Oh look, another meatball recipe. Are you surprised? Because you shouldn’t be. In all fairness I DID warn you about my unusual meatball obsession.

This recipe was inspired by Lady and the Tramp. The other day I was on Facebook and the trailer for the live action Lady and the Tramp movie started playing. Of course I got sucked right in and watched it through to the very end. I’m not Disney obsessed like a solid 50% of the people I know, but I enjoy Disney movies from time to time because it brings me back to my childhood for a moment or two. We all know that adorable scene when they are sharing a huge bowl of spaghetti. They end up eating the same strand and they kiss and it’s too adorable for words. I’m excited to see how they do that scene in the live action film. I’m sure it will be a little cheesy, but I’ll find out for myself when it eventually comes out on Redbox.

Needless to say, I had high hopes of recreating that scene with Mike. I pulled these little guys out of the oven around 3:00 pm on a Saturday. Odd time to be eating, I guess, but I know I sure can’t say no to a meatball no matter what time of the day it is or when my last meal was. So I plopped down on the couch next to him and started shoveling meatballs in my face. We did switch off with the plate a few times, but we’ll just leave the spaghetti kisses for the dogs for now. Mike is sick right now anyway so that scenario probably wouldn’t have been a good time for either of us.

Mini Meatball and Spaghetti Bake

Whole30 spaghetti and meatballs served up in a cute little boat!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

For the meatballs:
  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1 cup kale, packed, then shredded I use a food processor
  • 3 basil leaves, shredded fresh
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tbsp almond flour
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • sea salt to taste
  • fresh ground black pepper to taste
For the spaghetti boats:
  • 1 spaghetti squash about 3 lbs
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 cups marinara sauce of choice check labels for Whole30, I use Rao's
  • fresh basil for garnish
  • cheese of choice, shredded optional, if not paleo or on Whole30

Method
 

  1. Arrange the racks in your oven to accommodate the meatballs on a higher rack and the spaghetti squash on a lower rack. Preheat oven to 400° F. Line a large sheet pan with parchment paper.
  2. Cut the spaghetti squash in half the long way as evenly as possible. Place cut side down on a medium sheet pan (no parchment paper necessary).
  3. Make the meatballs: in a medium bowl, combine all of the meatball ingredients and mix with your hands. Roll into 1 inch round balls. Place in a single layer on the parchment paper lined sheet pan. You should have 30-35 meatballs.
  4. Put the meatballs on the higher rack and the squash on the lower rack. Bake the meatballs for 23 minutes. Remove meatballs from oven and move the squash to the higher rack. Keep the squash in the oven for another 10-15 minutes until the skin is tender. When the skin is pressed it will leave an indent.
  5. While the squash finishes baking, heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large sauce pan (I used a 6 quart) over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and saute until fragrant, 1-2 minutes. Add in the marinara sauce and meatballs and stir. Keep at a low simmer until the squash finishes baking.
  6. When the squash is done cooking, remove the seeds and slimy middle part with a fork and discard. Remove the threads with the fork and add the threads to the sauce pan and stir. When combined, add the mixture evenly to the squash halves.
  7. Optional step: return to oven for an additional 5-10 minutes until warmed through. This step is really only necessary if you are adding cheese to your squash boats. Remove from the oven when the cheese has melted to your liking. Garnish with fresh basil leaves and enjoy!