Baked Pork Meatball Spaghetti with Vegetables
This baked pork meatball spaghetti with vegetables features tender homemade pork meatballs simmered in sweet marinara sauce with corn, peas, snap peas and shredded carrots. Served over saucy spaghetti with roasted zucchini and tomatoes, it is an easy, hearty family dinner packed with comforting flavour.
Equipment
- Large mixing bowl
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Box grater, for shredding carrots
- Cutting board
- Sharp kitchen knife
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper
- Large frying pan or deep skillet
- Large pot (for cooking spaghetti)
- Colander
- Wooden spoon or silicone spatula
- Tongs, for tossing the spaghetti
- Cookie scoop, optional for evenly sized pork meatballs
- Meat thermometer, for checking that the pork meatballs reach 160°F
Ingredients
Pork Meatballs
- 1 pound pork ground, regular or medium
- ¾ cup breadcrumbs Italian-seasoned
- 1 egg large and lightly beaten
- ¼ cup milk
- ½ cup onion finely chopped
- ½ cup carrot finely shredded
- ⅓ cup spinach frozen, thawed, chopped and squeezed very dry
- 2 cloves garlic finely minced
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper freshly ground
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese finely grated and optional
- 1 tablespoon olive oil for brushing or pan-frying
Vegetable Marinara Spaghetti
- 12 ounces spaghetti
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup carrot finely shredded
- 1 cup fresh corn kernels cut from approximately 1 large cob
- 1 650–700 millilitres jar marinara sauce sweet
- ½ cup pasta water reserved and used as needed
- 1 cup peas frozen
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- Salt added to taste
- Black pepper added to taste
Snap Peas and Roasted Vegetables
- 2 cups snap peas trimmed
- 1 zucchini medium and sliced into ½-inch rounds
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes left whole
- 2 tablespoons olive oil divided
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning divided
- ½ teaspoon salt divided
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper divided
For Serving
- Parmesan cheese shaved or grated
- Fresh basil thinly sliced or chopped
- Green onions thinly sliced and optional
Instructions
Prepare the pork meatballs
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Add the ground pork, breadcrumbs, egg, milk, onion, carrot, spinach, garlic, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt, pepper and Parmesan to a large mixing bowl.
- Mix gently until combined. Let the mixture rest for about 5 minutes so the breadcrumbs can absorb some of the moisture.
- Shape the mixture into approximately 15 to 18 meatballs and arrange them on the prepared baking sheet. Brush lightly with olive oil.
Bake the meatballs
- Bake the pork meatballs for 20 to 24 minutes, or until browned and cooked to an internal temperature of 160°F.
- For deeper browning, broil them for 1 to 2 minutes at the end. Watch closely.
- The meatballs may also be cooked in a lightly oiled frying pan over medium heat. Turn them repeatedly so all sides brown and the centres cook through.
Roast the zucchini and tomatoes
- Place the zucchini and cherry tomatoes on a second parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil and season with half of the Italian seasoning, salt and pepper.
- Roast for 15 to 20 minutes, turning the zucchini once, until tender and lightly browned.
Cook the snap peas
- Heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add the snap peas and season with the remaining Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until bright green and crisp-tender.
- Do not cook them too long. They are best when they still have a little crunch.
Prepare the vegetable marinara sauce
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large, deep skillet over medium heat.
- Add the shredded carrot and fresh corn. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Pour in the marinara sauce and add the Italian seasoning. Stir in approximately ¼ cup of reserved pasta water to loosen the sauce.
- Add the cooked pork meatballs and simmer gently for 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the frozen peas during the final 3 minutes.
Cook the spaghetti
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
- Cook the spaghetti according to the package directions until just tender. Reserve about 1 cup of pasta water, then drain.
Toss the spaghetti with the sauce
- Temporarily transfer the meatballs to a plate.
- Add the drained spaghetti to the skillet and toss it directly in the vegetable marinara sauce. Add more reserved pasta water as needed until every strand is evenly coated.
Assemble the dinner
- Divide the saucy spaghetti among six bowls.
- Top each serving with baked pork meatballs, sautéed snap peas, roasted zucchini and roasted cherry tomatoes.
- Finish with Parmesan, fresh basil and sliced green onions, if using.
Notes
- Use regular ground pork rather than extra-lean pork for tender, juicy homemade pork meatballs. A little fat helps prevent the meatballs from drying out while baking.
- Thaw the frozen spinach completely and squeeze it very dry before adding it to the pork meatball mixture. Spinach holds a surprising amount of water, and too much moisture can make the meatballs difficult to shape.
- Finely chop the onion and shred the carrots into small pieces so they blend evenly into the vegetable-packed pork meatballs. Larger pieces may cause the meatballs to crack or fall apart.
- Let the pork mixture rest for about 5 minutes before rolling. This gives the breadcrumbs time to absorb the moisture, and the mixture becomes much easier to handle.
- Avoid overmixing the ground pork. Mix only until the ingredients are combined to keep the baked pork meatballs soft and tender.
- Shape the meatballs into similar sizes so they cook evenly. A small cookie scoop is handy, but using slightly damp hands works just as well.
- Bake the pork meatballs at 425°F until browned and cooked to an internal temperature of 160°F. For deeper colour, broil them briefly at the end, but watch closely.
- The meatballs can also be cooked in a lightly oiled frying pan over medium heat. Turn them repeatedly so all sides brown evenly and the centres cook through.
- Simmer the cooked meatballs gently in the sweet marinara sauce. A hard boil can cause homemade meatballs to break apart.
- Add the frozen peas during the final few minutes of cooking so they stay bright green and do not become mushy.
- Fresh corn adds sweetness and texture to the vegetable marinara sauce, but frozen corn works well too. It can be added directly to the skillet without thawing.
- Roast the zucchini and cherry tomatoes separately so they brown properly and do not release extra water into the marinara sauce.
- Reserve some pasta water before draining the spaghetti. A small splash helps loosen the sauce and allows it to coat every strand.
- Toss the cooked spaghetti directly in the marinara sauce rather than serving the sauce only on top. The pasta absorbs more flavour this way.
- Jarred marinara, seasoned breadcrumbs and Parmesan can already contain salt, so taste the finished pork meatball spaghetti before adding extra seasoning.
- For a saucier spaghetti and meatball dinner, add another 1 to 2 cups of marinara sauce, especially if the pasta will be stored and reheated later.
Nutrition
Serving: 1servingCalories: 632kcalCarbohydrates: 68gProtein: 28gFat: 27gSaturated Fat: 9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 0.003gCholesterol: 86mgSodium: 707mgPotassium: 789mgFiber: 6gSugar: 9gVitamin A: 6021IUVitamin C: 26mgCalcium: 159mgIron: 3mg
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