Spaghetti and Meatballs

Name: Spaghetti and Meatballs
Total time: 48 min
Yield: Serves 4 (serving size: 3/4 cup pasta, 3 meatballs, about 3/4 cup sauce, and about 1 1/2 tablespoons cheese)
Ingredients: ¾ cup chopped onion; 2 teaspoons canola oil; 6 garlic cloves, divided; 1 pound plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise; 1 ⅓ cups lower-sodium marinara sauce; ½ teaspoon salt, divided; ⅓ cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs); ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper; 12 ounces ground sirloin (90% lean); 1 large egg; Cooking spray; 6 ounces uncooked spaghetti; 1 ½ ounces fresh Parmesan cheese, grated (about 6 tablespoons)

8 Ratings
6 Reviews

You can't go wrong with this classic family favorite. We amp up jarred marinara with charred onion, garlic, and plum tomatoes.

By Julianna Grimes

Recipe by Cooking Light September 2013

Gallery

Credit: Iain Bagwell; Styling: Missie Neville Crawford

Recipe Summary

total:

48 mins

hands-on:

38 mins

Yield:

Serves 4 (serving size: 3/4 cup pasta, 3 meatballs, about 3/4 cup sauce, and about 1 1/2 tablespoons cheese)

Nutrition Info

Directions

Step 1
Preheat broiler to high.

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Step 2
Combine onion, oil, 3 garlic cloves, and tomatoes in a bowl; toss to coat vegetables. Arrange tomato mixture on a foil-lined baking sheet. Broil 10 minutes or until vegetables char slightly, stirring after 5 minutes. Spoon tomato mixture into the bowl of a food processor; pulse 6 times or until mixture is coarsely chopped. Combine tomato mixture, marinara, and 3/8 teaspoon salt in a medium saucepan; bring to a simmer.
Step 3
Mince remaining 3 garlic cloves. Combine minced garlic, remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt, panko, red pepper, beef, and egg in a large bowl; mix gently just until combined. Working quickly with damp hands, gently shape beef mixture into 12 meatballs (do not pack). Arrange meatballs in a single layer on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Broil 6 inches from heat for 6 minutes, turning meatballs once. Remove pan from oven. Add meatballs to tomato mixture; simmer 4 minutes or until meatballs are done.
Step 4
Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Serve meatballs and sauce over pasta; sprinkle with cheese.

Chef's Notes

MyRecipes is working with Let's Move!, the Partnership for a Healthier America, and USDA's MyPlate to give anyone looking for healthier options access to a trove of recipes that will help them create healthy, tasty plates. For more information about creating a healthy plate, visit www.choosemyplate.gov.

Nutrition Facts

Per Serving:

476 calories; fat 16.8g; saturated fat 6g; mono fat 6.6g; poly fat 1.7g; protein 31.2g; carbohydrates 48.9g; fiber 4.2g; cholesterol 111mg; iron 5mg; sodium 621mg; calcium 184mg.

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daneanp

02/18/2014

DD requested spaghetti tonight but did not want the meatballs so I just made the delicious sauce. Will make with the meatballs next time. Can't wait for garden grown tomatoes to use in this recipe.

Dorseyl

10/29/2013

I thought this meal was great! Unlike a few other reviewers, I thought the meatballs were plenty flavorful and I even read the recipe wrong and used all the garlic in the sauce so the only seasoning in there was salt. Also, this was the quickest meatball cooking method I've ever used. I doubled the recipe and have tons of leftovers that I'm so excited to eat. We will definitely keep this recipe in "the vault" from now on!

AngelaH1964

10/06/2013

OMG! The BEST spaghetti and meatballs I've ever had, much less made. Hubby made whole wheat pasta and I added smoked salt to the broiled veggies and kale to the sauce for extra fiber (needed to use it up!). But, wow, it was delicious!

JulieUpton

09/20/2013

Oh my goodness! This recipe was delicious! This was the first time that I've ever roasted tomatoes, onions and garlic and added it to the sauce. It took a lot of time, but it was so good. The house smelled like an Italian restaurant. I did add more spices to both the sauce and meatballs, I added more salt and lots of Italian seasoning. We loved this recipe. I can't wait to make this again. Yum, yum, yum!

erikisst88

08/21/2013

This was good but not the best recipe I've ever made from Cooking Light. The sauce was really tasty. I didn't quite get the char on the veggies that I would have liked but it didn't hinder the flavor. It was the meatballs that I just can't write home about. They were moist but just didn't have a lot of flavor. My BF agreed that next time I should add basil/oregano/etc to infuse more flavor. They were a bit bland. It was good and with some tweaks it can be great.

lynn770

08/20/2013

I made a variation of this recipe last night for dinner. I was in a hurry so I didn't add the extra broiled veggies to my pasta sauce. I used Paul Newman's Organic Marinara sauce and I just sprinkled some extra dried oregano & onion powder in it along with a teaspoon of minced garlic. I used 96% lean ground beef and I did have a problem with the meatballs sticking to the cookie sheet when I flipped them at 3 minutes, so make sure to put plenty of cooking spray on it. My husband loved the flavor of the meatballs. I will be using this recipe again. Maybe I'll try the broiled veggies next time with some onion and green peppers (noone likes tomatoes in my house). :)

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Spaghetti and Meatballs

Gallery

Recipe Summary

Ingredients

Directions

Chef's Notes

Nutrition Facts

Reviews (6)

All Reviews for Spaghetti and Meatballs

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Spaghetti and Meatballs

Gallery

Recipe Summary

Ingredients

Directions

Chef's Notes

Nutrition Facts

Reviews (6)

All Reviews for Spaghetti and Meatballs