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. It's an easy dinner that comes together in under 30 minutes. Who doesn't love a good whole-wheat spaghetti and meatball recipe?
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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. If you prefer chicken, try these homemade Chicken Meatballs!
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! With your leftovers, make this Fried Spaghetti!
Whole-Wheat Spaghetti and Meatballs
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. It's an easy dinner that comes together in under 30 minutes. Who doesn't love a good whole-wheat spaghetti and meatball recipe?
Print Recipe
Servings: 4 people
Ingredients
- 1 lb whole-wheat spaghetti
- pasta sauce
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 egg (beaten)
- ⅓ cup whole-wheat breadcrumbs
- ⅓ cup parmesan cheese (freshly grated)
- ½ cup carrot (in bits (you can grind the carrot 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 Italian seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- crushed red pepper (to taste)
- olive oil (for greasing the baking sheet)
Instructions
- Boil pasta noodles according to package directions.
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
- Mix together ground beef and next 10 ingredients (find a recipe for breadcrumbs here - Whole Wheat Breadcrumbs). 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.
Notes
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition Facts
Whole-Wheat Spaghetti and Meatballs
Amount Per Serving
Calories 775
Calories from Fat 252
% Daily Value*
Fat 28g43%
Saturated Fat 11g69%
Cholesterol 129mg43%
Sodium 559mg24%
Potassium 636mg18%
Carbohydrates 95g32%
Fiber 2g8%
Sugar 1g1%
Protein 42g84%
Vitamin A 2805IU56%
Vitamin C 3.5mg4%
Calcium 182mg18%
Iron 7.5mg42%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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Kerri Simmons says
I made these last night with ground turkey. They were a HIT! Keep up the great work!
laura maccarthy says
made these tonight for the 2nd time. last time we found the garlic too strong and the carrots too crunchy (although we still gobbled them up and so did one of our kids). tonight i lighted sauteed the garlic and carrots, waited for it to cool, then added it as well as some fresh parsley. TO DIE FOR. thanks so much, this one's a keeper!
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Jane. You can find dried Italian seasoning with other dried herbs in the seasoning section at any grocery store. It's usually a combination of oregano, basil, thyme, marjoram, rosemary, etc. Enjoy. ~Amy
jane maihan says
hi - i'm making these tonight - what is dried italian seasoning?
Susan says
Made these tonight. LOVE! I loved how easy they were (and my 3 yr old son loved helping). My very very picky husband even liked them.
Carrie says
I made these tonight and they were delicious! This was the first time I had attempted meatballs and they were so easy to make. Thank you for the recipe and for inspiring my husband and I to get processed food our of our diet! Keep up the good work!
Lauryn says
Thank you for this recipe! The meatballs my husband makes are dry and yukky. I made these and the whole family was happy! Keep up the great work because a lot of us are depending on you for such wonderful recipes!
kris says
Great recipe! My 3 toddlers loved them and its always hard to find something that pleases them and my husband and this was definitely a winner. I didn't have soy and used tamari instead and it still worked great. Thanks so much for all your great recipes!
Katie says
These are delicious! Will no doubt become a staple for us...Do you have culinary training or did you just figure these recipes out "on the fly"?
Lisa says
I have no culinary training...but lots of experience!
Marcy says
So delicious, made it today. Also wished I had made a double batch. YUM!
Danielle says
I made these tonight my first ever attempt at beef meatballs. They were great! And so quick to put together - we actually ate super early since I thought I would need a bunch of time to get this together and I defintely didn't. My kids loved them! I used fresh herbs instead of Italian seasoning because I had just done a huge trip to our farmers market and had a bunch of stuff on hand. We also used quinoa pasta which was great. Thanks for a great recipe!
Dinah says
Sounds delish! As an alternative to soy sauce try bragg's liquid aminos. Still great taste without all the sodium :)
Meribah says
These are fabulous!!! And really not that hard to make, considering all of the ingredients!
Jan says
Hi,
I made this tonight. I was going to make spaghetti anyway so decided to try your recipe. I usually just make a meat sauce but wanted to put more into our supper. It was delicious!
Jan
Amy Wood says
Do you think these would be good as chicken meatballs?
Assistant to 100 Days (Jill) says
Hi Amy. I have not tried them with chicken, but, you could certainly give it a try. Jill
Jara says
These really are the most amazing meatballs! I have been trying all kinds of meatball recipes, but this is the recipe I will use from now on. It's a winner!
