Penne & Meatball Marinara Bake

Good morning!

It is about 15 degrees here in North Carolina right now which is absolutely dreadful. These kinds of temperatures are the ones that keep me cooped up inside all day. The high is only expecting to be in the low 20's today, but at least the sun is out and it is not snowing!

If your neck of the woods is as cold as mine (likely, it is much colder from what I've seen on TV), I have a fabulous comfort dish for you to make for your family and friends all to enjoy when they return in from the blistering cold temperatures.

Warm penne pasta is blanketed in a rich and flavorful marinara sauce all surrounded by perfectly sized beefy meatballs. All of which is topped with salty parm and gooey mozzarella cheeses which sends this comfort dish over the top.

All of these ingredients can be separated to make individual dishes or combined to make this flawless Penne & Meatball Marinara Bake. I have broken the recipe down into the 2 smaller recipes and included ways to finish off the individual items if desired. The final section takes the 2 smaller recipes; marinara sauce and homemade meatballs and combines them into the Penne & Meatball Marinara Bake.

I hope you enjoy this recipe combination as much as we did. In fact, we are having some of the leftovers tonight! I served this with a crisp iceberg wedge salad topped with bleu cheese, halved cherry tomatoes, croutons and homemade ranch dressing. It was the perfect accompaniment to the star of the show, the Penne & Meatball Marinara Bake.

Penne & Meatball Marinara Bake
print the recipe here
serves 6-8

For the Marinara Sauce
1 clove of garlic, chopped
1 t. olive oil
28 oz. can of chunky crushed tomatoes (I used the kind with basil, garlic & oregano flavorings added)
1/2 c. chicken broth (homemade if you've got it)
2 bay leaves
1 T Italian seasoning
1/2 t. onion powder
1/4 t. crushed red pepper flakes

1. Over medium heat saute the chopped garlic in preheated olive oil for roughly 1 minute. Do not let them go for too long or the garlic will burn!
2. Add the remaining ingredients and allow the marinara sauce to simmer over medium-low heat while the rest of the dish is being prepared. If you are only looking to prepare marinara sauce, allow the sauce to simmer over medium-low heat for at least an hour. Stir occasionally and adjust the heat as needed. Allow the sauce to cool and store in an air tight container in the refrigerator.

For the Meatballs
1 lb. 80/20 ground beef
1 egg
1/4 c. Italian bread crumbs
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1/2 t. onion powder
1/4 t. garlic powder
1 1/2 t. seasoning salt
1 t. Italian seasoning
dash of Worcestershire sauce
dash of hot sauce (I used Franks Red Hot)

1. Prepare a baking sheet by lining with foil and topping with a cooling rack. Placing the wire rack on top of the baking sheet will keep the meatballs from holding in the excess grease and will keep them crispy on the outside. Spray the cooling/wire rack with cooking spray to prevent sticking. Set aside.
2. Combine all of the ingredients in a medium bowl. Stir the ingredients until thoroughly combined using a fork. A fork will allow the ingredients to combine, but will not allow for over mixing which can provide tough meatballs.
3. Once the mixture is combined, form into evenly shaped balls. This should make roughly 16-20 balls. To make this process really easy use a spring action ice cream scoop. This is one of my favorite tools in the kitchen it has so many wonderful uses! The meatballs will be even and the perfect size. I just scooped the meat with my 1 inch scoop and rolled it around in my hand a few times to form a perfect ball.
4. Line the meatballs on the wire rack. Try to keep a little space between each one if possible.
5. Bake in a 375 degree preheated oven for 25-30 minutes. (Keep the oven on when the meatballs are done as we will use the oven to bake the dish later)
6. Once the meatballs are finished baking, remove them from the oven and let them cool.

For the Penne Bake
Prepared Marinara Sauce
Prepared & cooked meatballs
1 lb. penne pasta
1/4 c. Parmesan cheese (I used the pre-grated kind in the big green bottle)
2 c. mozzarella cheese

1. Boil the pasta according to your package directions. One recommendation I would make is to under cook the noodles by 2-3 minutes since they will be cooked in an oven later.
2. If your oven was turned off, preheat the oven back to 375 degrees, or keep the oven preheated from baking the meatballs.
2. Combine the meatballs and pasta into the marinara sauce and mix thoroughly.
3.  Spray a 13x9 baking dish with cooking spray and spread the pasta, meatball and marinara sauce mixture evenly in the pan.
4. Top with Parmesan cheese and mozzarella cheese.
5. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the cheese is golden and the edges are bubbly.
6. Serve with a wedge salad and some bread if desired.
7. Enjoy!