Mac Cheese Meatball Bake (Printable)

Comforting baked dish with tender pasta, juicy meatballs, and creamy cheese sauce topped with breadcrumbs.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Pasta

01 - 12 oz elbow macaroni or small pasta shells

→ Meatballs

02 - 1.1 lb ground beef or pork
03 - 1 large egg
04 - 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
05 - 2 tablespoons milk
06 - 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
07 - 1 teaspoon garlic powder
08 - 1 teaspoon onion powder
09 - 1 teaspoon dried oregano
10 - 1 teaspoon salt
11 - 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

→ Cheese Sauce

12 - 1/4 cup unsalted butter
13 - 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
14 - 3 cups whole milk
15 - 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
16 - 3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
17 - 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
18 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
19 - 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg (optional)

→ Topping

20 - 1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
21 - 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
22 - 1 tablespoon melted butter
23 - 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley (optional)

# Directions:

01 - Preheat the oven to 400°F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.
02 - Boil pasta in salted water until just al dente. Drain and set aside.
03 - In a large bowl, combine ground meat, egg, breadcrumbs, milk, Parmesan, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, salt, and pepper. Mix gently until combined. Roll into 1-inch diameter balls and place on a lined baking sheet.
04 - Bake meatballs for 12 to 15 minutes until browned and cooked through.
05 - Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour and cook for 1 minute. Gradually add milk, whisking continuously until sauce thickens, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cheddar, mozzarella, Dijon mustard, salt, and nutmeg until smooth.
06 - Mix cooked pasta and meatballs with the cheese sauce in the baking dish.
07 - Combine panko, Parmesan, and melted butter. Evenly sprinkle over casserole.
08 - Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until the topping is golden and the sauce is bubbling.
09 - Allow casserole to rest for 5 minutes. Garnish with parsley before serving.

# Expert Hints:

01 -
  • It's a complete meal in one dish—protein, pasta, and sauce all melded together means less cleanup and more time doing literally anything else.
  • The meatballs stay tender and juicy because they bake gently nestled in that creamy cheese sauce instead of getting dried out on a stovetop.
  • You can have it ready to eat in under an hour, which somehow feels like cheating when something tastes this good.
02 -
  • Don't skip cooking the meatballs first—baking them separately means they stay tender and moist instead of drying out in the oven.
  • The cheese sauce needs to be off the heat before you add the cheese, or it can break and get grainy and separate; trust the process.
  • Undercooked pasta is your friend here because everything cooks a little more in that hot oven, and you want tender pasta, not mush.
03 -
  • Don't skip the nutmeg in the cheese sauce—just a quarter teaspoon sounds timid but it adds a warmth that makes people wonder what makes this taste so good.
  • If your cheese sauce seems too thick, whisk in a splash more milk off the heat; if it's too thin, let it simmer another minute or two while stirring.
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