1jar24 oz tomato basil pasta sauce (or your favorite)
½cuppasta waterreserved from cooking
1teaspoonItalian seasoning
About 18 homemade or store-bought meatballs
¾cupshredded mozzarella cheese
¾cupshredded sharp cheddar cheese
½cupshredded Parmesan cheese
Saltfor pasta water
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 350°F. Get a large pot of water on the stove and start heating it for your pasta.
Sauté the onion. Heat your iron skillet or oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil and diced onion and cook for 2–3 minutes, just until softened.
Add garlic and meatballs. Stir in the garlic, then add your meatballs right into the skillet. Pour the jar of pasta sauce over everything, add a splash of water to rinse out the rest of the jar, and sprinkle in the Italian seasoning.
Simmer the sauce and meatballs. Turn the heat down to medium-low and let everything cook together for about 20 minutes, stirring gently once or twice to keep the meatballs from sticking. The sauce will deepen in flavor and the meatballs will heat all the way through.
Cook the pasta. Salt your pasta water generously and bring it to a boil. Cook your spaghetti for 1–2 minutes less than the package directions — it's going into the oven, so you don't want it fully cooked at this stage. Before draining, scoop out about ½ cup of the pasta water and set it aside.
Remove the meatballs. Using a slotted spoon, lift the meatballs out of the sauce and set them in a bowl. You want to leave as much sauce as possible in the skillet.
Combine the pasta and sauce. Add the cooked spaghetti directly into the skillet (no need to drain it with a colander — a little water on the pasta is just fine). Pour in the ½ cup of reserved pasta water. Toss everything together until the sauce is evenly distributed throughout the noodles.
Add the meatballs back on top. Nestle the meatballs back into the dish, spreading them out evenly so every serving gets a good share.
Top with the cheeses. Sprinkle the mozzarella and cheddar evenly over the top, then finish with the Parmesan. You should have a nice generous layer of cheese covering the meatballs and pasta.
Bake for 25–30 minutes at 350°F, until the cheese is melted and bubbly and just starting to turn golden. Let it rest for a few minutes before serving.
On the meatballs: Homemade meatballs really do make this dish. I keep a batch in my freezer at all times just for recipes like this. That said, there are some good store-bought options out there — if you're in a pinch, the Italian meatballs from Costco work well.
On the pasta: Don't cook it the full time the box says. Pull it 1–2 minutes early. Since it bakes in the oven afterward, it'll finish cooking in the sauce and you don't want mushy pasta.
On the cheese: You can mix and match based on what you have. Colby Jack works great. You could even do all mozzarella if that's what's on hand. Aim for about 2 cups total between the melting cheeses, then add the Parmesan on top.
On the sauce: Use your favorite jar sauce — this is one of those recipes where the convenience product works just fine. If you have a homemade sauce you love, absolutely use it.
To make ahead and freeze: Assemble everything through the cheese step in a disposable aluminum baking pan. Cover tightly with foil and freeze. When ready to use, thaw in the refrigerator overnight and bake at 350°F for 35–40 minutes, or until hot all the way through and bubbly on top.