Meatball Al Forno (AKA Meatball Bake)

Melissa Jo

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This Meatball Al Forno (AKA Meatball Bake) recipe is going to change the game for your weeknight dinners. This recipe takes a total of 15 minutes to prepare and then you simply pop it in the oven and viola, you are going to have the most delicious dinner that not even one person in your family is going to refuse! My time saving tip is to use the Cooked Perfect Meatballs instead of making your own. However, you can certainly make my Homemade Meatballs and use them in this recipe as well. Another time saving tip is I used my two favorite brands of sauce: a jar of Rao's Marinara and a can of the delicious Dei Fratelli Tomato Sauce! And, of course if you don't want to use those products you can certainly make my Homemade Sauce recipe instead. But, for the sake of time I went the easy route and I have to tell you if you're not going to make them homemade these are the best frozen meatballs on the market. Even though i didn't roll up my meatballs i did roll up ricotta balls which is going to take this Meatball Al Forno to a whole other level.

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Prep Time 15

Cook Time 30

Total Time 45

Servings: 8 people

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American, Italian

Calories: 496

Ingredients

15 oz ricotta
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley divided
½ cup + ¼ cup grated pecorino romano divided
1 tsp cracked black pepper divided
½ tsp salt
Crushed red pepper flakes to taste
2 cups freshly shredded whole milk mozzarella divided
26 oz Cooked Perfect frozen italian style meatballs
32 oz jar tomato basil marinara sauce or any flavor marinara
28 oz can tomato sauce if you are not serving this over a side of pasta you don't need to use this can of sauce
½ tsp italian seasoning
Texas toast for serving

Equipment

Method

In a large bowl add ricotta, ⅛ cup chopped fresh parsley, ½ cup grated pecorino romano, ½ tsp cracked black pepper, salt, crushed red pepper flakes, and 1 cup shredded mozzarella. Mix that together until combined and set it aside.
Grease a 9x13 deep baking dish and add in the frozen meatballs. Now, take that ricotta mixture and roll it into balls about the same size as the meatballs. Place the ricotta balls spaced out in between the meatballs.
Next, pour the jar of marinara sauce and the can of tomato sauce evenly over the top (make sure the sauce is fully covering the top. Then, shake ½ tsp of cracked black pepper and Italian seasoning over the top. Evenly sprinkle a ¼ cup of grated pecorino romano and 1 cup of shredded mozzarella over the top. Lastly garnish the top with ⅛ cup of chopped fresh parsley.
Bake in the oven at 400°F for 30 - 35 minutes or until the sauce is piping hot and bubbling and the cheese is melty. Serve over Texas toast or pasta! Enjoy!

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Nutrition

Calories: 496kcalCarbohydrates: 14gProtein: 32gFat: 35gSaturated Fat: 17gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 122mgSodium: 1501mgPotassium: 994mgFiber: 3gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 1540IUVitamin C: 18mgCalcium: 366mgIron: 3mg

Notes

If you are not serving this recipe over pasta you don't need to add the 28 oz can of tomato sauce. If you are serving it with bread or on Texas toast just use the jar of marinara sauce and not the can of tomato sauce.

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