Baked Penne Rigate and Meatballs

DELICIOUS!

Baked Penne Rigate and Meatballs is a tasty way to serve pasta, marinara sauce, cheese and meatballs. Sure to be a family favorite comfort food!
Add this dinner recipe to your menu for pasta and meatballs with a twist.
The choice of pasta for this recipe is Penne Rigate, the Penne Pasta with lines that are designed to catch more of the sauce.
For this dinner recipe I used my preferred favorite sauce and meatballs, posted on my Meatball Subs. And layered it along with cheese.
Once the meatballs are done and the pasta is cooked al dente it is just a matter of layering sauce, pasta, meatballs, cheese.

*note – I added another version I’ve done following first recipe.

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb. Penne Rigate

6 cups grated mozzarella cheese, divided

1 (15oz.) tub ricotta cheese

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 eggs

3/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley, divided

salt

coarse black pepper

8 cups tomato sauce, divided

Meatballs

DIRECTIONS:

Cook the pasta according to package instructions.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl combine 2 cups of mozzarella with the ricotta, Parmesan, eggs, 1/2 cup parsley, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
Preheat oven to 375°F.
Drain the pasta and add it to the ricotta mixture in the large bowl. Stir to coat noodles. Add 2 cups of the tomato sauce and stir again.
Measure 2 cups of the tomato sauce into a large casserole dish or lasagna pan. Top with half of the pasta mixture. Nestle half the meatballs into pasta. Top the pasta and meatballs with 2 cups of the tomato sauce and then top the sauce with 2 cups of mozzarella cheese. Add the remaining pasta and meatballs, then the remaining sauce and then the remaining cheese, reserving handful of parm for serving.
Bake until heated through and bubbling, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes. Top with more parmesan cheese, parsley. Drizzle GOOD EVOO on top (optional) 😉 and serve.

☆ Another way I have made this, and it was delish! I had made the pasta with sauce and meatballs BEFORE deciding on a baked version. So I smeared sauce on bottom of baking dish, added half the pasta, half the meatballs, spoons of ricotta, sprinkled mozzarella and parm (we love parm), and repeated layer of past and meatballs, topping with mozzarella and parm. Drizzle GOOD EVOO on top 😉

OR fresh mozzarella. Make it work. Asiago. Romano. Pecorino. Grana Padano!

The lovely Lidia ♡