Cheesy Meatball Casserole

I love the simplicity of this dish. No matter how busy my day is, I can pull a bag of my make ahead freezer meatballs out of the freezer and grab a can of crushed tomatoes from the pantry to put a hot meal on the table in less than an hour. Served with a salad or steamed vegetable on the side, it’s a very satisfying meal.

To make the sauce, sauce a minced clove of garlic in a little olive oil for 30-60 seconds. If you like heat, add some crushed red pepper flakes too. Immediately add a 28-ounce can of crushed tomatoes (remember, the better the tomatoes, the better your sauce will taste). Stir to combine.

Cover skillet with splatter shield and simmer sauce over low heat for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add meatballs (and fresh basil if using) and stir to coat. Cover with splatter shield again and continue simmering for about 10 minutes.

Turn off stovetop and uncover skillet. Sprinkle shredded part-skim mozzarella and crushed dried parsley all over the meatballs and place in preheated oven for about 15 minutes, or until the cheese melts and develops a few toasty brown spots.

Items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

• 12-inch cast iron skillet https://amzn.to/3cztoY6

• splatter shield https://amzn.to/2XdPnxb

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Cheesy Meatball Casserole

makes 6 servings

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (or more)

• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

• 28 ounces crushed tomatoes

• 1/4 recipe Make Ahead Freezer Meatballs (about 1 1/2 pounds)

• 1-2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

• garnish: chopped fresh basil or parsley

Directions

• Preheat oven to 375F.

• In a 12-inch oven-safe skillet on medium, heat the olive oil, garlic, and crushed red pepper flakes, stirring constantly, until oil bubbles and garlic is fragrant (should only take a minute or so).

• Immediately add crushed red pepper flakes and reduce heat to medium low; cover with a splatter shield and bring to a gentle boil.

• Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

• Add frozen meatballs and toss to coat; cover and heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

• Uncover skillet and spread cheese evenly over the surface; place skillet in center of preheated oven until cheese melts and browns a bit.

• Remove from oven and sprinkle with freshly chopped basil or parsley.

Note

• I used 1/4 batch of my Make Ahead Freezer Meatballs for to make this recipe (about 1.5 pounds of meatballs).

Pork Loin Roast with Garlic and Rosemary

Pork loins are one of the most economical cuts of meat you can purchase. This recipe only takes about an hour in the oven, and it will fill your house with the most amazing garlic and rosemary aroma thanks to the flavorful paste that blankets the roast.

To make the flavorful paste, you’ll need: kosher salt, ground black pepper, garlic paste, olive oil, and dried rosemary.

Grind the dried rosemary in a coffee/spice grinder. If you don’t have a spice grinder, you can pulse the rosemary in a personal beverage blender (like this), or grind it by hand using a mortar and pestle.

One note about coffee/spice grinders - I like to use one that has a removable insert (here’s the one I have) so it can be washed thoroughly.

Place the olive oil, ground rosemary, garlic paste, salt, and pepper in a small bowl.

Whisk them all together to form a paste.

Spread the paste all over the top of the roast and place the roast on a rack inside a baking dish. Be sure to use a pork loin roast and not a pork tenderloin roast as the cooking time for this recipe was developed for a 3-pound loin roast.

Add 1 cup of water to the baking dish. If you have a probe thermometer (like this), insert it into the side of the roast and bake until an internal temperature of 145F is reached. Remove roast from oven and rest for 15 minutes before slicing.

Enjoy!

Items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

• coffee/spice grinder https://amzn.to/2T6oRE3

• garlic paste https://amzn.to/37Sza3P

• dried rosemary https://amzn.to/393dQK8

• beverage whisk https://amzn.to/3bUw4Q9

• baking dish https://amzn.to/2vVR1tu

• internal probe thermometer https://amzn.to/2v7ChHP

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Pork Loin Roast with Garlic and Rosemary

makes 8 servings

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 3 pound boneless pork loin (not tenderloin)

Seasoning Paste:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 tablespoon garlic paste

• 1 tablespoon dried rosemary, ground

• 2 teaspoons kosher salt (or half table salt)

• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper

• 1 cup water

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F and place rack in center position.

2. Using a mortar and pestle, mini food processor, drink blender, or spice grinder that is dishwasher safe (for easy cleaning afterward), grind rosemary.

3. In a small bowl, whisk together ground rosemary, olive oil, garlic paste, salt, and pepper, until a paste forms.

4. Place the pork loin on a rack sitting in a baking dish and rub all over with garlic/rosemary paste.

5. Insert an over-safe probe thermometer into the end of the loin until the tip of the probe reaches the center; pour 1 cup water into the pan (avoid pouring the water over the seasoning paste).

6. Carefully place the baking dish in the center of the preheated oven and roast for approximately 1 hour (or until an internal temperature of 145F is reached).

7. Remove pork loin from oven and rest for 10-15 minutes before serving.