Servings: 6
Ingredients
12 oz small pasta (ditalini, small shells, or elbow macaroni)
24 oz jar good-quality chicken broth-based pasta sauce or soup base (brothy, not thick tomato sauce)
16 oz frozen fully cooked mini meatballs
4 packed cups fresh baby spinach, roughly chopped
Directions
Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Lightly grease a 9×13-inch white casserole dish or any similar oven-safe baking dish.
Simple ingredients arranged on a farmhouse counter
Simple ingredients arranged on a farmhouse counter
Scatter the dry pasta evenly over the bottom of the casserole dish. Do not cook the pasta ahead of time; Grandma always let it soften right in the sauce.
Pour the chicken-broth-style pasta sauce or soup base over the dry pasta, making sure to cover it as evenly as you can. Use the back of a spoon to nudge the liquid into the corners so no pasta is sitting completely dry.
Tuck the frozen mini meatballs down into the saucy pasta in an even layer. They don’t need to be perfect—just make sure each scoop later will catch a few meatballs.
Unbaked casserole with pasta and mini meatballs
Unbaked casserole with pasta and mini meatballs
Sprinkle the chopped spinach over the top. It will look like a lot, but it softens down in the oven, just like it did in Grandma’s old enamel pan.
Cover the casserole dish tightly with foil to trap the steam. This is important so the pasta can soak up the broth and become tender without drying out.
Bake on the middle rack for 35–40 minutes, until the pasta is just tender when you poke a fork down through the center and the meatballs are hot all the way through.
Carefully remove the foil (watch for hot steam), give the pasta a gentle stir from the edges toward the middle to mix in any extra liquid, and smooth it back out. If it seems a bit dry, you can splash in a few tablespoons of water or extra broth from your pantry.
Foil lifted from baked casserole with rising steam
Foil lifted from baked casserole with rising steam
Return the uncovered dish to the oven and bake for another 5–10 minutes, just until the top looks a little golden in spots and the spinach is silky and deep green, with the whole casserole bubbling around the edges.
Let the dish rest on the counter for 5–10 minutes before serving. This short wait helps the pasta settle so a serving spoon can lift out a steaming portion with tender pasta, golden meatballs, and strands of spinach—just the way my grandmother’s looked every Easter Sunday.
Variations & Tips
