Baked Meatballs With Feta

Ground beef mixed with herbs and spices make these delicious Baked Meatballs with Feta a standout dish. Simmered in homemade marinara, these cheesy meatballs are irresistible!

Why You'll Love This Dish

Baked Meatballs with Feta is simply comfort food. When you spoon these cheesy, rich meatballs on top of a plate of pasta, there are no words to describe the experience. It's like a glorious mash up of everything you love about Greek and Italian cuisine.

Making your own marinara sauce is also an honored tradition. There's nothing like the fresh taste of homemade sauce on your favorite pasta dish!

Ingredients

You'll need the following ingredients to make this delicious recipe. Amounts are listed in the recipe card below.

Meatballs

• ground beef
• onion
• minced garlic
• dried oregano
• feta cheese
• seasoned bread crumbs
• egg
• salt and pepper

Marinara Sauce

• crushed tomatoes
• onion
• minced garlic
• dried oregano
• butter
• salt

Topping

• shredded mozzarella
• crumbled feta cheese
• dried parsley
• prepared pasta of your choice

How to Make Baked Meatballs with Feta

It's so easy to make Baked Meatballs with Feta. It takes a little time, but the results are worth every bite.

For the meatballs, just combine all of the ingredients together in a large bowl and scoop with a melon scooper. Use your hands to roll into loose balls. Store on a sheet pan in the refrigerator while you make the sauce.

To make the sauce, add crushed tomatoes to a large pot. Add onion, garlic, butter, salt, and oregano. Stir and simmer for 45 minutes.

Place meatballs in an oven safe dish or cast iron skillet. Pour sauce over meatballs. Sprinkle mozzarella and feta cheese on top. Garnish with parsley. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes until meatballs are done.

There's no need to brown the meatballs ahead of time, but you can if you like. Serve meatballs over pasta of your choice and sprinkle with extra feta cheese.

What type of Pasta Should I Use?

I like to experiment with different types of pasta since there are so many to choose from. For this recipe, I used bucatini pasta which is a thicker noodle with a hole in the middle.

It's rather trendy and even scarce at times, but if you find bucatini, you should definitely try this hollow pasta tube because it soaks up twice the amount of sauce as spaghetti. How can that be a bad thing? When bucatini is not an option, you can use regular spaghetti or any type of pasta you like.

Can I Substitute Cheeses?

Sure! There are lots of cheese combos that go together well, but I'm a big fan of mozzarella and feta. The smoothness of mozzarella is highlighted by the sharp, salty flavor of feta cheese. Together, they enhance the meatballs and complement the marinara sauce in this dish.

Expert Tips

• Be sure to use 85% ground beef and nothing leaner. The fat in the meatballs keeps them from drying out.
• Use only 1 egg in this recipe to prevent the meatballs from disintegrating in the sauce.
• Use a scooper to dish out the meat mixture, but use your hands to roll them into loose balls. Grease your hands with oil to keep the meat from sticking.
• Arrange meatballs on a sheet pan to keep them from rolling away.

Sauce Variations

If you want to mix it up a little, change the sauce from marinara to Alfredo, or go bold with curry meatballs and serve them over rice. When switching ingredients, try Tailgate Meatballs for a completely different taste.

Another option is to make The Best Pomodoro Sauce which is a blend of tomatoes, olive oil, garlic and basil.

How to Freeze Meatballs for Later

To freeze meatballs for later, simply arrange them on a sheet pan and place in the freezer until frozen through. Next, transfer meatballs to a freezer bag or airtight container for 2 months.

When it's time to eat, simply put the frozen meatballs in an oven safe dish, and allow time for defrosting. Once defrosted, cover with sauce and toppings, then cook as directed in the recipe.

More Pasta Dishes to Love

If you love pasta as much as I do, try my other yummy recipes...

• Lemon Chicken Spaghetti
• Antipasti Penne
• Portobello Chicken Lasagna
• Baked Ziti
• Mango Chicken Pasta
• Baked Ziti with Meatballs

Recipe Card

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