This is one of those recipes that my whole family absolutely loves. 
Let’s face it…meatballs are a crowd pleaser. My youngest daughter even likes cold leftover meatballs in her lunch on occasion. These would also be good on toothpicks as an appetizer at a party or a tailgate, or you could mix them together with some warm noodles and sauce like the picture. You could also double the recipe and freeze the leftover meatballs (when they are either raw or cooked) for a quick meal on a busy day. No matter what you decide to do I promise you will not be disappointed. This recipe has been one of our family’s favorite “go-to” meals for years!
Whole-Wheat Spaghetti and Meatballs
Serves: 4-5
Ingredients
- 1 lb whole-wheat noodles
- Red pasta sauce
- 1 lb ground beef, grass-fed
- 1 egg, beaten
- ⅓ cup whole-wheat bread crumbs
- ⅓ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- ½ cup carrot bits (you can grind them in a food processor, grate then dice them, or mince them)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 ½ teaspoons red wine vinegar
- 1 ½ teaspoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- Crushed red pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Boil pasta noodles according to package directions.
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
- Mix together ground beef and next 10 ingredients. I find it easiest to use my hands.
- Generously grease a baking sheet with olive oil.
- Roll the beef mixture into meatballs the size of golf balls. Place them in rows onto the greased baking sheet.
- Bake for 9 – 11 minutes or until brown all the way through.
- Serve meatballs on top of cooked noodles and warm pasta sauce. Garnish with extra Parmesan cheese if desired.
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I made these tonight and made meatball subs. The kids told me that they didn’t like them…they LOVED them!
How necessary are the breadcrumbs? I would need to leave them out or find a substitution for my husband who isn’t eating gluten.
Hi Kristin. You could use gluten free bread crumbs. The crumbs do help bind these together. I’ve used brown rice bread and made my own. I also recall someone using gluten free oats as a sub. Best of luck.
Have you found a brand of soy sauce that does not contain GMO’s?
We have an organic soy from Eden
What kind of “red pasta sauce” are you using? Do you make your own?
Hi Jennifer. Her is Lisa’s recipe for homemade: http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2010/07/19/recipe-homemade-spaghetti-sauce/. Here is a jarred sauce that she uses, too: http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2012/04/10/real-food-tips-4-super-quick-wholesome-dinners/. ~Amy
My gramma taught me to make meatballs when I was really young but hers take quite awhile to make. I decided to try this, pretty convinced I wouldn’t like them and I’d desperately miss my go to family recipe. I was wrong, these are absolutely delicious! (Still love my Gramma’s) but these are a great addition for an easy meal
I’m a big fan of 100 Days! I bought some grass-fed beef yesterday thinking I will try making meatballs for the first time. So this is the first (and last) place I looked for a recipe! Delicious and quick–I minced the carrots by hand and used oatmeal in place of bread crumbs. Thanks!
I made these tonight with gluten free bread crumbs and gluten free pasta and the kids and hubby loved them! I was told it was the best dinner in awhile.
[...] them and I am so glad that I did. No part of me was disappointed. You can find the full recipe here. The recipe yielded twelve 2 oz meatballs, and I imagine substituting the beef for turkey would [...]
[...] in the freezer to use later. They freeze really well and thaw quickly. I adapted this recipe from 100 Days of Real Food. I replaced the wheat bread crumbs in this with Food For Life Rice Bread. I also replaced the [...]
The meatballs were good but I will par boil the carrots next time before adding to the ground beef.
I make homemade meatballs once a week – our whole family loves them. Your recipe sounds delicious and I will have to try it. What brand of pasta do you buy? We’ve had mixed experiences with whole grain pastas. My family thinks the texture is different (I don’t really notice) and I could use some guidance!
Hi Julie. There is not one particular brand we recommend. Sometimes it just takes a bit of trial and error to find the one your family likes best. I found that over cooking the noodles a bit when I first made the switch to be helpful with the texture issues. I also switched back and forth between whole wheat and brown rice. Hope that helps a little. ~Amy
[...] pound homemade beef meatballs (we have a attempted and real recipe you can adhere to), preferably [...]
[...] appliance for shredding small items like fresh ginger, garlic, or a few carrots (to go in your meatballs) and also to make small batches of pesto. The last thing I want to do is clean my big food [...]
Made these tonight but used ground turkey…BEST MEATBALLS EVER!
I made these tonight. They were awesome. I used ground turkey also. Very good. Love the carrots in them. Where do you find whole wheat breadcrumbs? I couldn’t make it to a Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods and couldn’t find them at Harris Teeter.
Hi Carly. If you can’t find them, you can always make your own and keep them on hand for when you need them. ~Amy
Where do you buy that brand of spaghetti sauce?
Hi Jessica. Eden Organic can be found at most conventional grocery stores as well as health food stores. Lisa does the majority of her shopping at Earth Fare. ~Amy