One Pot Cheesy Spaghetti and Meatballs

This healthy one pot recipe is classic comfort food! Spaghetti and meatballs, made all in one pan, topped with ooey gooey ricotta cheese! 

Cheesy One Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs - This healthy one pot recipe is classic comfort food! Spaghetti and turkey meatballs, made all in one pan, topped with dollops of ooey gooey ricotta cheese! 418 calories per serving

This post is sponsored by House Foods

Meatballs and sauce are like Sundays in Massachusetts for me. If I’m at my parents’ house, my stepdad PJ makes a big pot of the world’s best sauce, his famous meatballs, chicken cutlets, sometimes eggplant parm, and my whole family eats this massive feast wherein my mother decides it’s absolutely imperative that she butters each and every family member’s bread. It’s this painfully slow process, and there’s nothing particularly artful about it since the butter is either fully melted or fully frozen, but she’s really dedicated and she’s so loving about it…also I’ve yelled too many times already…so we just let her.

So many Sundays now, I’ll get a text from PJ with a picture of meatballs, or a pile of chicken cutlets, and I’ll miss home. I’ll miss it especially when I look in my fridge and realize it’s bare but for an obscene collection of condiments. When I need to remind myself of my family’s favorite meal to eat together, I make meatballs and sauce…only I have zero patience and zero dishwasher…so I make it my way: all in one-pot. 

One Pot Cheesy Spaghetti and Meatballs - This recipe is classic comfort food! This one pot recipe is classic comfort food! Cheesy spaghetti and meatballs, made all in one pan, and finished with dollops of ricotta cheese!

Now, when I first started making this meal, it wasn’t a stretch for me to make sauce and meatballs in one pot; I’ve always cooked meatballs directly in my sauce to keep them tender and also help lend flavor to the sauce, but I hadn’t done that without boiling pasta in a separate pot on the side. The easy solution I found was using House Foods Shirataki noodles because they require no cooking whatsoever. 

house foods tofu shirataki noodles

The whole meal comes together in just 40 minutes–and 30ish of those will fill your home with the best smell imaginable. Don’t let the short cook-time make you question the full-flavor effect; it’s all there. The sauce is fragrant with loads of garlic, the savory familiarity of oregano, and bright spots of fresh basil. Making smaller meatballs — about an inch in diameter — helps ensure they’ll cook fast. 

The highlight of this dish, though, might be the ricotta. But cheese is always the star isn’t it? Cheese is to a dish what Meryl Streep is to a movie. A few spoonfuls of ricotta dolloped on top before serving add this overall richness — creating the same creamy pockets as baked ziti. It’s the straight line from here to comfort. 

Cheesy One Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs - This healthy one pot recipe is classic comfort food! Spaghetti and turkey meatballs, made all in one pan, topped with dollops of ooey gooey ricotta cheese! 418 calories per serving

The Shirataki spaghetti noodles make the meal as easy to come together as it is to clean up. All the noodles need is to be rinsed and dried well. To dry them, use a bunch of paper towels and give them a good squeeze or two to press out as much moisture as you can. If they’re too wet, they’ll water down the sauce and the sauce will slip right off of them. 

Cheesy One Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs - This healthy one pot recipe is classic comfort food! Spaghetti and turkey meatballs, made all in one pan, topped with dollops of ooey gooey ricotta cheese! 418 calories per serving

I’ve made this in a dutch oven, a cast iron skillet with deep sides, and even a shallow pot–so use whatever you have.

Make it and enjoy, friends!

Cheesy One Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs - This healthy one pot recipe is classic comfort food! Spaghetti and turkey meatballs, made all in one pan, topped with dollops of ooey gooey ricotta cheese! 418 calories per serving

One Pot Cheesy Spaghetti and Meatballs

This healthy one pot recipe is classic comfort food! Spaghetti and meatballs, made all in one pan, topped with ooey gooey ricotta cheese! 
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time35 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: cheesy spaghetti recipe, easy spaghetti meatball recipe, one pot spaghetti and meatballs
Servings: 4 Servings
Calories: 418kcal

Ingredients

Turkey Meatballs

  • 1 pound lean ground turkey breast
  • 1 tablespoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • ¼ cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
  • ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 large egg

Sauce

  • 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
  • ¼ cup finely chopped yellow onion
  • 3 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
  • 1 tablespoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 3 packages House Foods Tofu Shirataki Spaghetti Noodles
  • 1 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves chopped
  • ¾ cup part-skim ricotta cheese

