Baked Meatball Casserole with Cheese

This is a dish that you can just toss together and let the oven handle the rest. It fills you up, reheats well, and no one misses the pasta.

Serves 4 to 6 people. Ingredients

Meatballs

1 pound of ground beef (80/20 works best)

½ pound of ground pork (or more beef if you want)

½ cup of grated parmesan

One big egg

¼ cup of heavy cream

1 tablespoon of finely chopped onion (optional but worth it)

1 clove of garlic, chopped

1 tsp of Italian spices

¾ teaspoon of salt

½ tsp black pepper

Casserole

1½ to 2 cups of low-carb marinara, either Rao’s or homemade

2 cups of shredded mozzarella

½ cup of grated parmesan

Grease with olive oil

Oregano or parsley that has been dried for topping

How to do it

Make the meatballs.

Set the oven to 400°F.

Mix all the meatball ingredients together in a big bowl, but don’t overwork them or they’ll be tough. You should roll the beef into balls the size of golf balls (approximately 14 to 16).

Cook the meatballs in the oven

Put the meatballs on a baking sheet coated with parchment paper and bake them for 15 to 18 minutes, or until they are cooked through and lightly browned. They don’t have to be flawless; they’ll finish cooking in the sauce.

Put the casserole together

Set the oven to 375°F.

Grease a baking dish lightly. Put a thin layer of marinara sauce on the bottom. Put the meatballs in a single layer. Put the rest of the sauce on top.

Put in the cheese

Evenly spread mozzarella over everything, then top with parmesan. If you wish, you can add a little bit of oregano or parsley.

Bake: Uncover and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbling and melted.

If you want it to brown, broil it for 2 to 3 minutes at the end, but keep an eye on it.

Rest and serve

Let it sit for five minutes before you serve it so it can set up.

How I Serve It

With grilled zucchini or green beans

On top of cauliflower rice

Or just take it out of the dish with a fork (no judgment)