Healthy Spaghetti and Meatballs

By Shelly17

From the Dr. Oz Show: One serving of this recipe has less than half the calories of the typical dish, making it a perfect dinner for the whole family.

Ingredients

• Sauce
• 2 (25.5-oz) bottles marinara or tomato sauce with no more than 50 calories per 1/2 cup (reserve 1/2 cup for meatballs)
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• 4 cloves of finely chopped fresh garlic
• Meatballs
• 1 lb 100% white meat ground chicken breast
• 1/4 cup 100% whole-wheat flour
• 3/4 cup seasoned whole wheat bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup finely chopped broccoli
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• 1/2 cup finely chopped white mushrooms
• 1/2 cup tomato or marinara sauce (reserved from the sauce)
• 3 egg whites
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp finely chopped parsley
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• Spaghetti
• 1 lb 100% whole-wheat spaghetti
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for serving

Preparation

Step 1

Combine the sauce ingredients in a 10-quart pot and set over low heat. Do not allow the sauce to boil.

In a large mixing bowl, combine all the meatball ingredients and kneed well. Use a mini ice-cream scooper or your hands to make 14 to 18 meatballs. If you're using your hands to make the meatballs, you might want to have cold water nearby or spray your hands with a little cooking spray. Spray a 14-inch pan with cooking spray, heat the pan and brown the meatballs on all sides. Transfer the browned meatballs to the pot with the sauce. Raise the heat to medium and simmer for 30 minutes until the meatballs are cooked through.

While the meatballs simmer, cook the spaghetti according to package directions. Drain and divide among 8 plates.

Top the spaghetti with equal portions of meatballs and sauce. Sprinkle each portion with 1 tbsp of Parmesan. Serve at once.