My wife challenged me to whip up a delicious dinner using frozen Italian meatballs. Turns out, we had half a bag in the freezer, and it was calling our names! So I decided to make Italian Meatball Mac and Cheese.
I could’ve just made spaghetti and meatballs, but I thought, why not make it extra special and make a baked Italian Meatball Mac & Cheese instead?
You are probably asking yourself what makes this Mac & Cheese Recipe so special. Well besides the usual ingredients like cheese and noodles, this one call for Pasta Sauce! You are basically getting the best of both worlds.
When making Mac & Cheese, I always recommend using pasta that has a lot of nooks & crannies to soak up all the cheese. Elbow, Rotini or even Penne are good choices. But the most important thing is that the pasta is cooked Al Dente.
What is Al Dente
When making mac & cheese, it’s important to cook the pasta al dente to ensure the best texture possible. If you are not familiar with the term “al dente”, it means cooking the pasta so it’s still chewy and firm and that it will hold its shape when the sauce is added to it.
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Gather your Ingredients
You will need the following ingredients to make this Italian Meatball Mac and Cheese recipe. For ingredient amounts please refer to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Unsalted Butter – you can use salted butter but I would leave out any additional salt
- All Purpose Flour – needed to make the roux for the cheese sauce
- Whole Milk – or any other kind of milk if needed
- Garlic Cloves – you can add more to taste
- Kosher Salt – regular salt is fine. Omit if you are using salted butter
- Dried Oregano – brings a bold, earthy, and slightly peppery flavor
- Crushed Red Pepper Flakes – adds a spicy kick and a hint of smoky heat
- Ground Nutmeg – adds a warm, sweet, and slightly nutty flavor
- Parmesan Cheese – I suggest grating your own cheese but you can buy the pre-shredded stuff
- Fontina Cheese – use more cheese if you like your mac and cheese super cheesy
- Frozen Italian Style Meatballs – you can always add more meatballs if you prefer
- Pasta – you can use whatever kind of pasta you want. Just make sure to cook it al dente
- Pasta Sauce – use your favorite brand pasta sauce. A basil & garlic or 4 cheese sauce works great with this mac and cheese recipe
How to Make Italian Meatball Mac and Cheese
- Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Spray a 9 x 13 inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a large pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour whisking constantly for about 1 minute.
- Whisk in the milk, garlic, salt, oregano, red pepper flakes, and nutmeg. Whisk constantly until the mixture thickens, approximately 5 minutes.
- Stir in 1 cup of Parmesan cheese and 1 cup fontina. Whisk until the cheese is melted. Remove from the heat.
- Stir in cooked pasta. Spoon the mac and cheese mixture into the prepared baking dish.
- Top with Italian meatballs, pasta sauce, and the remaining cheese.
- Bake until bubbly and the cheese melts, approximately 20 minutes.
Printable Recipe Card
Italian Meatball Mac and Cheese
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Ingredients
- 4 Tbsp Unsalted Butter
- 4 Tbsp All Purpose Flour
- 3 Cups Whole Milk
- 1 Garlic Cloves, minced
- 1 Tsp Kosher Salt
- ½ Tsp Dried Oregano
- ¼ Tsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
- ⅛ Tsp Ground Nutmeg
- 1 ½ Cups Parmesan Cheese, grated
- 1 ½ Cups Fontina Cheese, divided, shredded
- 20 Frozen Italian Style Meatballs, or more if desired
- 16 oz Pasta, cooked
- 24 oz Pasta Sauce
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Spray a 9 x 13 inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a large pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour whisking constantly for about 1 minute.
- Whisk in the milk, garlic, salt, oregano, red pepper flakes, and nutmeg. Whisk constantly until the mixture thickens, approximately 5 minutes.
- Stir in 1 cup of Parmesan cheese and 1 cup fontina. Whisk until the cheese is melted. Remove from the heat.
- Stir in cooked pasta. Spoon the mac and cheese mixture into the prepared baking dish.
- Top with Italian meatballs, pasta sauce, and the remaining cheese.
- Bake until bubbly and the cheese melts, approximately 20 minutes.
