Name: Meatball Pasta Bake
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 h 5 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 500 g beef mince; 50 g dried breadcrumbs; 1 egg, about 50 g; 2 cloves garlic, crushed; 1 tsp dried oregano; 1 tsp salt; 1 tbsp olive oil; 350 g penne; 700 g passata; 200 g mozzarella, torn

Meatball Pasta Bake

Beef meatballs and penne in a tomato sauce, topped with mozzarella and baked until bubbling.

1 hr 5 min to 1 hr 10 min total 1 hr 5 min to 1 hr 10 min start to finish Serves 6 servings Easy

Don't Make These Mistakes

Do not overmix the meat.

Brown the meatballs first.

Undercook the pasta.

If your oven runs hot, check at 28 minutes.

Cooking Meatball Pasta Bake

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Heat the oven to 200°C / 390°F. Mix the mince, breadcrumbs, egg, garlic, oregano and salt and roll into 24 balls.
Brown the meatballs in the oil for 6 minutes, turning.
Boil the penne for 8 minutes, 2 minutes under the packet time, and drain.
Stir the pasta, meatballs and passata together in a large baking dish and top with the mozzarella.
Bake for 35 minutes until golden and bubbling. Rest for 5 minutes.

Why the Method Works

Mince, breadcrumbs, an egg, tomato sauce and cheese: five things you probably have, which become a dish for six. The oven brings it together.

Mix the beef with the breadcrumbs, egg, garlic and oregano, handling it as little as possible, and roll into 24 balls the size of a walnut. Overworked mince makes tough meatballs. Brown them in a hot pan for 6 minutes, turning, to set the outside. They do not need to cook through yet. Do not skip browning. Raw meatballs baked in sauce stay pale and bland.

Boil the penne for 2 minutes under the packet time. Stir the pasta and meatballs into the sauce in a big dish and cover with the mozzarella.

Bake at 200°C / 390°F for 35 minutes until golden and bubbling. If your oven runs hot, check at 28 minutes. Rest for 5 minutes. Wet your hands before rolling the meatballs, so the mixture does not stick to your palms.

Storage and Reheating

Keeps in the fridge for 3 days. Reheat covered until hot all the way through.

If You're Missing Something

An eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder per clove is the stand-in usually given when you are out of fresh garlic; it will not brown the same way, and it burns easily, so add it with the liquid.
Fresh herbs work in place of the dried oregano at roughly three times the quantity — a teaspoon of dried is about a tablespoon of fresh, chopped.

Good With

Green salad
Garlic bread
Steamed broccoli
Roasted tomatoes