High-Protein Casserole Recipes
One-pan baked dinners loaded with chicken, beef, cheese, and eggs — 25g+ of protein per generous serving.
★ American
AmericanDump and Bake Meatball Casserole
A simple and delicious casserole that combines frozen meatballs, pasta, and cheese in a baked dish, perfect for a quick weeknight dinner.
Elizabeth Maynor MaynorIngredients
- 16 oz frozen meatballs
- 2 cups marinara sauce
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 cup uncooked pasta (penne or rotini)
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
- as needed fresh basil or parsley for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- 1Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C).
- 2In a large mixing bowl, combine the frozen meatballs, marinara sauce, Italian seasoning, and uncooked pasta. Mix until evenly coated.
- 3Pour the mixture into a greased 9x13-inch baking dish and spread evenly.
- 4Sprinkle the shredded mozzarella cheese evenly over the top. Add grated Parmesan cheese if using.
- 5Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly.
- 6Garnish with fresh basil or parsley if desired before serving.
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Open in Pepper →Why a Casserole Is the Most Efficient Protein Dinner
Casseroles do all the work that's annoying about weeknight cooking — they cook themselves, they feed eight, and they reheat better than almost anything else.
The format is forgiving: as long as you build it around two pounds of meat, a binder (eggs, cottage cheese, or cream of something), and a starch, you'll land at 25–40g of protein per square. Most of the recipes here clear that easily.
On Pepper, home cooks collect the recipes that hold up for meal prep, making dinnertime easier all week long.
Quick Tips
- 1
Brown the meat first
Raw protein dumped into a casserole steams instead of browns. Five minutes in a hot skillet builds a much deeper flavor.
- 2
Cottage cheese is the move
Stir a cup into any chicken bake and you've added 25g of protein with almost no flavor footprint.
- 3
Foil for the first half
Cover for the first 25 minutes to lock in moisture. Uncover for the last 15 to brown the top.
- 4
Cool before slicing
A ten-minute rest gives you clean squares instead of mush. Skip it and you'll regret it.
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