Pesto Spaghetti with Easy Baked Meatballs
Baked meatballs are healthier than fried ones, and these are delicious. Served on a bed of pesto-coated spaghetti, this makes a delicious and authentic Italian dinner which the whole family will love.
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 40 mins
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Entree
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
Scale
- 8 oz (230g) dried spaghetti
- 2 tablespoons prepared pesto sauce
- 4 sprigs of fresh basil, for garnish (optional)
For the Meatballs
- 1 lb (450g) ground beef or pork
- 1 lightly beaten large egg
- 2 minced garlic cloves
- ½ minced small onion
- 2 tablespoons marinara or tomato sauce
- 1 tablespoon each chopped fresh rosemary, chopped fresh parsley and chopped fresh basil
- ½ cup (65g) regular or Italian breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup (25g) shredded fresh Parmesan cheese
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Combine all the meatball ingredients in a bowl and mix.
- Take care not to over-mix unless you like tough meatballs.
- Divide the mixture in half then repeat until you have 16 equal-sized meatballs.
- It is best to do this with wet hands so you can shape them better without having them cracking.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until cooked through.
- While they are baking, cook the spaghetti following the instructions on the package.
- Drain off the water then toss the hot cooked spaghetti with the pesto sauce.
- You might want to add a little more pesto sauce – just use your judgement.
- Divide the pesto spaghetti between 4 warmed serving plates.
- Add 4 meatballs to each one and garnish with fresh basil.
- Serve right away.
Notes
- Feel free to make any changes you like to the meatballs recipe, perhaps swapping the herbs for others or even adding some red pepper for spice.
- Some people like to toss the meatballs with the spaghetti while others serve the meatballs on top – this is up to you of course.
- Serve some shredded parmesan cheese on the side if you like – fresh parmesan of course, to keep it authentic and delicious!
Keywords: pesto spaghetti, pesto spaghetti with meatballs, meatballs for pesto spaghetti