Spaghetti & Meatball Cups

⏱ 35 mins 🍽 12 cups 🏷 Meatballs

Transform the classic spaghetti and meatball dish into individual baked cups for a tidy meal. The recipe involves preparing a fresh basil pesto, forming meatballs stuffed with mozzarella, and creating a spaghetti nest mixed with pesto and cheese. Each meatball is nestled into a spaghetti cup, topped with more cheese, and baked until golden and cooked through. This method delivers all the familiar flavours in a convenient, portion-controlled format perfect for sharing.

Spaghetti & Meatball Cups

Ingredients

  • 3 cups basil leaves
  • 2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts
  • 1 garlic clove, chopped
  • 1/3 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • kosher salt
  • 1/2 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
  • 1/3 cup milk
  • 3/4 lb ground beef
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
  • 1 teaspoon italian seasoning
  • 1/3 cup finely grated parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/2- inch cubes
  • 3 -4 tablespoons olive oil
  • 8 ounces spaghetti, cooked, drained and rinsed with cold water
  • 1/2 cup pesto sauce, plus 1/4 cup for garnish
  • 2 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1/4 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
  • 1 cup grated mozzarella cheese, plus 1/4 cup for topping

Method

  1. Begin by making the pesto. Place the basil leaves, toasted pine nuts, chopped garlic, 1/3 cup of parmesan cheese, olive oil and a pinch of salt into a food processor. Process the mixture until it is nearly smooth.
  2. Set your oven to heat to 400 degrees F. Take a 12-cup muffin tin and lightly coat it with nonstick cooking spray.
  3. Now, prepare the meatballs. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the breadcrumbs and milk. Add the ground beef, chopped parsley, Italian seasoning, 1/3 cup of grated parmesan cheese, the lightly beaten egg, salt and pepper. Mix to combine thoroughly.
  4. Separate the meat mixture into 12 equal portions. Flatten each portion into a patty, place a cube of mozzarella cheese in the middle, and then wrap the meat around it to form a sealed ball.
  5. Warm the olive oil in a large skillet. Cook the meatballs in batches, browning them for about 2 minutes on each side. Once browned, transfer them to a plate and set aside.
  6. For the spaghetti cups, take the cooked, drained and cooled spaghetti and combine it with 1/2 cup of the prepared pesto, the 2 lightly beaten eggs, 1/4 cup of grated parmesan cheese and 1 cup of grated mozzarella cheese.
  7. Divide this spaghetti mixture evenly among the 12 prepared muffin cups. Use your fingers or a spoon to create a hollow in the centre of each portion.
  8. Place one prepared meatball into the hollow of each spaghetti nest. Finish each cup by sprinkling about 2 teaspoons of grated mozzarella cheese over the top.
  9. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, or until the meatballs are fully cooked through and the cheese is melted and bubbling.

Nutrition (per serving)

Sodium528700 mg

Recipe details

CategoryMeatballs
AuthorGenius Kitchen