Spaghetti and Meatballs

Syn Free Spaghetti and Meatballs  - a family favourite you just have to try.

There is nothing more comforting than a delicious bowl of spaghetti and meatballs and this one is a true winner in every department.

Firstly it's completely syn free, we all love a syn free recipe, right? and secondly, it is one dish, that I can guarantee will present clear plates all around, in fact, the kids often go for seconds.

I really should learn to double up the recipe, so I have leftovers for the next day because leftovers are just awesome.

Spaghetti Bolognese was probably one of the very first dishes I made for myself, and I was quite proud too, even if I did use one of those Spaghetti Bolognese sachet mixes.

Hey - we have all gotta start somewhere and I by now means claim to be a master chef. My recipes are just good ole home style cooking for the whole family to enjoy. So if you are looking for fancy Michelin star quality, look away quickly.

While this might not be seen on the table of a Michelin star restaurant, and I can assure you it tastes fantastic. Pure comfort in every form.

What is it about a bowl of pasta that does that?

The sauce in this Spaghetti and Meatballs is so good, I often want to spoon up some of the sauce just by itself, packed with veggies, it's super healthy and a great way to get some vegetables into fussy kids or adults.

You can chop or grate the vegetables super fine, if they don't like chunks, or use a fab food processor, like this Nutri Ninja Food Processor with Auto IQ technology. It literally chops all the vegetables up in seconds, saving heaps of time. I use the chopping blade, just a couple of pulses of the blade and the vegetables are chopped finely – perfect!!

Click here to view the Nutri Ninja Complete Kitchen System on Amazon

Another great way to save on preparation is to make up some of these Handy Make-Ahead Freezer Vegetable Bags - it's great for saving veg that you think you might not get round to using and is perfect for throwing into slow cookers for soups, casseroles, curries, bolognese etc. I love time savers like this, as with two young kids, sometimes meals need to be on the table quickly, especially when they are hungry.

One thing I will say about this Spaghetti and Meatballs, as much as it is tempting to try and get the sauce made super quick, it really does need that time to simmer for the amazing flavours to develop. The vegetables sweeten the sauce and make it lovely and rich. There is nothing worse than a watery, bland sauce.

I add some sukrin: 1 (a natural sweetener which has not aftertaste) to the sauce, you can add another sweetener of choice or even use maple syrup or honey too if you prefer, just be aware that the later will then add some syns to the recipe, whereas with the sukrin (or another sweetener) it is Syn Free. You don't need much, I just find a small amount takes away some of the acidity that you can get from tomatoes in sauces, especially when using canned varieties.

Another good tip for time-saving is to make up a big batch of the sauce, you can even do the meatballs too if you want, and freeze some of it for busy days.  Then you can just grab some out of the freezer, defrost, heat up and cook some pasta.

I try and have a few meals in tubs in the freezer for days like that. Especially when the kids have activities or we have been out most the day.

Check out my Freezer Friendly section for some delicious Slimming World recipes that are suitable for freezing. Great for if you want to do a batch cooking day.

I love Meal Prep Containers with Lids for freezing portions of meals to grab out of the freezer. You can get different ones too, with 1, 2, 3 or even 4 compartments and most are microwave and dishwasher safe.

Click here to view Meal Prep Food Containers on Amazon

If you are gluten free, then this Spaghetti and Meatballs can be made using a gluten free pasta of choice, there are many different varieties out there to choose from. I will sometimes use brown rice pasta, as a slighter healthier alternative to regular pasta and it's the closest in taste and texture I have found.

With spaghetti and meatballs, some plate up the pasta and then add the sauce and meatballs to the top, but we love to spoon out the meatballs, then add the spaghetti in the sauce and toss to coat, it just makes it taste so much better, to have all the spaghetti covered in sauce. Then you can add back in the meatballs and sprinkle with a little fresh Italian parsley or even some basil and then a sprinkling of cheese as part of your Healthy Extra A allowance.

