Spaghetti and Meatballs the healthy way!

Let's talk comfort food. I'm talking that big bowl of pasta that you want to curl up with and dive in and eat the whole thing and then regret it later when you feel like you might explode. Carbs are always something I have struggled with greatly. My favorite foods have always been mac & cheese, pasta, rice and bread. So this past weekend that comfort food craving was going strong so we had spaghetti and meatballs for lunch on Sunday.

Meatballs

Cage Free Natural Brown Eggs - 2
Italian Seasoning (From grinder) - 3/4 tsp.
Black pepper - 1/4 tsp.
Italian Style Bread Crumbs - 1/4 cup
Ground Beef 85/15 - 1 pound

I do use 85/15 for my meatballs and any grilling we do. The extra fat content adds the moisture needed to both burgers on the grill and meatballs.

Mix all of that up in a bowl real good. I am talking get in there with your hands and make them messy!!

After they are all mixed well we roll and have about 15 meatballs from 1 pound of ground beef. Put them on a jelly roll pan that has foil on it and is lightly oiled and pop them in a 350 degree oven for about 20 to 25 minutes.

I serve this with whole wheat penne pasta. It is less mess for the kids and a lot less mess for their clothes! One serving of the pasta and one serving of the meatballs is only 492 calories and only 27 carbs.

The weekend before last I made my own marinara sauce which we divided into containers and froze. I served this with the spaghetti and meatballs. The recipe is below:

Marinara Sauce 

12 medium Roma tomatoes
1 tbsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 medium white onion, diced
2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
2 celery ribs, diced
1 tbsp tomato paste
2 springs fresh oregano, stems removed
8 basil leaves
1 tbsp raw honey

Bring a large stock pot of water to boil on stove. Use a small knife to put a small x in the bottom of each tomato. Put the tomatoes in the boiling water for about 1 to 2 minutes until the skin begins to come off. Remove the tomatoes and put them into an ice bath until they are cool enough to work with.

Once they are cooled remove the skins by peeling them back from the x in the bottom. Slice the tomatoes and remove the seeds. Then coarsely chop the tomatoes and put them in a bowl.

In a medium sauce pan heat the oil on a medium-high heat. Add in the garlic, onion, carrots and celery and saute until the onion becomes translucent. Put in the tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano and basil. Cook while stirring it frequently until the sauce boils. Reduce the heat to a medium-low and let simmer for 45 minutes to an hour.

Remove from the heat and blend either with a hand blender or food processor. I used my blender and it came out perfect. Add the honey and salt and pepper to taste.

I put the finished product into small freezable containers. Let it cool to room temp and then put it in the freezer or the refrigerator. In the refrigerator it will last about 5 days and in the freezer 2 months.

For a half cup serving this will only run you 63 calories!!

This is perfect to put in the refrigerator on a Sunday night with some meatballs already cooked and some whole wheat pasta that is already cooked for a quick easy lunch throughout the week!