Easiest Baked Meatballs

a serving spoon with cheesy baked meatballs

5 from 1 vote

There's no need to thaw meatballs first in this 3-ingredient easy baked meatballs recipe! They're smothered in marinara sauce and ooey gooey mozzarella for an irresistibly simple family meal.

Prep Time5

Cook Time45

Total Time50

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian American

Keyword: baked meatballs, how to bake meatballs, meatball bake

Servings: see note

Author: Natasha Bull

Ingredients

24 ounces frozen cooked meatballs see note
1 (24 ounce) jar marinara sauce use your favorite brand
2 cups shredded mozzarella

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 375F and move the rack to the middle position.
Grease a 9x13 casserole dish (I use Pam cooking spray) and add the frozen meatballs in an even layer. If using thawed cooked meatballs, skip to step 4.
Bake the meatballs 20 minutes, then take the casserole dish out of the oven.
Pour the marinara sauce over the meatballs and stir/toss until combined. Spread in an even layer, then sprinkle the cheese over top.
Return the meatballs to the oven for another 15-20 minutes or until hot and bubbly (meatballs should be 160F in the middle). Optional: broil the cheese for a few minutes to brown it.

Notes

This recipe is based on 1" frozen cooked meatballs. If your frozen meatballs are much larger, you may need to increase cook time. If in doubt, for step 3, follow the oven directions that are printed on your package of meatballs, and then continue on with the recipe as normal. You can use cooked homemade meatballs if you prefer, just ensure they're 160F in the middle prior to serving.
The serving size is based on a 24 oz. bag of frozen meatballs where everyone gets about 5-6 meatballs each (approx. 45 1-inch meatballs total). You can definitely use however many meatballs you want - this is a very flexible recipe. If you're making this with fewer meatballs, you could always add less sauce and cheese and bake it in an 8x8 vs. a 9x13.

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