Baked Italian Meatballs with Whole Wheat Spaghetti

Servings: 7-8

You’ll need:
3 pounds lean ground beef or turkey
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
2 cups Italian-style bread crumbs
3 large eggs
1 tsp. salt
1-1/2 tsp. pepper
3-1/2 cups (28 oz.) spaghetti sauce
1 pkg. whole wheat spaghetti (cooked al dente, mix in about 2 tsp. olive oil* and kept warm)
3-4 tsp. olive oil*
7-8 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease 1-2 10×15 inch jelly-roll pan/s with about 2 tsp. olive oil.

In a large mixing bowl, combine ground beef, minced garlic, Italian bread crumbs and salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly.

Scoop and shape the meat mixture into 1-1/2″ balls. Place in the prepared pan and bake in a preheated oven for 30-45 minutes, or until baked meatballs are browned and cooked thoroughly.

In a large pot over high heat, bring the spaghetti sauce to a boil and add baked meatballs. Reduce heat and simmer on low heat, stirring occasionally, for about 1-2 hours.

Serve at least 2-3 meatballs and 1/2 cup spaghetti sauce over pre-cooked whole wheat spaghetti and top with about 1 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese.

​Karen’s Note:  For high fiber use Whole Wheat Spaghetti either thin or regular. You can use Whole Grain Spaghetti, but keep in mind that in most cases “whole grain” pasta does not have nearly as much high fiber as “whole wheat” pasta.

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