last hurrah

Cheesy meatball casserole. I made a huge batch of meatballs right before Eva was born as part of my stock-the-freezer project, and I finally used the last of them this week.

This recipe is a no-brainer--meatballs, pasta, sauce, and plenty of cheese make for a delicious casserole any which way you combine them. I seared the meatballs and soaked the pasta before mixing them with the sauce and ricotta, and the result was a creamy, salty, meaty exemplar of comfort food.

You can use whatever pasta shape you prefer, I'm sure, and homemade sauce would make this even better. I like the presence of ricotta in the filling, but it probably isn't essential if you don't have any; cottage cheese would make a good substitute.

This child wants to put her feet on everything.

As it turns out, having a bunch of meatballs in the freezer is a very good thing--not only are they a quick and easy fix when you're short on time, but they can also turn into something extremely delicious! We had them atop spaghetti, baked with mozzarella and sauce, on subs, and as a casserole, and I can state with certainty that it was worth standing at the counter for half an hour hand-rolling each one!

Comfort in a Casserole Dish
(printable recipe)
Serves 4-6
Ingredients:

• 12 1-inch meatballs, homemade or purchased
• 16 ounces (2 cups) marinara sauce, homemade or purchased
• 1/4 pound (4 ounces) pasta, any shape
• 1/4 cup ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
• Basil chiffonade, for garnish

Directions:
In a large saucepan, saute the meatballs in a little bit of oil until browned on all sides, about 10 minutes.
Heat the marinara sauce in a large pot on the stove, then add the seared meatballs to the sauce, cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 30 minutes.
Soak the pasta in hot salted water for 30 minutes, then drain, cool slightly, and stir in the ricotta cheese.
Heat oven to 400 degrees F and spray a small (1-1/2 to 2 quart) casserole dish; set aside.
Add the pasta to the meatballs and sauce and spoon everything into the prepared dish.
Top with the mozzarella cheese and bake for 15-20 minutes or until the cheese has melted.
Garnish with basil and serve.