Weeknight dinners don’t get more fun than this — pasta nests stuffed with juicy meatballs, baked in a creamy tomato sauce under a blanket of melted cheese. It’s a one-dish wonder that’s part pasta bake, part comfort food magic. If meatballs are a hit at your table, you’ll also love our Chicken Meatball Soup.
Ingredients
- 600 g (1.3 lb) meat
- 1 onion
- 1 pack nest pasta
- 2 tomatoes, sliced
- 150 g (5.3 oz) cheese, grated
- 400 ml (1 2/3 cups) milk or cream
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- Salt, pepper, and spices, to taste
- Oil for the dish
Instructions
- Grind the meat with the onion. Season the mince with salt and spices. Grease a baking dish and arrange the pasta nests in it.
- Form the mince into balls and place one in each nest. Top with tomato slices.
- Whisk the milk or cream with the tomato paste, salt, and spices; pour over the nests — they should be more than half covered!
- Bake at 190C (375F) for 30–35 minutes, then sprinkle with cheese and bake 5 more minutes until bubbly.
Tips
- Keep the nests more than half covered in sauce — the pasta needs that liquid to cook through properly, as many baked pasta guides on Serious Eats explain.
- Grate the cheese fresh if you can — it melts smoother than pre-shredded.
- These reheat beautifully for lunch the next day. For another family favorite, try our Healthy Meatballs in Tomato-Sour Cream Sauce.
Nutrition: per 100 g: 143 kcal, protein 8.1 g, fat 4.7 g, carbs 17.1 g.