Baked Spaghetti with Turkey Meatballs

It’s fall y’all! Time to start enjoying warm comfort foods once again. As a child, my moms spaghetti was one of my favorite dinners. A huge plate of pasta topped with her spaghetti sauce along with a vegetable (of course) and buttery garlic bread. Now that’s a serious comfort meal. Today I’m tweaking my moms traditional spaghetti recipe to create a family favorite of my own…Baked Spaghetti with Turkey Meatballs.

My spaghetti is pretty simple to make too, thanks to my helper…Ragu Pasta Sauce! The first step is to make the meatballs. I decided to lighten up the traditional recipe by using ground turkey.

Next comes the dry pasta. After breaking the pasta in half, I simply place it into a baking dish full of marinara sauce. Be sure to arrange in a single layer or the pasta will stick together and cook into big clumps. (Don’t ask me how I know this! 😉 )

Top the pasta with your meatballs and basil. Oh, how I love fresh basil. Doesn’t it just smell marvelous?

Now this dish is ready for the oven. After about an hour of baking , it’s time for the last ingredient….cheese! A nice sprinkle on top then a quick stop under the broiler. Who doesn’t love warm, gooey melted cheese on their spaghetti?! I often will make a salad and a veggie (of course) to complete this family’s favorite dinner.

Did you know that Ragu all started from one woman’s family tradition as well? Go meet Assunta Cantisano and learn the heritage story behind this famous sauce.

What’s your favorite comfort food dinner? Is it a traditional recipe too?

Baked Spaghetti with Turkey Meatballs

Prep Time: 25 minutes  Cook Time: 65 minutes
Serves 6

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 pounds ground turkey
• 1 cup seasoned bread crumbs
• 3/4 cup milk
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 1/2 teaspoon chopped garlic
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 4 cups marinara sauce (32 ounces)
• 12 ounces spaghetti, broken in half
• sprigs of basil
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a medium bowl, combine the turkey, bread crumbs, milk, eggs, garlic, salt, and pepper. Mix well and form into 15 meatballs. Set aside.

In a 10×7  baking dish, whisk the marinara sauce with 1 cup water until well blended. Add the spaghetti and stir to evenly coat. Arrange in a single layer. Add the meatballs and sprigs of basil. Cover and bake. Make sure to stir the dish once or twice until the pasta and meatballs are cooked through, about 55-60 minutes.

Top with cheese and broil for about a minute until cheese melts. Garnish with a few extra basil sprigs. Enjoy!