Sue says
You should call these make out meatballs. They were so good people should want to make out with them.
I put them on some wheat toast with your homemade red sauce recipe & fresh sliced mozzarella and put it in the toaster oven. I love the red pepper flakes kick they have.
Yum! Yum!
Sue C says
I made these for the first time tonight. They came together really quickly and were delicious. I started the meal when we all got home from work/daycare, and dinner was on the table within the hour. My only regret is that I didn't make a double batch. There is just enough left for my lunch tomorrow. Great recipe!
Marty B says
I made these tonight and have never made homemade meatballs before - super easy and SUPER delicious! I used ground organic chicken and forgot the carrots, but otherwise followed the recipe. THANK YOU SO MUCH! It has been a long journey switching to "real food", but we are slowly getting there and this really helped!
Erin says
Is it possible to make these without the egg? My son has an allergy to eggs.
Assistant to 100 Days (Jill) says
Hi Erin. You can always use an egg substitute. I think you can make one with ground flaxseed. Good luck. Jill
NurseLisa says
Looks delish! I have just started making homemade whole wheat pasta and it is so good and pretty easy! I'll try it with your sauce next time! The sauce I have been making lately is basically a roasted bruschetta that I blend after it has finished roasting! Yumm!
S says
I just made these tonight- they were delicious! My girls want to take them for lunch next school year. Thank you.
Also, I just wanted to let everyone know this seems to be a very forgiving recipe. I did not add the red wine vinegar or the garlic cloves. I meant to but it was hectic and I forgot. I also used oats instead of breadcrumbs. This is a wonderful recipe!
E says
what about a cooking the meatballs in the crock pot?
Assistant to 100 Days (Jill) says
Hi Ericka. I would be afraid that they would "fall apart" in the crock pot because it might make them too soft. You could always give it a try though. Let us know how it goes. Jill
Jennifer says
Can you make this without the bread crumbs? I am on a special diet due to health reasons and I cannot any carbs.
Assistant to 100 Days (Jill) says
Hi Jennifer. I find that the bread crumbs seem to hold it all together. Is it a gluten issue? If so, you could try gluten free breadcrumbs. Or, give it a try without the breadcrumbs and see how they turn out! Good luck. Jill
Patty Conley says
Just made this tonight. It was wonderful. Even my husband loved it. Thank you for all the great recipes you put on here. It's a great website for helping us "clean" it up!!
bekah ponce says
I loved this recipe. My whole family ate everything. Which can be hard with little
ones! I am curious about your take on everything whole wheat. We try to use all whole wheat as well, but for some pastries I find my self using unbleached white flour. I have been looking into the case Dr. Matt Hyman has studied about gluten its toll on our bodies. he speaks about how most people have this intolerance but do not know it. Look into his research and I would love to get your perspective.
Also, we currently eat Mom's Best Cereal, can you recommended one with even fewer ingredients?
Thanks,
B
100 Days of Real Food says
I occasionally use white flour as well (usually half white and half whole-wheat) in cookies and birthday cake. I am not familiar with mom's best cereal, but there are a few 1-ingredient whole-grain cereals including Shredded Wheat, Barbara's Wheat Biscuits, and the puffed grain cereals (like rice, corn, wheat).
Heidi says
Can you give me your thoughts on the Dreamfields brand of pastas? They say that they only have 5 grams of carbs due to somehow "hiding" some of the cards so they aren't digested? Any info would be appreciated. Thanks!
100 Days of Real Food says
I don't worry at all about carbs (or calories or protein or any of that) all I really care about is the ingredients. I would just make sure it is 100% whole-grain.
Beth says
I finally got around to making these tonight! I paired them with some spaghetti squash and canned pasta sauce (I don't want to waste what we have already bought before I make my own sauce, but it was too sweet! You're already changing my taste buds). I will say that I didn't realize I didn't have any soy sauce, so I just added 1/2 tsp instead of the called for 1/4. I also didn't realize that I grabbed the 1 tsp instead of the 1/2, so I ended up adding 3 tsp instead of 1.5 tsp of the red wine vinegar.
And guess what! They were still delicious!! Pretty hard to mess them up, which is a WONDERFUL thing for me. Thank you for this yummy recipe :)
Web Design says
Good recipe!
