Spaghetti and Meatballs

Tender Homemade Beef Meatballs in a rich tomato sauce served with spaghetti for the perfect family meal.

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

It is a delicious homemade lower calorie version and a dish that I can guarantee will present clear plates all around, in fact, the kids often go for seconds.

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 superfine for fussy eaters or use a food processor if you have one on hand.

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 make the sauce lovely and rich. There is nothing worse than a watery, bland sauce, right?

I add some sweetener to the sauce, you can add another sweetener of choice or even use maple syrup or honey too if you prefer. 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 recipes that are suitable for freezing. Great for if you want to do a batch cooking day.

If you are gluten free, then this Spaghetti and Meatballs can be made using a gluten free pasta of choice as well as gluten free stock and Worcestershire sauce (quite a few options available. 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 parmesan cheese.

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

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

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

Spaghetti and Meatballs

Yield: SERVES 4

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes

Tender Homemade Beef Meatballs in a rich tomato sauce served with spaghetti for the perfect family meal.

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Ingredients

• 260g (9.2oz) of uncooked spaghetti *see notes

For the sauce:

• 480ml (2 cups) of crushed tomatoes (or passata)
• 360ml (1.5 cups) of beef stock *see notes
• 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
• 2 teaspoons of granulated sweetener
• salt and black pepper
• spray oil

For the meatballs:

• 400g (14oz) of extra lean beef mince
• 1 teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce *see notes
• fresh chopped parsley
• ½ teaspoon of onion powder
• ½ teaspoon 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 parsley

Notes

Please see below for details about recipe:

• WW Personal Points:  add ingredients to your WW diary for points value - as this may vary depending on your personal points zero foods)
• Gluten Free: - use gluten free stock, Worcestershire sauce and pasta

SUITABLE FOR FREEZING

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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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