These One-Pot Cheesy Baked Meatballs are ideal for feeding a crowd.
“Made these tonight — they were so delicious. I added a bit of chilli powder. Definitely added to favourites 🤤”
– Sarah
Nicky’s Notes
I’m on the meatballs again!
Over the years I’ve tried lots of variations — regular meatballs, one-pan spaghetti and meatballs, mozzarella-stuffed, hidden-veg versions, smoky bakes and even Chinese-style curry meatballs. I love experimenting with different flavours and formats.
Writing the word “meatballs” a lot is a bit ridiculous, so I’ll stop there.
So I made these — delicious, cheesy, meaty bites 😀
I cooked these for a trip to my grandad’s where I was feeding thirteen people. To make things easier I prepared two large dishes at home (one smaller dish was saved as a freezer portion) and reheated them while I cooked the spaghetti at his house. The method is straightforward and works well when you’re preparing food in advance.
The process is simple: mix and form the meatballs, bake them briefly, spoon in the sauce ingredients, sprinkle with cheese and finish in the oven. No pan-frying and minimal washing up — always a bonus.
These Cheesy Baked Meatballs require no frying and very little hands-on time. I served them with spaghetti, and for pudding my sister and grandad provided the dessert (chocolate cake and apple pie). We were happily stuffed.
Next week I’m planning to make a fruity slice for pud — coconut, raisins and jam — so I’ll experiment and share if it works out. If not, I’ll pick up a shop-bought carrot cake. No shame in that sometimes.
No shame in shop-bought every now and then 🙂
🍝 More Meatball Recipes
Dinner
Swedish Meatballs Recipe
Asian
Chinese Style Curry with Juicy Meatballs
One Pot
One-Pan Spaghetti and Meatballs
Curries
Chicken Meatball Curry
Pork
Pork & Lemongrass Meatballs
Pasta
Spaghetti and Meatballs
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Cheesy Baked Meatballs Recipe
Ingredients
The meatballs:
- 800 g (28 oz) minced/ground beef
- 8 good quality pork sausages skins removed (check for gluten free if required – I use Debbie & Andrew’s pork chipolatas)
- 1 large onion peeled and finely chopped
- 1 egg
- 6 tbsp grated parmesan
- 6 tbsp freshly grated breadcrumbs replace with gluten free breadcrumbs if needed
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- salt and pepper
- 2 tbsp olive oil
For the sauce:
- 4 garlic cloves peeled and minced
- 400 g (14 oz) tin chopped tomatoes
- 4 tbsp tomato puree (paste for US)
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 2 tsp light brown sugar
- 100 g (1 cup minus 1 tbsp) mozzarella grated/shredded (ready-grated may have a flour coating)
- 100 g (1 cup minus 1 tbsp) strong cheddar grated/shredded
- fresh parsley to serve
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 190C/375F (fan).
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In a large bowl combine the minced beef, sausage meat, chopped onion, egg, parmesan, breadcrumbs, Worcestershire sauce and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Mix with your hands and shape into walnut-sized meatballs — you should get about 40–45.
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Arrange the meatballs in two or three large baking dishes, making sure they aren’t touching. Brush them with olive oil and bake for 10 minutes.
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Remove from the oven and push the meatballs to one side. Divide the garlic, chopped tomatoes, tomato puree, thyme, oregano and brown sugar between the dishes and stir the sauce. Return the meatballs so they are evenly distributed in the sauce.
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Scatter the mozzarella and cheddar over the top and bake for another 15–20 minutes until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese is golden. Start your pasta during this final bake if serving with spaghetti.
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Remove from the oven and sprinkle with freshly chopped parsley before serving.
Notes
To freeze: cook through to the end of the step where you add the sauce (step 3). Remove from the oven and cool, then pour over the sauce and cheese, cover and freeze. To reheat defrost thoroughly and bake uncovered at 190C/375F for 20–25 minutes.
Nutritional information is estimated per serving.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should be used as an approximation.
This recipe was originally published in Jan 2017 and has been updated with improvements and housekeeping edits.
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