Healthy Spaghetti and Baked Meatballs

Healthy Spaghetti and Baked Meatballs: A comforting favorite made healthier with whole grain pasta and gluten-free meatballs, all smothered in a delicious, homemade marinara sauce.

What’s your Breakfast Club personality?

Oh, how I miss 80s movies!

John Hughes flicks, in particular, are my favorites.

My most-loved scene in The Breakfast Club is when they all sit down to eat lunch and you get a peek into each personality through their food choices.

While my hubby would totally be Andrew (multiple sandwiches, a carton of milk, a bag of each cookies and chips, an apple, and a banana), I would be a cross between Claire (sushi) and Brian (PB and J sandwich, soup, and apple juice), in that some days I feel a bit more food trendy and some days I want a meal that reminds me of being a kid.

Healthier Spaghetti and Meatballs

Spaghetti and meatballs is definitely a latter selection.

My dad used to make the best spaghetti, often times accompanying it with Italian sausage instead of meatballs, but his sauce is what really made the dish, as is the case generally speaking.

On a Claire day, I would be eating this meal with spaghetti squash or ‘zoodles’, but the Brian in me would choose a whole wheat (or spelt, in this case) angel hair pasta. Obviously, you can eat this either way the wind blows you.

Though I don’t have the secret to my dad’s sauce, I’ve created an easy one that I think would compliment any chosen noodle deliciously!

Topped with a few moist and flavorful meatballs, this makes a killer dish for both adults and kids, and it all comes together in a relatively short amount of time!

Looking for more pasta recipes? Try these!

Roasted Veggie Pasta Primavera

Spaghetti Squash Lasagna

The Best Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup

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4.75 from 4 votes

Classic and Healthy Spaghetti and Meatballs

Healthy Spaghetti and Baked Meatballs: A comforting favorite made healthier with whole grain pasta and gluten-free meatballs, all smothered in a delicious, homemade marinara sauce.

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time15 mins

0 mins

Total Time30 mins

Course: Entree

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: High protein, Nut-free, Sugar-free, Whole grain

Servings: 5 servings

Calories: 492kcal

Author: Lauren Goslin

Ingredients

MARINARA SAUCE:

• 1 T. olive oil
• 1 c. yellow onion chopped
• 3 garlic cloves minced
• 1/4 t. red pepper flakes
• 1 t. dried oregano
• 1/2 t. sea salt
• 3 c. tomato puree not sauce
• 1 c. water
• 2 T. fresh basil or parsley chopped

MEATBALLS:

• 1 1/4 lbs. ground beef
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 1 egg
• 2 t. soy sauce
• 1/2 c. quick oats
• 1/4 c. grated parmesan
• 1/2 t. dried oregano
• 1/4 t. dried basil
• salt and pepper

PASTA:

• noodles of your choice (one pound, if using regular pasta)

Instructions

PASTA:

MARINARA SAUCE:

• Heat the oil and add the onion and a dash of salt.
• Saute for five minutes.
• Add in the garlic, red pepper flakes, oregano and salt.
• Saute 30 seconds.
• Pour in the sauce and water, stirring to combine everything.
• Simmer on low for 10-12 minutes, until slightly thickened.
• Stir in basil or parsley.

MEATBALLS:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
• Mix all the ingredients together until well combined.
• Roll the mixture into 20 equal-sized meatballs and place them on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
• Bake 10-12 minutes until no longer pink in the middle.
• Once baked, transfer them to a plate lined with a couple of paper towels to soak up any excess fat.
• Serve with pasta parsley or basil and grated parmesan cheese, if desired.

PASTA:

• Cook pasta according to the package instructions, taking care to time it with the rest of the meal. I usually start the pasta first, as the heat from the marinara can warm up the noodles if they get a bit cold.

Notes

Nutrition facts are based on using 1 1/2 ounces of parmesan and one pound of whole wheat pasta. WW points: 13

Nutrition

Calories: 492kcal | Carbohydrates: 47.1g | Protein: 47.3g | Fat: 14g | Sodium: 615mg | Fiber: 8.6g | Sugar: 9.2g

Some of the items I use to make this recipe include:

In staying with my Hughes movie theme, I leave you with one of my favorite BF quotes: ‘We’re all bizarre, some of us are just better at hiding it…’