Smokey Meatball Pasta Bake. Smoky Meatballs in a tangy tomato sauce, baked together with rigatoni pasta and topped with lots of bubbling melted cheese. If you're looking for a meal that the whole family will demolish, this Smoky Meatball Pasta Bake from Ciara at My Fussy Eater is just the thing! This zucchini "pasta" bake has everything you could possibly want; juicy meatballs, tangy tomatoes, salty pepperoni, and tender Keto noodles.
And we're gonna go with versatility on this one. If you're not too fussy and want to keep it super simple and hassle free, this can be a five ingredient pasta bake with store-bought stuff. This pasta bake is made with spaghetti and meatballs baked into a cheesy casserole! You can cook Smokey Meatball Pasta Bake using 23 ingredients and 4 steps. Here is how you achieve that.
Ingredients of Smokey Meatball Pasta Bake
- Prepare of Meatballs.
- You need 500 g of Beef Mince.
- It's 100 g of Fresh Breadcrumbs.
- You need 2 tsp of Wholegrain Mustard.
- It's 1 tbsp of Ketchup.
- It's 1 tsp of Garlic powder.
- It's 2 tsp of Oregano.
- It's of Salt.
- Prepare of Pepper.
- It's 1 tbsp of Rapeseed Oil.
- Prepare of Sauce.
- You need 1 of Small Onion (diced).
- You need 2 of Carrots (grated).
- It's 2 of Garlic Cloves (crushed).
- You need of Chopped Tomatoes 400g Tin.
- You need 4 tbsp of Tomatoes Puree.
- Prepare 200 ml of red wine.
- It's 2 tsp of Smoked Paprika.
- Prepare 1 of Star Anise (Whole).
- You need of To Finish.
- It's 400 g of Pasta.
- You need 100 g of Oak Smoked Cheddar.
- You need 100 g of Mature Cheddar (grated).
PASTA Spaghetti is my choice here but any long pasta will do. Keep in mind it will bake more in the oven so be sure to cook it al dente (firm to the bite). Normally when making a pasta bake, I stick to cheddar and mozzarella for the cheesy topping, but spotting a tub of ricotta in my fridge and know how much we all love my Stuffed Ricotta and Spinach I figured the ricotta spooned on top for a Slow Cooker Chicken Meatball Pasta Bake would be amazing!! Orange juice and fennel give this quick Meatball Pasta Bake supper bright, fresh flavor.
Smokey Meatball Pasta Bake step by step
- For the meatballs, add all of the ingredients into a mixing bowl and combine with a fork. Using your hands form into balls, mine were around 30-40g each, just smaller than a golf ball. In a large, deep frying pan add the oil and bring up to a medium high heat. Seal the meatballs and remove from the pan. Reduce the heat to medium. Add a large pan of salted water and bring to the boil... ready for your pasta later..
- For the sauce add the onions, carrot, garlic and star anise to the same pan. Fry these ingredients until they start to brown around 5 - 10 minutes, adding a little more oil if needed. Next, add the redwine and deglaze the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes. This is a good time to add your pasta to you boiling water. Also preheat your oven to 200c..
- Add the smoked paprika, chopped tomatoes and tomato puree to your frynimg pan and cook for 10 mins on a medium high heat. Keep working the sides and bottom of the pan to prevent sticking. The sauce should be darker in colour which signals its ready for the final step. You can add a splash of pasta water to loosen up the sauce if needed..
- Drain your cooked pasta and add to your sauce along with your meatballs. Mix together to coat everything in your sauce. Top with the cheeses and set im the oven for 20 mins until golden brown on top..
Chop fennel as you would an onion, or omit it, if desired. Remove from heat, and stir in basil, cooked pasta, and salt to taste. Place dish on an aluminum foil-lined. This Swedish meatball pasta bake is a take on the classic Swedish meatball dish that you love! I am all about a good pasta casserole but a Swedish meatball pasta casserole?