There’s no prep necessary for this Dump and Bake Italian Meatball and Rice Casserole! It’s the perfect easy dinner solution for your busy weeknights – and your family will love the cozy comfort food!
If you love the ease of dump-and-bake dinners, be sure to try this dump-and-bake chicken tzatziki with rice, this ravioli casserole, a pan of chicken and wild rice pilaf, this flavorful chicken pesto Alfredo pasta, and our favorite cheesy chicken orzo casserole with broccoli, too!
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Rosina Food Products®. All opinions are 100% mine
I’m sure that I’m not the only one who finds it incredibly important, but also incredibly difficult, to serve a home-cooked meal most nights.
Not only do I like to be in charge of the ingredients that my kids are consuming, but I also like to spend that small amount of time together as a family.
Even when my toddler only sits at the table for 5 or 10 minutes – it’s better than nothing!
Easy dinner recipes like this dump-and-bake meatball casserole are my favorite way to get a quick supper pulled together when I don’t have a lot of time.
Because homework, soccer practice, and two-year-old temper tantrums always seem to get in the way of my elaborate cooking dreams!
With help from delicious prepared ingredients like these fully-cooked Rosina Italian Style Meatballs, a cozy, kid-friendly dinner is ready for the oven in about 5 minutes!
Even with my crazy schedule, I can manage this one!
Ingredients – What You Need to Make this Italian Meatball & Rice Casserole
- Marinara sauce
- Diced tomato with garlic and herbs
- Water
- Long grain rice
- Rosina meatballs
- Shredded mozzarella & parmesan
- Freshly chopped parsley
The Meatballs
The Rosina Italian-Style Meatballs have a great, authentic taste, and they’re incredibly versatile.
I can pick them up at Walmart on my regular grocery run and keep them in the freezer for last-minute meals – whether I want to toss them in a slow cooker, serve them over pasta, or add them to a soup. Don’t forget to add a side of homemade garlic bread, too!
For this particular dish, I don’t even need to thaw them first – PERFECT for the days that I fail to plan ahead (and there are plenty, believe me)!
The Best Rice to Use
I recommend using long grain rice for this recipe such as Basmati or Jasmine rice as it creates a creamy and comforting texture but still has a bite to it.
You could also use a risotto rice such as Arborio but the dish will be much creamier and softer in texture.
Since the rice bakes slowly in the dish, it absorbs TONS of flavor from the marinara sauce.
It also becomes thick and creamy – a lot like risotto, which also cooks slowly to draw out the starches in the rice.
This is so much better than risotto, though, because there’s no need to stand at the stove and stir a pot for ages!
Top Tips for Making this Meatball and Rice Casserole
- When using Rosina frozen meatballs you do not need to thaw them first before cooking
- Feel free to add extra herbs and spices to change it up such as red pepper flakes or fresh basil
- I like to use mozzarella and parmesan but any good melting cheese you have will do
- When using mozzarella make sure to use pre-shredded so there isn’t a lot of excess moisture
- Leftovers can be eaten cold or reheated but make sure the casserole is piping hot throughout
- Since the meatballs were already frozen I don’t recommend you re-freeze this dish
If you have picky eaters in your house, this is sure to be a crowd-pleaser. The classic Italian flavors come together in a fun, kid-friendly dinner that’s also easy for Mom!
Enjoy, friends!
More Rice Casserole Recipes You Might Like:
- Dump and Bake Shrimp & Rice Casserole
- Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole
- Chicken Broccoli and Rice Casserole
- Sausage, Red Beans and Rice Casserole
Did you make this recipe?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a comment with a 5-star review at the bottom of the post. Thank you!
Dump and Bake Italian Meatball and Rice Casserole
Ingredients
- 3 cups 27 ounces marinara sauce
- 1 can 14.5 ounces Basil, Garlic & Oregano diced tomatoes (undrained)
- ¾ cup water
- 1 cup uncooked long grain white rice
- 1 26 ounce package Rosina Fully-Cooked Italian-Style frozen meatballs (you do not need to thaw the meatballs)
- ½ cup 2 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
- ¼ cup 1 ounce grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F (190C).
- Stir marinara sauce, tomatoes, water, and rice together in a 13-inch by 9-inch baking dish. Add meatballs and stir to combine.
- Cover the baking dish tightly with a lid or foil.
- Bake for 60-75 minutes or until the rice is tender. During the final 5 minutes of cooking, remove dish from oven, uncover, and sprinkle with mozzarella and Parmesan. Place back in the oven (uncovered) for the final 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted.
- Garnish with parsley just before serving.
