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Spaghetti and meatballs plated with fork, knife and napkin
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5 from 2 votes

Go-To Meals: Spaghetti & Meatballs

A quick way to get a comforting dinner without resorting to takeout!
Course Main Course
Keyword Italian, Meatballs, Spaghetti
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings 4 Servings
Cost 10

Ingredients

  • 1/2 pound Spaghetti noodles of your choice I used thin spaghetti in this.
  • 1 jar Spaghetti sauce of your choice I used Prego.
  • 1/2 pound Frozen Italian meatballs of your choice Mine are from Costco.

Instructions

  • Fill a large pot with water, enough to cover and cook your pasta and get it on the stove on high with a lid on it.
  • While the water is getting hot, gather the rest of your ingredients on the counter so they are easy to reach.
  • Defrost meatballs in the microwave for a few minutes to get them ready to cook.
  • In a medium-sized pot or skillet (with a lid), heat a little olive oil and pan-fry your meatballs until there are a few sides that are golden brown.
  • When the meatballs are browned, open your sauce and add it to the pan with the meatballs. Cover the pan and let the sauce heat up over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
  • By now, your water should be boiling, add your noodles and let cook according to package directions.
  • Your meal is almost done! Heat up the veggies you chose for a side dish. My favorite is frozen broccoli!
  • When the pasta is done, drain and return to the pot.
  • Check your meatballs are heated through to the middle. If so, you are ready to go!
  • Begin plating your dinner. While I plate, I also dish up servings of pasta into leftover containers so they are ready to go for lunch tomorrow and serving sizes are roughly equal.
  • Now relax and enjoy!

Notes

Notes and suggestions for some variations!
  • Using browned ground beef in the sauce instead of meatballs. This makes it more of a Bolognese-style sauce. 
  • Mixing up the pasta style and using a short penne or rotini style pasta
  • Adding some extras to the sauce like a spoonful of pesto or a splash of cream
  • Use your favorite sauce. Prego tastes like a childhood memory for me, but if you want to go gourmet and use a fancy brand, you do you!
  • Using freshly grated parmesan cheese as a topping  (Fresh parmesan cheese can be frozen so it is always available to you to dress up a dinner!)
  • Mixing up the veggie to be a side salad, or skipping the veggie in favor of a breadstick or roll!