Best Green Spaghetti Meatballs Recipes

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SPAGHETTI WITH GREEN CHILI-PINE NUT MEATBALLS



Spaghetti with Green Chili-Pine Nut Meatballs image

Categories     Beef     Dairy     Nut     Pasta     Pepper     Tomato     Dinner     Parmesan     Meat     Ground Beef     Pine Nut     Fall     Winter     Party     Noodle     Bon Appétit

Number Of Ingredients 25

For tomato sauce
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
2 14 1/2-ounce cans diced tomatoes in juice
Pinch of sugar
2/3 cup chicken stock or canned low-salt chicken broth
1/3 cup red wine
1 tablespoon butter
For meatballs
1 pound lean ground beef
1/3 cup fresh breadcrumbs made from white bread
1/4 cup diced canned mild green chilies
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 large egg, beaten to blend
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
20 ounces (1 1/4 pounds) spaghetti
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Steps:

  • For tomato sauce:
  • Heat oil in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add garlic and sauté 1 minute. Add crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes with juices and sugar. Simmer over medium heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add stock and wine. Simmer uncovered until reduced to 5 cups, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat. Whisk in butter. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Cool. Cover and chill.)
  • For meatballs:
  • Preheat oven to 375°F. Combine beef, breadcrumbs, chilies, 1/4 cup tomato sauce, pine nuts, onion, bell pepper, egg, tomato paste, garlic, salt, pepper, fennel and thyme in large bowl; mix well. Using 1 heaping tablespoon for each, form mixture into balls; transfer to 2 baking sheets. Bake until cooked through, about 15 minutes.
  • Bring tomato sauce to simmer. Add meatballs and simmer 1 minute.
  • Meanwhile, cook spaghetti in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite. Drain well, reserving 1 cup cooking liquid. Transfer cooked spaghetti to large serving bowl. Add tomato sauce and meatballs and toss to coat. Add reserved cooking liquid to spaghetti by tablespoonfuls to moisten if necessary. Serve, passing Parmesan separately.

GREEN SPAGHETTI & MEATBALLS



Green spaghetti & meatballs image

Feed three adults or six kids with this spaghetti dinner that packs in two of your 5-a-day. Just the thing for children who are wary of greens

Provided by Cassie Best

Categories     Dinner, Main course, Supper

Time 40m

Number Of Ingredients 10

500g lean pork mince
1 apple , grated
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tbsp oil
250g-300g wholemeal spaghetti (for children, use white spaghetti as wholemeal can be too filling)
200g baby spinach , plus extra to serve
1 ripe avocado , stoned and peeled, plus extra to serve
small bunch basil
100g frozen peas
25g parmesan , grated, plus extra to serve

Steps:

  • Mix the mince, apple and fennel seeds in a bowl. Divide and roll into 24 cherry tomato-sized balls. Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Cook the meatballs until golden brown and cooked through. Heat a large pan of water and cook the pasta following pack instructions.
  • Meanwhile, make the sauce. Set aside a handful of spinach, 4 tbsp peas and half the avocado for later. Pour hot water over the rest of the peas to defrost them, then drain well. Whizz the defrosted peas, spinach, avocado, basil and parmesan in a blender with 100ml pasta water, adding more if needed, to make sauce. Season well.
  • Add the reserved frozen peas to the pasta for the last min of cooking. Drain, saving some of the water, and tip the pasta into the meatball pan. Add the sauce and cook for a minute or 2 until hot, adding more seasoning or pasta water if you need to. Serve a salad of spinach and avocado on the side and top the pasta with extra parmesan for adults, if you like.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 720 calories, Fat 27 grams fat, SaturatedFat 8 grams saturated fat, Carbohydrate 59 grams carbohydrates, Sugar 5 grams sugar, Fiber 13 grams fiber, Protein 54 grams protein, Sodium 0.7 milligram of sodium

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