Spaghetti and Meatballs | Baked Chicken meatballs with Spaghetti Marinara
Author: 
Cuisine: Italian
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 3-4 servings
 
Ingredients
  • Spaghetti – 250 gms
  • Olive oil – 3 tbsp
  • Onion – 1, small, finely chopped
  • Garlic – 6 to 8 cloves, minced
  • Homemade marinara sauce – 2 cups
  • Fresh basil leaves – 1 cup + handful to garnish
  • Italian seasoning – 2 tsp
  • Parmesan cheese – 1 cup, grated
  • Salt and black pepper to taste
For chicken meatballs
  • Chicken mince – 500 gms
  • Onion – 1, small, grated
  • Garlic – 6 to 8 cloves, minced
  • Dried basil – 2 tsp
  • Panko breadcrumbs – ½ cup
  • Parmesan cheese – ⅓ cup, grated
  • Egg – 1
  • Salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
For chicken meatball:
  1. Take a large bowl and add all the ingredients listed under chicken meatball into the bowl. Mix them well to make a homogeneous mixture. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it chill in refrigerator for an hour.
  2. Preheat your oven to 180 C / 350 F. Place a grilling rack on top of a baking tray and brush the rack with olive oil to avoid the meatballs from sticking to it.
  3. Smear some oil on your palms, take about a heaped tablespoon of meatball mixture and roll it into a ball. Place on the greased rack. You should get approximately 25 to 30 meatballs.
  4. Once all the meatballs are rolled out and placed on the rack, brush or spray each of them with some oil; this will ensure even browning.
  5. Place the grilling rack along with baking tray at the center of the preheated oven and bake the meatballs for about 30 minutes or until they turn golden brown on all side.
For sauce and spaghetti:
  1. Cook spaghetti in a large pot of heavily salted boiling water according to packet instructions until al-dente. Reserve a cup of pasta boiling water and drain the rest. Set it aside while you make the sauce.
  2. Heat a large skillet and add 3 tablespoons of olive oil to it. Add the minced garlic and sauté on medium for 1 minute making sure the garlic doesn’t burn.
  3. Next add the chopped onion and sauté them on medium for 5 minutes until it becomes soft and translucent. You won’t need to brown them.
  4. Now add the marinara sauce, fresh basil leaves, Italian seasoning, grated parmesan, salt and pepper to taste. Give them a good stir and sauté on medium for 5 minutes to let all the flavors mingle together.
  5. Finally add the cooked spaghetti and toss them in the sauce to coat each strand with the sauce. If the sauce seems to be too thick, drizzle some of the reserved pasta water to loosen it up while keeping the skillet on medium heat.
  6. Drop in the baked chicken meat balls and give one final stir to coat the meatballs with the marinara sauce.
  7. Serve the delicious spaghetti and meatballs garnished with fresh basil, parmesan shavings and a good drizzle of olive oil. Enjoy!
Recipe by Flavor Quotient at https://www.flavorquotient.com/2018/12/spaghetti-and-meatballs/