Ingredients
For the meatballs:
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 pound ground Italian pork sausage
- 1/2 cup Italian breadcrumbs
- 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley + additional for garnish, optional
- 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon salt
For the casserole:
- 2 (24-ounce) jars marinara sauce
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 (12 ounce pkg) penne pasta
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the penne pasta and cook until al dente according to package instructions. Drain and set aside.
- Heat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking dish.
- In a large bowl, combine all meatball ingredients. Mix gently until just combined, being careful not to over mix.
- Form mixture into 1 1/2-inch meatball. NOTE: I used a medium cookie scoop and got 29 meatballs.
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add olive oil. Working in batches, brown meatballs on all sides, about 2-3 minutes per batch. They don’t need to be fully cooked.
- In a large bowl, combine the cooked pasta with half of the marinara sauce. Transfer to the prepared baking dish.
- Arrange the browned meatballs over the pasta.
- Pour the remaining marinara sauce over the meatballs.
- Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese.
- Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes.
- Remove foil and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes, until cheese is melted and golden and meatballs are cooked through (internal temperature of 160°F).
- Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
- Garnish with chopped fresh parsley, if desired.
Notes
Pro Tip: Don’t over mix your meatball mixture! Mix just until the ingredients come together. Overmixing makes them tough.
Also, browning the meatballs first adds incredible flavor for this flavorful dish, so don’t skip that step!
NOTE: I used a medium cookie scoop and got 29 meatballs.