Notes
Feel free to add extra herbs and spices to change it up such as red pepper flakes or fresh basil
I like to use mozzarella and parmesan but any good melting cheese you have will do
When using mozzarella make sure to use pre-shredded so there isn’t a lot of excess moisture
Leftovers can be eaten cold or reheated but make sure the casserole is piping hot throughout
Since the meatballs were already frozen I don’t recommend you re-freeze this dish
Nutrition
Want to try this meal? You can keep up with Rosina Food Products, Inc.® on Facebook, and you can also save $1.50 with a coupon at Walmart!
I used enriched long grain rice and baked it for 70 minutes covered and the rice is still crunchy. Can u tell me what I’m doing wrong? Should I be using a different rice? We really liked the flavors so I’m hoping to figure it out
Hi Katie,
We’re sorry to hear you had trouble with this recipe. Did you follow everything else exactly (13×9 dish, measurements, etc.)? A common reason why rice may turn out crunchy is that it was not fully submerged in liquid. So, depending on the rice you use, you may need to add an extra splash of water. For the best results, we highly recommend opting for Basmati or Jasmine rice!
Katie, my rice was still crunchy after 75 minutes and it was only bubbling around the very edge and looked too wet. I covered it back up and cooked it for ten more minutes and it was perfect, much more bubbly, and less liquidy looking. I wish you would’ve cooked it longer!
can you help me understand the cups vs ounces in the recipe above. Is it 3 cups or marinara or 27 ounces? same with the cheese. Thanks looking forward to making this!
Hi Abby,
Apologies for the confusion. It’s 4 cups or 27 ounces and 1/2 cup or 2 ounces. Hope that helps!
The only thing that tasted good was the marinara and the meatballs. The rice has taken 2 and 1/2 hours to cook and it’s STILL not fully cooked. Still crunchy.
Could the rice have been old? I’ve never had this happen
We love this Italian meatball & rice dish!! The only thing I changed is, I make my own meatballs: 1# each ground sirloin and sweet Italian sausage. If you haven’t made this pan of deliciousness yet, you really need to!!
Thank you so much, Lauree!
My family is not crazy about rice so I used Orzo noodles instead and it worked beautifully. Great recipie.
We’re glad you were able to make it work for you, Tina! Thank you for trying it out.
This was an easy to make recipe that was just delicious! I love the simplicity of the no fuss ingredients. I used it as a jumping off point for adding a few more ingredients. I quickly sautéed sliced mushrooms, chopped onions, freshly chopped garlic, and chopped red pepper which I finished off with some red wine. I also added a can of black olives to the mix. It took about 85 minutes to bake in my oven. My husband just loved it! I look forward to trying more of your recipes!
We’re so glad you enjoyed it and were able to make it your own! Thank you for trying it out, Susan.
The last 3 times I’ve made this the rice was always crunchy, even being in the oven for up to 2 hours. I followed the recipe exactly, using the same brands of all ingredients each time. This is one of my favorite meals, so I don’t know what to do. I guess I’ll have to try cooking the rice and meatballs, then combing everything but the water and bake until the cheese melts.
We’re sorry to hear this, Joshua. Is there excess liquid in the pan, or is it all dried up?
Sooooo simple and delicious! Highly recommend! I used frozen spinach for veggies. It turned out great! I will make the recipe with peas and carrots next time as that combo sounds good as well.
Yay! Thanks for letting me know, Angela. I’m so glad that you enjoyed it!
Great recipe! Do you think it would work to swap the rice for orzo? If so, how would you adjust cooking time?
Thank you! We can’t say for sure as we haven’t tested it, but are not sure it would work given that orzo has a different texture and cooking time. We’d love to know how it turns out if you do give it a try!
Followed the directions to a t yet my rice didn’t cook. 🙁
We’re sorry to hear this, Ashley! Were you using long grain rice?
Followed the instructions exactly, using basmati rice. But after an hour and 10 minutes the rice grains have not expanded at all and are thin and crunchy. They’re simply not absorbing the liquid. A disaster! Taking my family out for pizza to try to salvage weeknights dinner.
I really like this recipe. I’ve made it 4 times now. The first time was perfect. But the last 3 times, the rice in the middle never cooks and remains crunchy. What am I doing wrong ?
Hi Dina! How strange. Did you change anything at all? Or, are you using older rice by chance? You’ll also want to make sure the center is still fully submerged in liquid.
Yes. I followed the recipe exactly and made sure to submerge the rice. I’ve made it a few more times and the rice in the center does not cook through and the liquid is otherwise absorbed. I resorted to just scooping out and tossing the center and serving the edges. Bummer.
We’re sorry to hear this, Dina, but appreciate the feedback. We hope you continue to enjoy other recipes on the site!
Googled “Italian meatballs rice” and this recipe popped up first. It was a huge hit with my family of 5!
We’re so happy to hear this, Angela, and are glad you found us! Thank you for trying this recipe and taking the time to leave a review.