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If you’re after a quick gluten free dinner which is a real crowd-pleaser, look no further than my gluten free meatball pasta bake.
A rich and spicy tomato sauce, packed with gluten free meatballs and fusilli pasta.
Topped with a thick layer of cheese, this baked pasta and meatballs is just the best comfort food.
Plus it’s perfect served up with a generous helping of my easy gluten free garlic bread too.
Finding gluten free meatballs
You can make your own gluten free meatballs for this recipe but to save time, I use store-bought meatballs.
A lot of the meatballs in UK supermarkets are gluten free, including Sainsbury’s, Asda, Tesco and Aldi.
I tend to just buy ready made meatballs because I am lazy, and also making meatballs from scratch is messy.
It’s not exactly difficult but buying these ready made just makes this dish so much easier.
If you want to give it a go though, I do have a recipe for some amazing gluten free meatballs in my ebook here!
That way its simply a case of cooking the meatballs, gluten free pasta and sauce, then bunging them all together in the oven.
You get this super tasty sauce with stringy cheese on top and meaty chunks – it’s just perfect.
Tips for cooking gluten free pasta
We’ve all had that experience of the first time cooking gluten free pasta and it coming out as a sludgy mess.
The thing is, you have to cook gluten free pasta slightly different to normal pasta.
For starters, you must bring the water to the boil before adding your gluten free pasta.
Otherwise it’ll just sit in the bottom of the lukewarm pan and absolutely turn into a sticky, sludgy mess.
I tend to add a generous amount of salt, and a little olive oil to help prevent the pasta sticking together.
Make sure you check the cooking guidelines – some gluten free pasta cooks very quickly and others take forever.
I tend to set a timer for around 8-10 minutes before checking by eating a piece to see if it’s cooked to my liking.
As soon as your gluten free pasta is cooked, strain it off in a colander.
If you leave it to sit in the water guess what happens? That’s right, more sludge!
In all honesty, cooking gluten free pasta really is easy and nothing to be afraid of, you just need to get the hang of it, that’s all.
What do I need for this gluten free pasta bake?
There’s a full printable recipe card down below, but for the shopping list you’ll need the following ingredients:
- 16 gluten free meatballs
- 300g gluten free pasta (I used fusilli)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small red onion (finely chopped)
- 3 cloves garlic (peeled and crushed)
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 2 x 400g tins of chopped tomatoes
- 100g tomato puree
- 100ml red wine (optional)
- 1 tsp chilli flakes (optional)
- 125g ball of mozzarella
- 1 tbsp parmesan cheese
If you wanted to make this recipe dairy free, you could easily replace the cheese with a dairy free version on top and it would work just as well.
I like to add both chilli and red wine to my sauce for an extra kick but these are completely optional.
Most of these are easy storecupboard ingredients – check out Asda and Morrisons if you’re in the UK for the cheapest gluten free pasta too!
You can use a white onion if you prefer – I just love the taste of red onions – and also pre-chopped garlic is absolutely fine.
I’ve started buying bags of chopped garlic from the freezer aisle which feels really lazy but it’s saved me so much time and effort.
Can I freeze this pasta recipe?
You can freeze any leftovers of this gluten free meatball pasta bake.
Gluten free pasta isn’t as great when it’s reheated but it is still edible – it can just fall apart a little.
If you want to freeze this recipe, I’d personally recommend freezing the sauce and cooking fresh pasta each time.
For example, if you’re making this recipe for two people, make the whole batch but only half the amount of pasta.
Before you add the pasta to the sauce, portion half of it into a freezable container so you have a quick sauce for next time!
I personally love meals you can batch cook – if you do too, I’ve got an easy round-up of freezer-friendly meals here.
My gluten free meatball pasta bake recipe
If you want an easy family dinner that everyone will love then you’re definitely in the right place.
This gluten free meatball pasta bake serves four people and you can also freeze and reheat any leftovers.
I like to serve it up with gluten free garlic bread because, let’s face it, all pasta dishes need garlic bread by their side!
If you make this recipe and love it, please do let me know by tagging me on my Instagram or using #theglutenfreeblogger. I love seeing your bakes!
