Healthier Spaghetti and Meatballs
This is good old fashioned Spaghetti and Meatballs…except we’re keeping it on the healthier side. Ground chicken has a lot of versatility and to ‘healthy up’ a dish, can typically be used in place of beef. These meatballs are made with chicken and are VERY tasty!
Servings 4
Calories 929kcal
Cost 15
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1 lb ground chicken
- 1 egg
- ½ cup seasoned breadcrumbs more if needed
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese grated
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp italian seasoning
- ½ tbsp fresh parsley chopped
Sauce
- 28 oz crushed tomatoes canned
- 15 oz tomato sauce or diced tomatoes; optional
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic chopped or thinly sliced
- 2 tsp basil fresh or dry
- 1 tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ⅛ tsp crushed red pepper optional
Instructions
Make the sauce
- Heat the olive oil on medium heat. Once hot, add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Add your crushed tomatoes, basil, oregano, onion powder, salt and pepper (and also the crushed red pepper if you're using). Bring to a boil and once boiling, drop the heat and simmer for about 25-30 minutes.
Boil the pasta water
- While the sauce cooks, heat 4 quarts of water in a large pasta pot and add 1 ½ tablespoons of salt. Bring to a boil.
Make the meatballs
- In a large bowl, add the ground chicken, egg, breadcrumb, garlic, Italian seasoning, and parsley. Using clean hands, mix everything all together until thoroughly combined. You want the mixture to be thick enough so it sticks when rolling the meatballs, but do not overmix and add more breadcrumb little by little as needed to get the right consistency.
- Heat the olive oil in a large fry pan on medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the meatballs. Cook each side of the meatball for about 1-2 minutes and then turn. Continue turning the meatballs to help prevent them from burning.
- When the meatballs reach an internal temperature of 155 degrees, take them out of the fry pan and add them to the sauce.
Cook the spaghetti
- Once the water boils, add your spaghetti. Mix constantly for the first two minutes of cooking to prevent sticking. Following the directions on the box, cook until al dente.
- Serve the sauce and meatballs on top of the pasta!
Video
Notes
Serve spaghetti with meatballs and sauce. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Calories: 929kcal | Carbohydrates: 118g | Protein: 45g | Fat: 32g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 18g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 143mg | Sodium: 1793mg | Potassium: 1867mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 1081IU | Vitamin C: 28mg | Calcium: 236mg | Iron: 7mg