Baked Spaghetti and Meatball Cups

Fun, handheld, portable baked spaghetti and meatball cups with your leftovers!! Perfect for school lunch box, get-togethers, parties and even dinner.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Keyword baked spaghetti nests, leftover spaghetti and meatballs recipe, leftover spaghetti recipe, spaghetti and meatball cups, spaghetti cupcakes, spaghetti muffins

Prep Time 25

Cook Time 25

Total Time 25

Servings cups

Calories 181kcal

Author Maria Doss

Ingredients

6 ounces spaghetti, cooked and cooled
1 egg, whisked to combine
2 and ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
½ cup grated parmesan cheese, divided
1 to 2 cups jarred marinara sauce, I used Prego, divided
12 cooked meatballs, I used these Healthyish Baked Chicken Meatballs
chopped fresh basil leaves, for garnish

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Liberally spray a 12-cup standard muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
Toss cooked and cooled spaghetti (cold spaghetti from refrigerator works well too) with beaten egg, 1 cup shredded mozzarella, ¼ cup parmesan and ¼ to ½ cup marinara sauce ( I used ¼ cup, since my kids are not huge fans of tomato sauce) together in a large bowl.
Portion into the muffin pan, packing each cup like a nest with some space in the middle to place meatball (refer pictures).
Place a cooked meatball into each cup and spoon about 1-2 tablepsoons marinara sauce on top of each meatball.
Liberally sprinkle remaining mozzarella and parmesan on top of each spaghetti and meatball cup.
Bake for about 25 minutes, until the cheese is melted and top begins to get golden.
Place pan on a wire rack to cool slightly before removing the cups. Run a butter knife around the edges to gently loosen and then remove each cup.
Serve hot or warm or pack into lunch boxes.

Notes

Can I make baked spaghetti nests without meatballs?

Of course! Pack the prepared spaghetti into the muffin pan (do not leave any indentation for the meatballs), top with marinara sauce, cheese and bake <---- A great leftover spaghetti recipe.

Can I make these with spaghetti with meat sauce or just marinara sauce already mixed in?

Again YES. Proceed as with making without meatballs and skip the sauce on top. Add cheese and proceed.

Can I make these with leftover spaghetti and meatballs?

Seperate spaghetti and meatballs separately. Proceed with the recipe but skip the sauce topping.

Nutrition