• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Oatmeal with a Fork
  • RECIPES
  • FAVORITES
  • ABOUT ME
  • SUBSCRIBE
menu icon
go to homepage
  • RECIPES
  • FAVORITES
  • ABOUT ME
  • SUBSCRIBE
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • RECIPES
    • FAVORITES
    • ABOUT ME
    • SUBSCRIBE
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » Entrees

    Healthy Spaghetti and Baked Meatballs

    Published: Mar 17, 2020 · Modified: Jun 2, 2020 by Lauren · This post may contain affiliate links · 9 Comments

    Jump to Recipe  ↓

    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.

    Spaghetti noodles with baked meatballs made with oats

    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.

    Healthy spaghetti and meatballs recipe with homemade marinara sauce

    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

    Whole grain spaghetti noodles with baked meatballs recipe
    Print Recipe
    4 from 9 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
    • ¼ t. red pepper flakes
    • 1 t. dried oregano
    • ½ t. sea salt
    • 3 c. tomato puree not sauce
    • 1 c. water
    • 2 T. fresh basil or parsley chopped

    MEATBALLS:

    • 1 ¼ lbs. ground beef
    • 2 garlic cloves minced
    • 1 egg
    • 2 t. soy sauce
    • ½ c. quick oats
    • ¼ c. grated parmesan
    • ½ t. dried oregano
    • ¼ 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

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

      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...'

      Classic and Healthy Spaghetti and Baked Meatballs 5

       

       

       

      You may also like

      • Low Carb Spaghetti Squash Lasagna
        Low Carb Spaghetti Squash Lasagna
      • Oven-Baked Chocolate Cake for One
        Oven-Baked Chocolate Cake for One
      • Healthy Beef and Broccoli Stir-Fry
        Healthy Beef and Broccoli Stir-Fry
      • THICK and Healthy Hot Chocolate
        THICK and Healthy Hot Chocolate
      « Low Carb Spaghetti Squash Lasagna
      My Favorite Immune System Supplements »
      • Share
      • Yummly

      Filed Under: Entrees

      Reader Interactions

      Comments

      1. MaryBeth | The Thrive Blog

        April 08, 2015 at 1:11 pm

        I am such a sucker for classic spaghetti. It must be the 80's baby in me whose mama made it for her as soon as I could chew!

        MB

        Reply
      2. Lea Andersen

        April 05, 2015 at 7:23 pm

        Whew! Can I make it an Eastern way? Like putting some hk dim sum instead of meatballs as toppings? I wonder how these two will taste like if I used it together. This makes me drool anyways =)

        Reply
      3. Thalia @ butter and brioche

        April 05, 2015 at 3:03 pm

        It's been too long since I've had classic spaghetti and meatballs. Just divine!

        Reply
      4. Kari Peters

        March 31, 2015 at 5:07 pm

        This looks like just the comfort food I've been craving on this cold and rainy day!

        Reply
      5. Mike@TheIronYou

        March 31, 2015 at 1:54 pm

        I'm so hungry after looking at that amazing dish. I love so much spaghetti and meatballs!

        Reply
      6. Matt

        March 30, 2015 at 9:23 am

        LOVE this with those baked meatballs. Perfect!

        Reply
        • Lauren

          March 30, 2015 at 11:05 am

          Thanks so much Matt! 🙂

          Reply
      7. dawn

        March 30, 2015 at 5:24 am

        it's weird... i can identify w/ each personality. i was the one who had all of those types as friends and i wasn't part of a any group. can you believe that movie is 30 yrs old??!!!!
        boy, that makes me feel very old!
        THIS MEAL LOOKS AWESOME. it's 8:22am and i could eat that right now 🙂
        and ask your dad for his save recipe! he HAS to pass it on.

        Reply
        • Lauren

          March 30, 2015 at 8:55 am

          Thanks Dawn! Lol, I know about BC, I can't believe it's that old either! 🙂

          Reply

      Leave a Reply Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating




      This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

      Primary Sidebar

      Hi there, I'm Lauren Goslin, and I've been a food blogger for over ten years. My goal with this blog is to show you healthy, lower sugar recipes that my family and I enjoy.

      More about me →

      Sugar-Free Recipes

      • Sugar-Free Chocolate Chip Chickpea Cookies
      • Peanut Butter Cup Candy Bars (Sugar-Free!)
      • No Sugar, No Oil Chocolate Chip Muffins
      • Sugar-Free Carob Candies

      Footer

      ↑ back to top

      AboutContactPrivacy Policy

      COPYRIGHT ©2022, OATMEAL WITH A FORK. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.