Meatball Casserole
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An incredibly delicious, made-from-scratch Meatball Casserole with creamy mashed potatoes. This casserole is the ultimate crowd-pleaser – juicy meatballs with a homemade marinara sauce over creamy mashed potatoes with lots of cheesy goodness!
Meatball Casserole With Mashed Potatoes
When I think of what my ideal casserole would be, this casserole comes to mind. Lots of cheesy goodness, with juicy meatballs with marinara sauce all atop creamy mashed potatoes and finally topped with lots of cheese. I mean we all love meatballs and mashed potatoes, why not put them together and create this masterpiece?
This meatball casserole can be made entirely from scratch. However, if you’ve got some frozen meatballs in your freezer and a jar of marinara sauce, who am I to tell you not to use them. Isn’t that the beauty of casseroles? Use what you got!
Want to use store bought mashed potatoes? By all means, go for it! Regardless of what you use, store bought or homemade, this casserole will still taste delicious. Yes, I usually tell you homemade is best, but in this case, I won’t judge!
Ingredient Notes
- Mashed Potatoes – You can choose to make your own mashed potatoes or store bought. For this recipe I used my mom’s creamy mashed potatoes.
- Italian Meatballs – You can use my recipe of Italian meatballs that come complete with their own marinara sauce, or simply use some frozen meatballs and a jar of marinara sauce.
- Mozzarella Cheese – What’s a casserole without cheese, and lots of it. I prefer to buy mozzarella balls and shred my own, this way I know there aren’t any added preservatives or chemicals.
- Parsley – Just a bit of fresh parsley for garnish.
How To Make Meatball Casserole
- Prepare mashed potatoes and meatballs: Prepare mashed potatoes as specified in my recipe here. Prepare Italian meatballs including sauce as specified in my recipe here.
- Prep oven: Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Prepare casserole dish: Spray a 9×13-inch casserole dish with a bit of cooking spray (I used my Le Creuset Braiser, link under equipment in recipe card).
- Assemble casserole: Layer the mashed potatoes in the bottom of your casserole dish. Arrange the meatballs on top of the mashed potatoes evenly.
- Bake: Transfer the casserole dish to the oven and bake for 20 minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese evenly over the meatballs and bake for another 10 minutes or until the cheese has melted and starts to brown.
- Serve: Garnish with parsley and serve warm.
FAQs & Expert Tips
FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I Use Store Bought Meatballs And Mashed Potatoes?
Absolutely! Use whatever makes your life easier.
Can I Use Pasta Instead Of Mashed Potatoes?
Yes! Not a fan of mashed potatoes? Use some cooked ziti or penne, follow the instructions as outlined in the recipe card.
Do I have To Cover The Casserole While Baking?
No, you don’t! You want that cheese to melt but also to start browning a bit, so no need to cover it up.
Tips
- This meatball casserole is great for making ahead. Simply assemble it as instructed. Make sure to cover it well with aluminum foil. Allow it to defrost for 24 hours in the fridge before baking as instructed.
- Get creative! Don’t like marinara sauce? Use your favorite! A great Alfredo sauce or bechamel sauce would be wonderful in this casserole.
Storing Leftovers
Store leftover casserole in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days.
Freezing
You can also freeze this meatball casserole in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 10 months.
More Delicious Recipes To Try
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Meatball Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 recipe Italian meatballs
- 1 recipe mashed potatoes
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese (shredded)
- 2 tablespoon fresh parsley (chopped)
Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Instructions
- Prepare mashed potatoes and meatballs: Prepare mashed potatoes as specified in my recipe here. Prepare Italian meatballs including sauce as specified in my recipe here.
- Prep oven: Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Prepare casserole dish: Spray a 9×13-inch casserole dish with a bit of cooking spray (I used my Le Creuset Braiser, link under equipment).
- Assemble casserole: Layer the mashed potatoes in the bottom of your casserole dish. Arrange the meatballs on top of the mashed potatoes evenly.
- Bake: Transfer the casserole dish to the oven and bake for 20 minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese evenly over the meatballs and bake for another 10 minutes or until the cheese has melted and starts to brown.
- Serve: Garnish with parsley and serve warm.
Notes
- Nutritional information is based on my recipes for mashed potatoes and Italian meatballs.
- This meatball casserole is great for making ahead. Simply assemble it as instructed. Make sure to cover it well with aluminum foil. Allow it to defrost for 24 hours in the fridge before baking as instructed.
- Get creative! Don’t like marinara sauce? Use your favorite! A great Alfredo sauce or bechamel sauce would be wonderful in this casserole.
- Store leftover casserole in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days.
- You can also freeze this meatball casserole in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 10 months.
Nutrition Information
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
I needed to prepare something for a church potluck and found this recipe at last minute. Everybody loved it! And I did too!!!🥰
I like the idea of your recipe I have leftover mashed potato and frozen meatballs. How much of each would I use?
A meatball casserole with mashed potatoes? Strange. Very strange. I’m in.
Oh it’s good!!
I had sooo much fun with this recipe… Definitely 5star!
Awesome! We are so glad you liked it 🙂