Chicken Parmesan Meatball Casserole

By amberwherley

Ingredients

• For the meatballs:
• 1 pound lean ground chicken
• 1 cup panko bread crumbs
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup milk
• For the casserole:
• 1 pound campanelle pasta (any small shape is fine, such as ziti)
• 1 jar (about 1 1/2 pounds) marinara sauce
• 2 cups grated mozzarella cheese
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

Preparation

Step 1

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the pasta. Cook for 1 minute less than package directions state.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
While the pasta is cooking, prepare the meatballs. Add all of the ingredients to a large bowl and use your hands to mix them together well. Form into small balls, about 1 inch in diameter and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes or until cooked through and no longer pink. Remove from the oven and reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees.
Add the pasta sauce to a large bowl and stir in the cooked pasta and meatballs. Stir gently to coat everything in sauce.
Spread half of the pasta and meatballs into a 9x13 baking dish. Top with half of the mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning.
Bake for 20 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
Serve immediately.