Jessica @ Crunchy-Chewy Mama says
Just now learning about your site via Holistic Moms Network. Love it! Congratulations, and thank you! I'll be sharing this.
I've been GF since 2004 and because of GI issues postpartum, I've been on the GAPS diet for 8 months: eating grain-free, sugar-free and exclusively homemade everything except for nut butter and a few other very occasional exceptions. Anytime I stray, I pay! I notice you are back to using packaged pasta but wonder if you could link to any pasta recipes you tried during the 100 days? It would be cool for recipes to have the quick options and the full-on Real Food options. I try to make more brown rice with chicken stock (or soaked per Nourishing Traditions), but my son still prefers rice pasta and I've yet to try making my own.
100 Days of Real Food says
I do actually make my own pasta a lot...but if I don't have enough time I am certainly not scared to go for the boxed stuff. The recipe I used in this ravioli is what I use for regular pasta noodles as well: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2010/09/01/recipe-butternut-squash-ravioli/
Allison P says
Made this for my dad who was visiting in town. Delicious and really quick! And I have plenty left over for lunch tomorrow!
Brittany says
Instead of buying jarred pasta sauce I like to make my own with canned organic diced tomato, butter ,onion, and salt and pepper. It is so simple and delicious and follows "the rules". I will never buy jarred sauce again! Here is the recipe.
3 cans of organic diced tomatoes (the 14 oz. cans- so 42 ounces total)
~1 onion, cut in half
~5 Tablespoons of Butter
~Salt and Pepper to taste
Put diced tomato into the pot(do not drain the liquid out, just put the whole thing in). Then add the butter and the two onion halves. Bring these ingredients to a boil. When it starts boiling reduce the heat down to medium low and simmer uncovered for 40 minutes. Stir occasionally.
After 40 minutes. Remove the onions and throw them away. Add a little salt and pepper to taste.
Enjoy your delicious homemade organic simple pasta sauce on all your favorite pastas!
Marlana says
Thanks for the recipe! I'm going to try this next time I make spaghetti.
Julie says
Do you have recommendations for pasta sauce? I have trouble deciding which ones follow the rules!
Thanks!
100 Days of Real Food says
We really like a sauce from our Farmer's Market, but I have seen other organic brands that have a simple list of ingredients. You can also make your own sauce from fresh or canned tomatoes. Here's a recipe we really like (and it's easy!): https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/06/21/recipe-simple-spaghetti-plus-%E2%80%9Cthe-fresh-20%E2%80%9D-sponsor/ One other option is to buy plain canned organic tomato sauce and add your own seasonings.
Kari says
We had what I called an "Extreme Makeover: Dinner Edition" the other night with our spaghetti. It was whole wheat, I used organic pasta sauce and turkey meatballs that I had gotten on manager's special at the grocery store. It was all so delicious. And it made me happy that my kids liked the whole wheat spaghetti and the turkey meatballs. It's the little changes, you know! Thanks for all of your inspiration! I have learned so much from your site!
Helen Taylor says
Made these for dinner last night, yum and super easy!
Hannah Elise says
I'll have aghetti. I'm out of carrots and don't have any wine vinegar (just ACV, which I'm assuming addsa different flavor?), so I'll put those on the shopping list. :) Only thing I think I would omit is the soy sauce... I try to avoid soy when possible. I imagine they'd still be pretty flavorful without it, though!
100 Days Admin says
Have you tried Bragg's Liquid Aminos? - Nicole
Ann-Marie says
Love this recipe.
I cooked my meatballs right in the sauce instead of on a seperate pan in the oven. Just heat the sauce in a saucepan, turn it to med-low. Drop the raw meatballs in, making sure they are covered by sauce. Cover the pot and let it gently simmer for 15mins or so until they're cooked through. Soooo yummy. Gives a great flavor to the sauce as well.
100 Days of Real Food says
Good idea to cook them in the sauce...that means one less dirty pan!
Jocelyn Skelly says
I doubled my meatloaf recipe last night to make a batch of meatballs but looking over your recipe, I'm realizing I should have added some parmesan cheese and italian seasoning to make them more meatbally...next time :)
Alicia says
...aaannd the meatballs were a big hit! Thank you!
Alicia says
Making it right now! Smells yummy! =)