A hearty, vegetarian meatball casserole made with plant-based frozen meatballs and veggies is a fun, family dinner recipe. This cheesy-good, twice-baked meatball casserole is made without pasta, so you can eat a whole plate without feeling guilty!

This meatball casserole is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of the Plant-Based promotion at Publix. The opinions and text are all mine.

Why does a meatball casserole taste soooo good?

Meatballs are everyone’s favorite comfort food, so, putting them into casseroles makes them that much more appealing!

Have you tried a meatball casserole before?

Top view of a grey baking dish filled with meatball casserole and topped with melted cheese

Tips for making the perfect meatball casserole

  • If possible, make your own marinara at home because you can control the ingredients. I like to put extra garlic in my marinara sauce.
  • I used a grass-fed cheese block for this recipe instead of using pre-shredded cheese. Cheese shredded from cheese block melts so much better than the pre-shredded cheese.
  • Preheat your casserole dish while your oven is preheating. It will cook the meatballs much faster.
  • Don’t thaw the cauliflower rice blend. Place all the ingredients for your frozen cauliflower blend into the pan and cook covered for 6 minutes. Thawing it will just make it soggy and ruin the taste of the casserole.
  • The plant-based frozen meatballs come in a pack of 12. I only used 9, so, I put them the remaining 3 in a plastic bag and froze them for future recipes.
Top and closeup view of part of the sauce and melted cheese in the meatball casserole

Why I love this casserole

This casserole is made using plant-based ingredients! This is a hearty meal that hits the spot! It’s warms me up on cold winter night.

The ooey gooey melted cheese mixed with the marinara sauce really makes this casserole taste so good. I love hidding veggies in this recipe and it makes the sauce taste even better.

I made it again this weekend and this time, I used the homemade marinara sauce recipe by Glenda Embree. It turned out even better than I could imagine.

Bottom line, I am so happy to make this meal often because it’s hearty and filling, like no other plant based meal!

closeup view of a single plant-based meatball on a copper spoon with marinara and cheese on it.

Answering Common Questions

Why use a buffalo dip in the sauce?

I love buffalo flavor in any recipe. It adds a simple heat to any recipe. In this recipe, I add it to the sauce because it adds a creaminess to the sauce and also cuts down on some of the strong flavors of the marinara sauce.

What is the purpose of almond milk in this casserole?

Almond milk adds a little creaminess to the casserole. Just like the buffalo sauce, it takes away some of the strong flavors of the marinara sauce.

Can I use breadcrumbs instead of chickpea crumbs?

You can absolutely use regular or panko breadcrumbs in this recipe. I love chickpeas only because they are made with no artificial ingredients and they are lighter than regular breadcrumbs.

Top view of a meatball surrounded by the cauliflower sauce in a grey casserole dish

Freezing Leftovers

This casserole is very freezer-friendly! I made 2 big batches of it and froze one of them for next week’s dinner.

The best way to freeze it is to freeze the casserole dish itself. Choose a casserole dish that is freezer-friendly and has a lid.

You can cover it with aluminum foil, if you don’t have a cover for the container. Just don’t place anything on top of it.

Top view of a grey dish filled with meatball casserole on a striped brown chopping board

Reheating it

First thing is that you DON’T want to thaw it! Preheat your oven to 350° and place the frozen casserole dish directly in your oven.

If your freezer-friendly container is not oven-friendly, thaw it just enough to be able to transfer it to a casserole dish. Then, place the casserole dish in the oven and bake for about 30 minutes or until the cheese has melted.

Top view of the meatball casserole with one plant-based meatball cut into half to show its casserole

Try these plant based dinners

Leftover meatballs will freeze well and can be used in many other recipes. like a meatball calzone or meatball sandwich!

If you like casseroles and bakes, you will love this delicious wonton ravioli bake. It’s made using all vegan ingredients and the perfect date night dinner.

Serve this meatball casserole with a side of sauteed Brussels sprout tops or this pan-fried broccoli.

What is your favorite part about this meatball casserole?


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Top view of a grey baking dish filled with meatball casserole and topped with melted cheese

Meatball Casserole (Vegetarian)

Rini
A hearty, vegetarian meatball casserole made with plant-based meatballs and veggies is a fun, family dinner recipe. This cheesy-good, twice-baked meatball casserole is made without pasta, so you can eat a whole plate without feeling guilty!
5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 2 minutes
Cook Time 48 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine American, Italian
Servings 4 people
Calories 526 kcal

Ingredients
  

Instructions
 

  • Preheat your oven to 375°F.
  • Place your casserole dish in the oven while it’s preheating.
  • When your oven is heated, remove the casserole dish carefully since it will be hot.
  • Lightly spray it with oil.
    The author's hand visible holding an oil spray bottle, spraying a grey square baking dish
  • Arrange the meatballs in the dish.
    Top view of 9 plant-based meatballs arranged in a 3x3 row/column on grey baking dish
  • Add ¼ cup of the marinara sauce to the meatballs.
    Top view of 1/4 cup of marinara sauce added to the column and rowof meatballs
  • Place the casserole dish in the oven and remove after 8 minutes.
  • While the meatballs are in the oven, prepare the sauce.
  • To make the sauce, heat a stainless steel pan and add coconut oil.
    Top view of coconut oil added to a stainless steel sauce pan
  • Empty the packet of frozen riced cauliflower blend in the pan. Don’t thaw it.
    Top view of frozen riced cauliflower blend in a stainless steel sauce pan
  • Close the lid and cook it for 6 minutes on medium heat.
  • Open the lid and add the remaining ingredients, except the chickpeas, cheese and garnish.
    Top view of all the sauce ingredients in a stainless steel sauce pan. The name of the ingredient is written in green and white text
  • Mix well and turn off the heat.
    Top view of all the ingredients of the cauliflower sauce mixed well
  • Gently pour this sauce mixture over the meatballs.
    Top view of the cauliflower sauce mixture added to the meatballs
  • Top with the crushed chickpeas.
    Top view of ground chickpeas topped on the meatball casserole
  • Finally, top with the shredded cheese and return it to the oven.
    Top view of shredded pepper jack cheese added to the grey baking dish
  • Bake for 35 minutes or until the top cheese is starting to turn crispy.
  • Remove from the oven, garnish and serve immediately.

Notes

** Nutrition and calorie information is approximate.
Tips for making the perfect meatball casserole
  • If possible, make your own marinara at home because you can control the ingredients.
  • I used a grass-fed cheese block for this recipe instead of using pre-shredded cheese. Cheese shredded from cheese block melts so much better than the pre-shredded cheese.
  • Preheat your casserole dish while your oven is preheating. It will cook the meatballs much faster.
  • Don’t thaw the cauliflower rice blend. Place all the ingredients for your frozen cauliflower blend into the pan and cook covered for 6 minutes. Thawing it will just make it soggy and ruin the taste of the casserole.
  • The plant-based meatballs come in a pack of 12. I only used 9, so, I put them the remaining 3 in a plastic bag and froze them for future recipes.

Nutrition

Calories: 526kcal
Keyword easy vegetarian recipes, meatball recipes, Plant-based meatballs, plant-based recipes
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Top view of the meatball casserole in a grey casserole dish over a chopping board.

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3 Comments

  1. I was looking for a meatball casserole recipe as I love meatballs. This is probably the easiest recipe of casserole I have seen! Thanks for sharing this recipe with us!