This meatball skillet recipe is the kind of hearty, versatile comfort food you can serve any night of the week! Ready in 30 minutes, easy to cleanup, and full of cozy, family-friendly flavor.
I've gotten really good at resisting the last-minute, on-the-way-home fast food, and it's all because of meals like this meatball skillet recipe! When you didn't have time to meal prep and nothing in the freezer sounds good, you can rely on a can of crushed tomatoes and some premade meatballs for this wholesome dinner.
Why you will love this recipe:
- Super Simple - With a couple store-bought shortcuts, we can crank out a classic family dinner in no time! This is easy enough for beginner cooks and busy families, but also easy enough to alter if you like making everything from scratch.
- Ready in 30 Minutes - A quick grocery store run can have this wholesome meal on the table super quickly. You can even prep it ahead of time to save yourself the struggle!
- Very Versatile - Have no extra time or energy? Serve with a bagged salad or leftover mashed potatoes. Need to stretch it further? Serve with pasta or veggie noodles of some kind. Feeling up for a more impressive spread? It would go great with gnocchi, fried ravioli, roasted veggies, and so much more.
Meatball Skillet Ingredients
- Premade Meatballs - I grabbed a 1-pound, 16-count package from the store because I was in a hurry. Feel free to make your own meatballs (I love these for turkey and these for beef).
- Crushed Tomatoes, Fresh Spinach, Minced garlic, and Green onions - I prefer the canned San Marzano tomatoes for the perfect balance of juiciness and flavor. Spinach and green onions should be washed and patted dry.
- Neutral oil, Italian seasoning, Garlic powder, and Onion powder - You can brown the meatballs in olive oil, avocado oil, vegetable oil, whatever you prefer. These basic seasonings punch up the tomatoes. It's optional, but I also like to add red pepper flakes for a kick (but you don't have to for kids or picky eaters!)
- Ricotta cheese, Grated parmesan, and Shredded mozzarella - This easy blend of cheese gives you fantastic flavor and texture. I have not tried any dairy-free substitutes.
How to Make This Easy Meatball Dinner
This recipe is so simple, all you need is a deep, oven-safe skillet. Here's a step-by-step guide so you're sure to make it perfectly every single time.
- While the oven preheats, warm a large (oven safe!) skillet over medium heat on the stove. Add in two tablespoons of oil, then brown the meatballs for 5-8 minutes. Stir occasionally for even browning. Transfer meatballs to a plate and set aside for now.
- Pour tomatoes, seasonings, and spinach into the pot and stir until the spinach has wilted (usually about 5-7 minutes). Reduce the heat to low if you need to avoid splatter!
- While the sauce is simmering, mix together your ricotta, parmesan, garlic, and green onions in a bowl. Set it aside for now.
- Once the spinach is wilted, add the meatballs back into the skillet and drop small dollops of the ricotta mixture evenly across the skillet. Sprinkle the mozzarella on top.
- Bake for 15 minutes or until meatballs are cooked through. If you prefer a golden brown top, turn on the broiler for 30-60 seconds (watch VERY closely -- It can burn fast!)
What to Serve with Weeknight Meatballs
We love to garnish this with fresh herbs like basil and thyme, then serve alongside pasta (or Zucchini Noodles when we're watching our carbs). It's also great with classic sides like Instant Pot Potatoes, some Cottage Cheese Gnocchi, or even Air Fryer Eggplant (great dipped in the sauce)!
Storage and Reheating
Allow the meatballs to cool completely, then transfer to airtight containers and store in the fridge up to 4 days. To reheat, simply microwave at 50% in 1-minute increments until warmed through. For longer storage, freeze the cooled dish after tightly wrapping several times in plastic wrap or aluminum foil.
Meatball Skillet FAQs
Yes, this is a great meal prep dish! You can do the first half of the recipe (browning the meatballs, assembling it all in the sauce), then store it in the fridge up to 2-3 days before baking fresh.
If you're stocking your freezer, I recommend doing all of the stovetop work, then transferring it to a freezer-safe, oven-safe container to enjoy within 3 months. When ready to eat, simply thaw overnight in the fridge and bake as directed (might take a few extra minutes, so use a meat thermometer to be sure).
I used a 1-pound package with 16 meatballs, meaning each one was 1 ounce. For me, it took about 15 minutes for the dish to cook through completely. If your meatballs are smaller or larger, you may need less or more cooking time.
No problem, you will just need a skillet and an oven-safe baking dish as well. Brown your meatballs and simmer your sauce in the skillet, then transfer the sauce to the baking dish, add in your meatballs and cheese mixture, then bake as directed.
The sauce should be bubbly, cheese nice and melty, and meatballs cooked through. To know if the meatballs are cooked, use a meat thermometer to ensure it has reached a safe temperature for eating (165 degrees F for ground meat)
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Weeknight Meatball Bake
Video
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil
- 1 pound premade meatballs see link below for homemade meatball recipe
- 28 ounce can crushed san marzano tomatoes
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- pinch red pepper flakes optional
- 2-3 cups spinach
- ½ cup ricotta cheese
- ¼ cup grated parmesan
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons minced green onions
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella
- Optional: fresh basil for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Heat a large, deep, oven-safe skillet over medium heat.
- Add 2 tablespoons neutral oil to the skillet and add the premade meatballs.
- Brown the meatballs, turning occasionally for 5-8 minutes until browned on the outside.
- Remove the meatballs from the skillet and add the canned tomatoes, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, red pepper flakes and stir well.
- Add the spinach, stirring occasionally, until the spinach has wilted. This will take 5-7 minutes. Reduce the heat to low if you need to.
- While the sauce is simmering combine the ricotta, grated parmesan, garlic, and green onions. Set aside.
- Once the spinach has wilted add the meatballs to the skillet and drop the ricotta mixture in small spoonfuls evenly across the skillet.
- Top with the mozzarella.
- Pop the skillet in the oven for 15 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked through. If you want to brown the cheese turn the broiler on and broil (WHILE WATCHING CLOSELY) until the cheese is gold and bubbly.
Tips:
- Beef meatball recipe: https://sweetpeasandsaffron.com/baked-meatball-meal-prep/
- Turkey meatball recipe: https://sweetpeasandsaffron.com/baked-turkey-meatballs-7-ways-freezer-friendly/
Nutrition Information
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