Meatball Pasta Bake
Meatball Pasta Bake
Meat and Poultry
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 1 lb penne pasta
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1 medium fennel bulb, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons Fustini's Tuscan Herb olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1 16 oz marinara sauce
- 1 (24 oz) can San Marzano tomatoes
- 2 (14 oz) packages of frozen beef meatballs, thawed or make from scratch
- 1 cup fresh orange juice
- 3/4 cup chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- 1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
- Kosher salt to taste
- 1 cup torn fresh basil
- 8 oz mozzarella slices
- fresh basil leaves, garnish
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350°,. Prepare pasta according to package directions.
- Sauté, onion and fennel bulb in hot olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes or until tender. Add garlic and fennel seeds, and sauté, 1 minute. Stir in marinara sauce, tomatoes, meatballs, orange juice, chicken broth, orange zest, red bell pepper and salt. Increase heat to medium-high, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in basil, cooked pasta, and salt to taste.
- Transfer to a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish. Place the dish on an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet. Top with cheese. Bake at 350°, for 25 minutes or until bubbly.
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