And please do leave a review to let others know you loved it too! It would mean the world to me.
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Gluten Free Meatball Pasta Bake
An easy gluten free dinner idea - my gluten free meatball pasta bake is a quick family meal. Served with lots of cheese on top! It's an easy gluten free pasta bake which serves four people and can be frozen.
Ingredients
- 16 gluten free meatballs
- 300g gluten free pasta (I used fusilli)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small red onion (finely chopped)
- 3 cloves garlic (peeled and crushed)
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 2 x 400g tins of chopped tomatoes
- 100g tomato puree
- 100ml red wine (optional)
- 1 tsp chilli flakes (optional)
- 125g ball of mozzarella
- 1 tbsp parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Cook the meatballs in the oven as per the pack instructions (usually around 15-20 mins, which will give you plenty of time to cook the pasta and sauce while meatballs are baking!)
- Bring a pan of salted water to the boil, add a drizzle of olive oil and then cook the gluten free pasta for the instructed time on the pack (usually around 8-10 minutes). Once cooked, strain off straight away.
- While the meatballs and pasta are cooking, make the sauce. Add the olive oil to a large pan and bring to a low-to-medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and gently fry for 4-5 minutes, stirring regularly, until the onions go soft.
- Sprinkle in the basil and oregano, stir and cook for a further minute.
- Add the tinned tomatoes and tomato puree (and if using, the wine and chilli flakes). Season well with salt and pepper if needed, stir well, bring to the boil and simmer for around 8-10 minutes, until the meatballs and pasta are both cooked.
- Remove the cooked meatballs from the oven (but leave the oven on - turn down to 180'C / Fan 160'C / Gas Mark 4 if not already there) and add to the sauce. Pour in the drained pasta and stir everything well.
- Pour into an ovenproof dish, spread out evenly and then top with the sliced mozzarella and parmesan. Bake for 20 minutes until golden and melted on top and serve straight away.
Notes
- Any leftovers can be frozen but I'd recommend for best results freezing the sauce before adding the pasta - see blog post above for more detailed instructions.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 627Total Fat: 37gSaturated Fat: 14gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 20gCholesterol: 101mgSodium: 998mgCarbohydrates: 44gFiber: 10gSugar: 12gProtein: 28g
Serve it with...
Check out these tasty gluten free side dish options which would pair perfectly with this meal!
Gluten Free Focaccia (Dairy Free, Vegan)
Gluten Free Focaccia is an easy gluten free bread recipe which can be flavoured with herbs of your choosing. Dairy free, egg free and vegan. This focaccia is best eaten fresh from the oven while still warm but it can be sliced and frozen.
Gluten Free Garlic Bread
This gluten free garlic bread recipe is a super quick and easy recipe to make the perfect side dish. You could use my homemade gluten free bread rolls recipe, shop-bought gluten free rolls or even just slices of gluten free bread.
Gluten Free Cheesy Doughballs (No Yeast)
These gluten free cheesy doughballs only need 3 INGREDIENTS to make and are super easy. Quick to bake and no yeast necessary - the perfect gluten free snack.
Gluten Free Bread Rolls
These gluten free bread rolls are easy to make and perfectly soft and squishy. Made in a tear-and-share way, these gluten free dinner rolls are best eaten fresh but also great for sandwiches or as burger buns.
Need some more gluten free meal inspiration?
If you want to have a go at some of the other gluten free dinner recipes on the blog, why not give some of these a try?
I have loads of easy gluten free dinners ranging from curry and Chinese food to pasta and absolute comfort food classics.
A few ideas to get you started are…
- Chickpea and sweetcorn fritters (vegan)
- Vegan and gluten free chickpea curry
- Tuna pasta bake with cheesy topping
- Easy spinach pasta with ‘no cook’ sauce
Giving this recipe a go? Let me know! I’d love to see your photos using #theglutenfreeblogger, share them in my Facebook group or tag me on Instagram.
And if you have any recipe suggestions, please let me know in the comments what you’d like to see next!
Oh – and don’t forget to sign up for my e-newsletter where you’ll know about all my latest posts and competitions first!
Like this gluten free meatball pasta bake recipe? Pin these recipe cards below for later!
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