Baked Spaghetti and Meatballs
Baked pasta has a way of making dinner feel extra cozy. Spaghetti and meatballs are a classic on their own, but baking them with marinara and plenty of cheese brings everything together in one bubbly, cheesy casserole. It’s hearty, simple, and goes straight from oven to table.
The recipe comes from Kids Can Cook Anything! The Complete How-To Cookbook for Young Chefs, with 70+ Kid-Tested, Kid-Approved Recipes by America’s Test Kitchen. This cookbook is full of great recipes that are perfect for kids to make, and baked spaghetti and meatballs is one of them.
Why You’ll Love This Easy Baked-Spaghetti Recipe
- One-pan magic: No need to boil the noodles first—everything cooks together in the oven.
- Comfort food the whole family loves: Familiar flavors, melty cheese, and saucy pasta.
- Make-ahead friendly: Assemble it earlier in the day and just pop it in the oven at dinnertime.
Let’s take a look at just how easy this spaghetti recipe is.
Baked Spaghetti and Meatballs Ingredients
For this kid-friendly baked spaghetti recipe, you need the following:
- Vegetable oil spray
- panko bread crumbs
- milk
- spaghetti (uncooked noodles)
- marinara sauce
- lean ground beef
- Parmesan cheese
- garlic powder
- dried oregano
- salt
- fresh basil
Instructions
- Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 475 degrees. Spray a 13-by-9-inch casserole dish with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, use a rubber spatula to combine panko and milk. Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, use your hands to break the pasta in half over the greased baking dish.
Spread pasta into an even layer. Pour water and jarred sauce over noodles and use tongs to toss gently until coated.
- Add beef, Parmesan, garlic powder, oregano, and salt to the bowl with the panko mixture and use your hands to gently mix until evenly combined.
- Roll the beef mixture into 15 meatballs (about two tablespoons each). Place meatballs in the baking dish on top of the pasta. Wash your hands.
- Cover the baking dish tightly with aluminum foil. Place the baking dish in the oven and bake for 30 minutes.
- Use oven mitts to remove the baking dish from the oven and place it on a cooling rack (ask an adult for help). Carefully remove foil and discard. Use tongs to stir the spaghetti mixture and pasta water thoroughly, scraping the sides and bottom of the dish (be careful – the baking dish and sauce will be HOT!).
- Return the baking dish to the oven and continue baking, uncovered, until the pasta is tender and the sauce is thickened, 5 to 8 minutes.
- Kids need to ask an adult to remove the baking dish from the oven and place it on a cooling rack. Let the pasta cool for 10 minutes.
- Use tongs to toss the pasta and meatballs in the sauce carefully. (If the sauce is too thick, add extra hot water, one tablespoon at a time, until loosened.) Sprinkle with basil and serve with extra Parmesan.
If baked spaghetti and meatballs makes it to your table, you might also enjoy my Cheesy Lasagna for another pasta bake classic. For something lighter, whip up an Easy Caprese Pasta Salad with fresh tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil. And if you’re keeping things low-carb, the Keto Skillet Lasagna has all the flavor without the noodles.
Oven-Baked Spaghetti and Meatballs
Equipment
- 13-by-9-inch baking dish
- Large bowl
- Rubber spatula
- tongs
- 1-tablespoon measuring spoon
- Aluminum foil
- Oven mitts
Ingredients
- Vegetable oil spray
- ½ cup panko bread crumbs
- ½ cup milk
- 12 ounces spaghetti
- 24 ounces marinara sauce
- 2 cups water plus extra hot water as needed
- 1 pound lean ground beef (85 percent)
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese (1 ounce) plus extra for serving
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon table salt
- 2 tablespoons torn fresh basil
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 475 degrees. Spray 13-by-9-inch baking dish with vegetable spray.
- In large bowl, use rubber spatula to combine panko and milk. Let mixture sit for 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, use your hands to break pasta in half over greased baking dish. Spread pasta into even layer. Pour marinara sauce and water over pasta and use tongs to toss gently until coated.
- Add beef, Parmesan, garlic powder, oregano, and salt to bowl with panko mixture and use your hands to gently mix until evenly combined.
- Roll beef mixture into 15 meatballs (about 2 tablespoons each). Place meatballs in baking dish on top of pasta. Wash your hands.
- Cover baking dish tightly with aluminum foil. Place baking dish in oven and bake for 30 minutes.
- Use oven mitts to remove baking dish from oven and place on cooling rack (ask an adult for help). Carefully remove foil and discard. Use tongs to stir pasta thoroughly, scraping sides and bottom of dish (be careful – baking dish and sauce will be HOT!).
- Return baking dish to oven and continue to bake, uncovered, until pasta is tender and sauce is thickened, 5 to 8 minutes.
- Ask an adult to remove baking dish from oven and place on cooling rack. Let pasta cool for 10 minutes.
- Use tongs to carefully toss to coat pasta and meatballs with sauce. (If sauce is too thick, add extra hot water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until loosened.). Sprinkle with basil and serve with extra Parmesan.
Notes
Nutrition
Tips for Success
- Make sure the spaghetti is well coated with sauce so it cooks evenly.
- Halfway through, give the pasta a gentle stir to prevent clumping.
- Love extra cheese? Add another handful of mozzarella or Parmesan before the final bake.
Storage and Freezing
- Freezer: Cool completely, wrap well, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge before reheating.
- Refrigerator: Store leftovers in a sealed container for up to 3 days. Reheat in the oven or microwave.
FAQs
Nope—just put it in the dish dry. It cooks right in the sauce.
Definitely. Toss them in straight from the freezer and bake. Just allow a little extra time.
Yes, assemble the whole dish, cover it, and refrigerate. Add additional time to the bake time when you’re ready.
Prefer chicken? Check out the recipe for Baked Chicken Spaghetti at Joyous Apron.
Kids Can Cook Anything!
The Complete How-To Cookbook for Young Chefs, with 70+ Kid-Tested, Kid-Approved Recipes by America’s Test Kitchen is a great cookbook for kids AND adults. It is full of great recipes that are perfect for kids to make and even has QR codes so that young chefs can access 20 educational cooking technique videos.
The cookbook is divided into 6 chapters: Breakfast, Snacks, Lunch, Dinner, Sides, and Sweets. It also has a section on getting started along with information on how to use the book, secrets to success in the kitchen (which includes the one thing that I need to be doing more often – reading the entire recipe, from start to finish), decoding kitchenspeak, essential prep steps and techniques, and essential kitchen gear.
Among the recipes in the book are Pumpkin Muffins, Eggs in a Hole, Breakfast Cookies, Chili-Lime Tropical Trail Mix, Loaded Nachos, Baked Brie, Chicken Caesar Salad Wraps, Open-Faced Tuna Melts, Fish Tacos with Creamy Cilantro Sauce, Thai Red Curry with Bell Peppers and Tofu, Sesame Green Beans, Lowcountry Red Rice, Garlic Bread, Chocolate Sugar Cookies, Berry Streusal Bars, and Brownie Bites.
Look for Kids Can Cook Anything! at your favorite bookstore or at Amazon.com.
Last Bite
If a cheesy pasta bake doesn’t bring smiles to the table, I don’t know what will. 😉 Leave a comment below and tell me what you paired with it, and be sure to share this recipe with your favorite pasta-loving friends!
