{This post is sponsored by Disney!} 

Giant + Mini Spaghetti and Meatballs!

Spaghetti and Meatballs | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

Hey guys! Happy December 1st! I wanted to kick off the best month of the year with a classic recipe that everyone loves. Actually, I think this is one of the most classic cozy meals there is. Who doesn’t love a plate of spaghetti and meatballs? It’s the perfect any night family meal. It’s also possibly one of my brother Creighton’s favorite dinners.

This is another one of those recipes that I always make around Christmas time when my family is town. It’s simple, quick, and can be easily doubled or tripled to feed a crowd. Plus, everyone seems to truly love the meal. I think there’s something about the combo of pasta, red sauce, meat and cheese. It gets people every time.

Today I’ve partnered with Disney for the release of The BFG on Blu-ray, Digital HD & Disney Movies Anywhere. If you guys have seen or heard anything about this movie, than you may know that it’s about a young girl named Sophie who befriends a big friendly giant! I don’t want to give away all the details because this is such a fun movie watch, but this recipe was inspired by the Big Friendly Giant’s giant appetite, and Sophie’s mini appetite. Fun right?

I took my everyday meatball recipe and created one GIANT meatball. Then I surrounded it with a bunch of mini meatballs, which actually makes for a cute presentation. Give your favorite family giant the exclusive meatball, and divi up the minis for us smaller eaters. Oh, and the minis work equally great as holiday appetizers for your next party!

Spaghetti and Meatballs | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvestSpaghetti and Meatballs | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

When I told my little sister, Asher what I was working on, she insisted that we watch the movie while decorating the Christmas tree and eating our bowls of spaghetti and meatballs…or in her case giant bowl…little backwards there. It ended up being perfect because while this is definitely a movie made for younger kids, it’s still a fun movie for adults to watch, and once Asher got tired of decorating, she crashed on the couch and finished watching the movie…leaving me with a giant mess .

Typical.

Anyway, when I was deciding on a recipe that would best inspire the big and little theme of the movie, I wanted to create something that would not only be great for holiday entertaining, but equally great for a simple family movie night.

These meatballs could not be more perfect!

I like to bake my meatballs for easy cooking and then top them with plenty of fresh mozzarella and parmesan…then simply add sauce and pasta! Yes, please!

So, do we have our dinner plans set? Movie watching and meatball eating? Cool, cool, me too!

Spaghetti and Meatballs | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest Spaghetti and Meatballs | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest
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3.79 from 87 votes

Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

The Recipe

Spaghetti and Meatballs.

By halfbakedharvest

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American, Italian
Keyword: meatballs, spaghetti

These meatballs could not be more perfect!

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 6 Servings
Calories 306 kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 pound lean ground sirloin
  • 3/4 cup bread crumbs
  • 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
  • 1/4 cup chopped parsley
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
  • kosher salt and pepper
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 egg
  • 1 jar marinara sauce
  • 1/3 cup mozzarella shredded
  • whole wheat pasta or spaghetti squash for serving

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish with olive oil.
  2. Mix together the ground sirloin, bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, parsley, dried oregano, crushed red pepper, salt, pepper, olive oil and egg to a mixing bowl until just combined.
  3. Coat your hands with a bit of olive oil, and roll the meat into 2 tablespoon size balls (will make 10-12 meatballs). Place the meatballs in the prepared baking dish and place in the oven. Bake for 15 minutes or until the meatballs are crisp on the outside, but not yet cooked through on the inside. Add the mozzarella cheese and continue cooking another 15-20 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked through.
  4. To make a Giant meatball, form the meat mixture into and oval and place in the prepared baking dish. Transfer to the oven and bake for 35-45 minutes or until the meat is cooked through. During the last 10 minutes of cooking, add the cheese. Serve with pasta and marinara.
Spaghetti and Meatballs | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

Got to love a good pasta twirl! 🙂

{This post is sponsored by Disney The BFG. Thank you for supporting the brands that keep Half Baked Harvest cooking!! :) }