This meatball pasta bake is a crowd pleasing meal – pasta in a smoked paprika tomato sauce with beef meatballs, chorizo sausage and a gooey, melting mozzarella topping!

There’s nothing more inviting than a hot, bubbling pasta bake, don’t you agree? Layers of al dente pasta bound in a rich sauce topped with mozzarella cheese….it’s pretty dreamy stuff.
Adding beef meatballs and spicy chorizo only takes that dreaminess to the next level!
It’s PROPER comfort food and perfect for this time of year. It takes about 45 minutes to make, but it’s very easy. There’s nothing difficult about this recipe!
recipe notes
You will ideally need a hob and oven/grill safe dish to make this recipe. I love this Masterclass shallow casserole dish – I use it almost every day. I love it so much, I bought a second one!
If you’re like me and believe there is no such thing as too much chorizo, you could use my smoky mozzarella stuffed beef and chorizo meatballs for a double hit of that smoky chorizo flavour.
But if you need a speedy weeknight dinner that you can get on the table in around 30 minutes, I use a packet of readymade fresh beef meatballs. Then all you need to do is sear the meatballs, make the sauce, cook the pasta then put it all together! So easy and hassle-free.
If you’ve got time on your hands and you’re in the mood for a bit of a cooking session, I highly recommend you try it with my homemade meatballs. BUT if you choose to go down the homemade route, I strongly advise you to cut the smoked paprika to 1/2 tablespoon. Sometimes you can have too much of a good thing!
One thing you can count on is when you bring that piping hot bubbling dish to the table with its melted cheesy topping, everyone will be desperate to dive right in…..
key ingredients
For ingredient amounts and detailed instructions on how to make this recipe, please refer to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post!
- meatballs – either homemade or shop bought. Please take a look at the recipe notes above for further information.
- cured chorizo sausage, sliced into bite-sized pieces. You could make this dish without it, but honestly? It’s not quite the same without it. But if you’re making this recipe with my chorizo meatballs, then it would make sense to leave it out.
- dried pasta of your choice. Fusilli is good, but any chunky pasta would work fine – penne or Rigatoni, for example
- onion, peeled and finely chopped
- two garlic cloves, crushed
- 2x400g cans of chopped tomatoes
- tomato puree (paste)
- dried oregano
- smoked paprika
- Worcestershire sauce (optional but adds a certain “tang” to the sauce)
- a ball of mozzarella cheese, torn into pieces, or pizza mozzarella, grated
- grated parmesan cheese
- fresh basil leaves, optional
how to make meatball pasta bake
Step 1 – Heat some olive oil in a large saucepan. Brown the meatballs, turning them over so they are evenly browned on all sides. This should take about 10 minutes. When they have browned, transfer to a plate.
Step 2 – Cook the chopped onion and cook on a low-medium heat for about 10 minutes, or until the onions have softened. Add the sliced chorizo sausage and cook for a few minutes until it is starting to crisp up around the edges.
Step 3 – Add the crushed garlic, tomato puree, smoked paprika, dried oregano and a generous grinding of freshly ground black pepper to the pan and cook for a further two minutes.
Step 4 – Add the chopped tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, some salt and 1/4 teaspoon of white sugar (to balance the acidity in the tomatoes). Cover with a lid and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened slightly.
Step 5 – While the sauce is simmering, place a large pan of water on the hob to boil. When the water comes to a rolling boil, add some salt and cook the pasta according to the packet instructions. Drain the pasta and set aside.
Step 6 – Add the hot, drained pasta to the pan, stirring well. Stir in grated parmesan cheese, then top with the mozzarella.
