Bring a medium sauce pot of generously salted water to a boil. Stir in the penne and cook, stirring occasionally, until just tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.
While the water heats and the penne cooks, start preparing the rest of the meal.

• Set aside half the Parmesan for the salad.
• Cut a small corner from the ground beef packaging and drain off any excess liquid. Transfer to a plate; pat dry with a paper towel.

In a large bowl, using a fork or whisk, blend the egg with the meatball seasoning blend and half the Parmesan. Add the ground beef, season generously with salt and pepper, and mix until just combined. Using wet hands, form the mixture into 1-inch meatballs.

In a large sauce pot over medium-high heat, warm 1 to 2 teaspoons oil until hot but not smoking. Working in batches if needed, add the meatballs and cook, turning once, until lightly browned but not yet cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate. Add more oil between batches if needed.
Return all the meatballs to the pot, stir in the marinara, and bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook until the meatballs are cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and season to taste with salt, pepper, and sugar, if using.
While the meatballs and marinara cook, prepare the salad.

• Trim the root end from the lettuce; coarsely chop the leaves.

In a large bowl, toss together the lettuce and half the Caesar dressing (set aside the remaining dressing for serving). Season to taste with salt and pepper.

• Strip the basil leaves from the stems; coarsely chop the leaves.

To the pot with the meatballs and marinara, add the penne and toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Transfer the penne and meatballs to individual bowls and garnish with the basil. Sprinkle the salad with the remaining Parmesan and serve the salad and remaining dressing on the side.