Easy and Healthier Spaghetti and Meatballs
A quick yet delicious weeknight meal – Spaghetti and Meatballs made healthier by using a blend of lean beef/turkey and baking the meatballs instead of frying!Â
Dinner’s ready!!
In less than 30 minutes and it’s PACKED.full.of.flavor.
Really, it doesn’t get much better than this.
Well, unless you add a glass of wine, and a loaf of garlic bread, and extra parmesan.
September is almost here, which means it’s time to get back to reality. School and work – vacation is officially over. Whenever I have a busy day, I like to cook something that comes together as quickly as possible and with minimum work. And after I’ve been out all day all I want to eat is comfort food.. Home is where the cozy food is ♡.
I don’t know about you guys, but pasta = comfort. Actually, carbs = life, which, = comfort.
So, we have Spaghetti and Meatballs.
A classic and cozy meal that everyone enjoys. It’s the perfect family weeknight meal. Or if you are cooking for 1 (or 2), you can meal prep any leftovers and you will have lunch for the rest of the week.
There are so many things I love about this recipe. It’s so simple, it’s quick, and it can easily be adjusted to feed a larger amount of people (if you are having guests over!).  It also requires very little effort. You mix the meatballs, roll them into ball, place them on a baking sheet, and bake them. Once they are cooked, you warm up a jar of your favorite marinara sauce (this is mine) and toss the meatballs in there … DONE. Yup, no frying the meatballs and no huge mess. Then, just add your cooked spaghetti to a plate and top it off with a few meatballs, a scoop of sauce, and cheese.
My favorite part about this meal is that it doesn’t sit heavy in your stomach after eating it. Baking the meatballs makes them A LOT healthier and I also use a blend of lean ground beef and turkey to reduce the amount of fat and make the meal lighter. If you are worried about dry meatballs, you have nothing to worry about. These meatballs come out tender and moist every time. I bet no one in your house will be able to guess that they are healthier!
And about the whole store-bought marinara sauce, there’s a time and place for making your own sauce, but on busy weeknights when I get home at 8 p.m. … yup, not happening. So, store-bought all the way! I absolutely LOVE Rao’s Homemade Marinara Sauce (not sponsored, just really love it). It has a short ingredient list:
tomatoes
olive oil
fresh onions
fresh garlic
fresh basil
salt and black pepper
&& oregano.
No added sugars and no preservatives. Plus the taste is amazing, so why not?!
So, stop by the grocery store on your way home from work or school and grab whatever ingredients you need to make this Spaghetti and Meatball recipe. You will love me forever!
{easy & healthier} Spaghetti and Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup breadcrumbs I used whole wheat
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 1 lb ground turkey can sub all beef or all turkey, or chicken
- 2 eggs
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 cup chopped parsley
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 jar 24 oz marinara sauce
- 1 pack 1 lb spaghetti
- freshly grated parmesan for serving
- fresh basil leaves for serving optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook spaghetti to al dente. Drain and drizzle lightly with olive oil to keep spaghetti from sticking together.
- Place breadcrumbs and milk in a large bowl. Stir to combine and milk is absorbed. Add ground beef, ground turkey, eggs, garlic, parsley, oregano, salt, and pepper to bread crumb mixture. Use a wooden spoon or clean hands to mix well, until combined.
- Using your hands, form tablespoon-size balls and arrange them on a baking sheet (you should have about 35 meatballs). Bake 15-20 minutes.
- Meanwhile add marinara sauce to a large saucepan (I used the one I cooked the spaghetti in) and heat over medium heat. Gently add cooked meatballs to sauce and simmer 10 minutes.
- Serve meatballs and sauce over spaghetti. Sprinkle with freshly grated parmesan, if desired.
These meatballs look top notch. Now I’m craving them!
Thank you!!