Step 7 – Place the pan under a hot grill for about 5 minutes or until the cheese has melted.
serving meatball pasta bake
This pasta bake is filling enough to serve just as it is, but some hot garlic bread is always a nice accompaniment. I also like a crisp green salad with a tomato based pasta bake.
storing leftovers
Store (completely cold) leftover pasta bake in an airtight container and place in the fridge. Use within 3 days.
reheating
This pasta dish heats very well in a saucepan on the hob. To prevent it from becoming too dry (the pasta will suck up a fair bit of the sauce) I add 100ml vegetable or chicken stock. Place the pasta in a saucepan with the stock and cook on a low-medium heat for 10-15 minutes or until the meatballs are piping hot.
freezing
I’m not a big fan of freezing pasta, but it can be done. Store portions (or the whole dish, wrapped in a few layers of cling film and tin foil) in suitable freezer safe containers and freeze for up to three months. Defrost overnight in the fridge before reheating.
If you’re freezing the entire dish, I wouldn’t add the cheese. The mozzarella will turn quite rubbery after defrosting, which isn’t very nice!
more easy pasta dishes
Meatball Pasta Bake
A cheesy, bubbling pasta bake with a smoky tomato sauce, beef meatballs and chunks of spicy chorizo sausage - this meatball pasta bake is pure comfort food.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil, or a flavourless oil such as vegetable or sunflower
- 12-16 mini beef meatballs
- 300g pasta - Fusilli, Farfalle or Penne would work well
- One white or red onion, finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 200g cured chorizo sausage, sliced into chunks
- 1 tablespoon tomato puree
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2x400g cans chopped tomatoes
- A few shakes of Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
- 1/4 teaspoon white sugar
- 25g parmesan cheese, grated
- 150g ball of Mozzarella, or a block of pizza Mozzarella, grated
- Chopped fresh basil for scattering over (optional)
Instructions
- Place a large pan of water on to boil. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan and cook the meatballs for about 10 minutes to brown them, stirring frequently.
- Once the meatballs have browned, remove from the pan and place on a plate.
- Add a little more olive oil to the pan and add the chopped onion. Sprinkle with a little salt, turn the heat to medium low and cook for about 10 minutes, or until the onions have softened.
- Add the crushed garlic and cook for another few minutes. Add the sliced chorizo and cook for a couple of minutes until the chilli spiked oils have released and the chorizo is starting to crisp, then add the tomato puree, smoked paprika, dried oregano and the freshly ground black pepper.
- Pour in the chopped tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, 1/4 teaspoon salt and the sugar.
- Return the meatballs to the pan, reduce the heat to low-medium, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes.
- While the sauce is simmering, cook the pasta according to the packet instructions and drain.
- Once the 15 minutes is up and the pasta is ready, pour the drained pasta into the meatball sauce and stir to combine. Tip into a large heatproof baking dish and place the mozzarella on top.
- Pop under a pre-heated grill for about 5 minutes until golden and the cheese has melted. Scatter with chopped fresh basil, if using, and serve immediately.
Notes
If you don't have any mozzarella, you can use grated cheddar cheese instead.
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Re-heat thoroughly before serving.
The pasta bake can be made in advance and frozen for up to 3 months. If you're planning to freeze it, don't add the mozzarella cheese or it will affect the texture after defrosting.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 760Total Fat: 37gSaturated Fat: 14gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 20gCholesterol: 100mgSodium: 1227mgCarbohydrates: 72gFiber: 6gSugar: 23gProtein: 36g
Calories and nutritional information are provided by a third party application and should be viewed as indicative figures only.
Yum! I love the fact that this has got chorizo in! It gives a pasta dish so much flavour.
Pasta bakes and chorizo are among my favorite things in life. Together?! HEAVEN. My kids will flip over this ooey-gooey bake. Thanks for bringing your meatball mozzarella pasta bake to #CookBlogShare!
Thanks Corina, I love using chorizo!
Thanks Michelle!
Oh yum this would go down so well in my house. Meatballs and chorizio they would feel spoilt.
This looks so delicious and comforting which is perfect for this time of year. The chorizo is taking this to the next level!
Thanks Jacqui, it’s definitely a treat!
Thank you Cat!