Love pasta dishes? Check out some of these delicious pasta recipes:

• Syn Free One Pot Chicken and Asparagus Pasta
• Syn Free One Pot Speed Pasta
• Syn Free One Pot Beef Fajita Pasta
• Syn Free One Pot Creamy Zucchini Pasta
• Syn Free Roasted Butternut Squash Zucchini Pasta Bake
• Syn Free Creamy Chicken and Mushroom Pasta
• Spicy Shrimp Pasta
• Quick Mac and Cheese
• Sausage, Tomato and Spinach Pasta
• Chicken, Broccoli and Cauliflower Pasta Bake
• Low Syn Creamy Vegetable Pasta Bake
• Low Syn Fajita Chicken Pasta

and don't forget to check out my FULL RECIPE INDEX with over 500+ delicious Slimming World recipes.

Make this Spaghetti and Meatballs for dinner tonight - The only thing then to decide is how to eat them. Are you a knife and fork, or spoon and fork, spaghetti person? I am definitely the latter.

Continue to Content

Syn Free Spaghetti and Meatballs

Yield: SERVES 4

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes

This recipe is gluten free, dairy free, Slimming World and Weight Watchers friendly

Extra Easy - syn free per serving

Original/SP - syn free per serving (swap spaghetti for spiralized vegetables)

WW Smart Points - 9

Gluten Free - use gluten free pasta

Dairy Free - omit any cheese

Print

Ingredients

• 260g (9.2oz) of uncooked spaghetti, (you can use gluten free)

For the sauce:

• 480ml (2 cups) of crushed tomatoes (or passata)
• 360ml (1.5 cups) of beef stock
• 2 tablespoon of tomato paste
• splash of balsamic vinegar
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 large carrot, finely chopped
• 1 zucchini (courgette), finely chopped
• 2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons of mixed herbs
•  1 tbs of sukrin: 1 (or other sweetener of choice)
• salt and black pepper
• spray oil

For the meatballs:

• 400g (14oz) of extra lean beef mince
• 1 tsp of Worcestershire sauce
• fresh chopped parsley
• ½ tsp of onion powder
• ½ tsp of garlic powder
• 1 egg beaten, to bind
• salt and black pepper

Instructions

1. Add all ingredients for the meatballs to a large bowl, and thoroughly bind together, form into meatballs.
2. Heat a large frying pan over a medium heat, spray with spray oil and add the meatballs and fry until lightly browned all over, remove and set aside.
3. Spray the pan with a little more spray oil and add the onion, garlic and carrot and fry until softened.
4. Add the zucchini, mixed herbs, tomato paste, balsamic vinegar, sukrin:1, stock and crushed tomatoes and bring to a boil.
5. Reduce heat, cover and simmer sauce for 20 mins.
6. Add meatballs and simmer covered for another 20 mins.
7. While sauce is simmering, add the spaghetti to a saucepan of boiling hot salted water and cook until al dente. Drain, but reserve a little pasta water.
8. When the spaghetti is cooked, scoop out the meatballs and some of of the sauce to a bowl. Then add the spaghetti to the rest of the sauce and mix till pasta is coated. 
9. Add back in the meatballs and a little of the reserved pasta water and stir to combine. Season with salt and black pepper as needed.
10. Serve topped with a little chopped Italian meatballs.
11. Add some cheese as part of your HEa (optional)

Notes

Nutritional information is an estimate and is to be used for informational purposes only.

Ingredients can vary greatly from brand to brand and therefore it would be impossible to give accurate information. Also double check syn values of sinned ingredients as different brands can vary. 

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Nutrition Information

Yield 4 Serving Size 1 serving
Amount Per Serving Calories 457Total Fat 6.5gSaturated Fat 2gCholesterol 103mgSodium 822mgCarbohydrates 67.9gFiber 6.5gSugar 11.5gProtein 35.4g

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