Baked Pasta with Meatballs and Spinach

Quick and easy to make, this baked pasta with meatballs and spinach is a weeknight indulgence at its best. Flavorful, juicy meatballs are nestled in a bed of gooey, cheesy pasta with fresh spinach and dollops of fresh ricotta cheese.

I can’t stop thinking about them, especially how they studded this baked pasta dish with that creamy ricotta cheese. These meatballs were made of a 50/50 mixture of ground beef and sweet Italian sausage, with garlic, cheese, and breadcrumbs.

As a result, the Italian sausage made a huge difference in taste. I mean HUGE! Even life-changing. This recipe may have changed the way I make homemade meatballs forever. It’s like a delicious meatball casserole!

Ingredients You’ll Need

This recipe calls for two ingredients that I always make from scratch: tomato sauce and ricotta. 

Pasta: I used Rigatoni pasta, but any type of pasta will work, such as penne or ziti.

The Meatball Mixture:

• Spinach – raw baby spinach with large stems removed.
• Egg – for binding the mixture.
• Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
• Garlic – chopped
• Fresh flat-leaf parsley – chopped
• Fresh Breadcrumbs
• Parmesan cheese – freshly grated
• Ground Beef – ground chuck with an 80/20 ratio is best
• Italian Sausage – sweet or hot

Tomato Sauce: I make a basic tomato sauce; use your favorite jarred marinara sauce if preferred

Cheeses: Shredded mozzarella cheese and ricotta cheese

How To Make Baked Pasta with Meatballs and Spinach

1. Boil the pasta to al dente per package directions and simmer the tomato sauce.
2. Make the meatballs.
3. Cook the meatballs under the broiler.
4. Pour the tomato sauce into the pasta and stir in the cheese.
5. Add the sauce and meatballs to a baking dish. Toss the meatballs in the cheesy tomato sauce. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and dollop with ricotta cheese.
6. Broil until golden brown.
7. Serve warm!

Tips for Making Baked Pasta with Meatballs and Spinach

• I found it best to work the mixture with your hands like you would a meatloaf.
• Use wet hands to work the meatball mixture. It will keep it from sticking to your hands.
• Make sure you don’t overwork the meat, leading to dry, dense meatballs.

Gracious me, I may have to make this again next week!

Making baked pasta with meatballs? We’d love your feedback. Leave us a comment and a star rating below. We value your opinion and appreciate your time.

See ya on the mountain!

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5 from 1 vote

Baked Pasta with Meatballs and Spinach

Quick and easy weeknight indulgence, this baked pasta is made with juicy meatballs in a bed of cheesy pasta with fresh spinach and creamy ricotta cheese.

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Calories 700kcal

Author David & Debbie Spivey

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 ½ cups Mezzi Rigatoni pasta (any type will work)
• ▢ 6 ounces baby spinach
• ▢ 1 large egg
• ▢ Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
• ▢ 1 clove garlic
• ▢ ½ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley chopped
• ▢ ¼ cup fresh breadcrumbs
• ▢ ¼ cup Parmesan grated
• ▢ 8 ounces ground beef
• ▢ 8 ounces ground Italian sausage
• ▢ 4 cups basic tomato sauce use your favorite jarred marinara sauce, if preferred
• ▢ 1 cup mozzarella cheese shredded
• ▢ ½ cup ricotta cheese

Instructions

• Place the oven rack about 6 to 8 inches, underneath the broiler. Preheat the broiler and line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.
• Cook pasta according to package directions, in salted water. Drain; return the pasta to the pot.

While the pasta is cooking, prepare the meatballs.

• In a large bowl, whisk together the egg, 2 tablespoons of water, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the garlic, parsley, breadcrumbs, and Parmesan. Let this mixture sit for 2 minutes.
  
• Chop 1 cup of the spinach. Add the chopped spinach, beef, sausage, to the breadcrumb mixture; mix to combine.
• When the meat mixture is well combined, use about two tablespoons per meatball to form 1 ½-inch balls and place on the prepared baking sheet; about 20 meatballs. Broil the meatballs, until cooked through, about 8 to 10 minutes.
• Pour the tomato sauce into the pot with the pasta and toss to combine.
• Stir in 1 cup of the mozzarella and about ¼ cup of the ricotta cheese, until it starts to melt. Pour the mixture into a large casserole dish and gently toss with spinach and meatballs. Sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella cheese and dollop with the remaining ricotta cheese.
• Broil until the cheese is golden brown; about 3 to 5 minutes.

Notes

I found it best to work the meatball mixture with your hands like you would a meatloaf. Use wet hands so the mixture won’t stick, and do not overwork the meat, which leads to dry, dense meatballs.

Nutrition

Calories: 700kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 39g | Fat: 43g | Saturated Fat: 18g | Cholesterol: 166mg | Sodium: 2142mg | Potassium: 1518mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 6115IU | Vitamin C: 40.4mg | Calcium: 407mg | Iron: 7mg

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