Instructions

  • In a large bowl, combine the turkey breast, oregano, basil, salt, pepper, bread crumbs, Parmesan, and egg. Use your hands to mix. Form the mixture into roughly 1-inch balls (about 30 in total).
  • In a dutch oven or a high-sided saucepan with a lid, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until golden, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the tomato paste and stir constantly to combine with the onion and garlic, about 1 minute. Add the crushed tomatoes, oregano, sugar, and salt, and bring to a simmer. Add the meatballs, taking care to spread them out as evenly as you can, return the pan to a simmer, cover, and let cook for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent the meatballs from burning on the bottom.
  • While the meatballs are cooking, rinse and drain the Shirataki noodles. Use paper towels to squeeze as much moisture from them as you can and dry them well. When the meatballs are done simmering, add the noodles to the pan and use tongs to toss with the sauce. Let cook for 5 minutes to heat through. Stir in the basil. Dollop the top of the pan with spoonfuls of the ricotta cheese. Divide the spaghetti and meatballs among 4 bowls and serve.

Nutrition

Calories: 418kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 33g | Fat: 18g | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 10g

This post is sponsored by House Foods

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21 thoughts on “One Pot Cheesy Spaghetti and Meatballs

  1. Becki

    Spaghetti and Meatballs are my favorite and I love this twist on them to make it a little healthier without losing any of the decliciousness. I have to try those noodles – I have seen them a few times and I’m totally intrigued!

    Reply
    1. Andie Mitchell Post author

      Thanks Becki! Yes, you do have to try them! Unless you’re just 100% committed to real-deal pasta, these are a perfect swap for so few calories, and they make cooking ridiculously quick/easy. It sounds like this comment is sponsored too haha, but I’ve really been using these for years–probably since 2008 when I first found them! Let me know if you do try them and what you think!

      Reply
  2. Carol Hansen

    Andie,

    I usually don’t comment until after I make one of your dishes..but I gotta tell you, when this came on my feed, my heart literally skipped a beat! It reminded by of the spaghetti I had on my last trip NYC! It was a little Italian restaurant in Greenwich down from Murry’s cheese shop (where I would like to live…Murry’s that is)! When I saw it was your recipe I squealed because I know it will be amazing and healthy:) I’m visiting my daughters this weekend and the oldest one, that I made your Chicken Tikka Masala for, asked me to make this for her when I am up there lol….she is a fan as well! Can’t wait to try it! xoxoxo

    Reply
    1. Andie Mitchell Post author

      Oh I love hearing this, Carol! Knowing you’re making it for your daughters (the one who just started the new job, right?) is even better — this is family food :) xo Hope you gals enjoy!

      Reply
  3. Meredith

    Thank you, thank you! I’ve had zero pasta since being diagnosed with diabetes last Thanksgiving, and now, low and behold, low carb noodles to carry the sauce or cheese or whatever! I can’t wait to try these noodles and get some of these comfort dishes back in my life.

    Reply
  4. breanne simmons

    Hi! I love all your recipes! I have tried a bunch and intend to try as many as possible :). I have a problem though… I am not supposed to have soy within 4 hours of taking my medication (apparently it blocks how your body absorbs the medicine I take per my Doc) so I usually avoid tofu all together. I was wondering if you have found any other noodles similar to these? I would love it if there was something I could have at any time instead of worrying about when I took my pill. Thanks!

    Reply
    1. Andie Mitchell Post author

      Ooo good question! I’m glad you brought this up because I bet there are others who can’t tolerate soy! I haven’t found another product to use, but I’d say to use a vegetable noodle! So, try either roasting a spaghetti squash and shredding the noodles and pressing them with paper towels to make sure they’re really dry before adding them to the pot/pan, or spiralize some zucchini or summer squash!

      Reply
      1. Breanne Simmons

        Thanks! I’ve been trying to stash some cash to get the inspiralizer so once I do I will have to make some noodles that way :).

        Reply
  5. Kiani

    Just wanted to leave a comment and say that my boyfriend and I made this, this past weekend, and loved it. The tofu noodles were a perfect substitution for real pasta, and I plan to use them a lot more in the future. I made a couple of changes to the recipe which I enjoyed: shallots instead of yellow onion (it’s what we had on hand), some Worcestershire sauce, a bit of red wine I happened to be drinking and some more tomato paste. Thanks so much for such a satisfyingly healthy take on spaghetti and meatballs!

    Reply
  6. Nicole

    I JUST finished reading your book – it really changed my struggle. I identified with so much of it and it gave me such hope and such motivation. I borrowed it from the library but intend on buying a copy to read over and over. I can’t wait to get your cookbook. You are an amazing inspiration. Thank you for sharing your life with all of us!!!!

    Reply

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