 180C / 350 F. You'll need a 35x 23dish ( 14inx 10 in) approximately Put a large pot of salted water on the stove and cook the pasta, drain and set aside
  2. Put a medium pot that can hold the sauce ingredients on to heat. Add the olive oil, onion and garlic and cook till fragrant and starting to soften without browning. Add the 3 cans of tomato and the stock. leave to simmer on low but do not reduce more than a 1/4. ( You need all the sauce to make your pasta nice and moist)
  3. Make the meatballs by putting the chicken, oregano, salt, cheese, crumbs, tomato paste into a bowl and mix very well. Hands are the best way to mix.
  4. Roll a walnut sized piece into a ball and continue till all of the chicken s used up. Smaller meatballs are nicer than big fat ones.
  5. Pop all of the meatballs into the sauce. Don't stir until the sauce boils a little and the meatballs cook on one side. Then give them a bit of a stir. Put a lid on the pot and let it simmer rapidly for 5 minutes. The meatballs cook very fast ( you can test one)
  6. Pour the sauce and pasta into a baking dish ( I used a large one 35 cm x 24 cm (14 x 10 in)
  7. Mix it together and then sprinkle over the cheese finishing with the bread crumbs
  8. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes or until the cheese has melted and golden