Baked spaghetti and meatballs are a simple dinner or school lunch idea that everyone will love. Spaghetti, marinara, cheese, and meatballs are baked into a fun handheld dinner!
Spaghetti with meatballs is a family favorite. The recipe below changes this classic into a handheld dinner or school lunch idea perfect for any night of the week.
How To Make
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Spray muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray.
- Cook pasta per box instructions. Drain.
- In a medium-sized bowl, blend cooked spaghetti noodles with 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, egg, and salt and pepper to taste. Blend well.
- Divide spaghetti mixture among 12 muffin tins, pushing down to fit.
- Add a spoonful of marinara sauce on top of the spaghetti.
- Sprinkle remaining cheese on top of the sauce.
- Place a meatball on top.
- Cook for 20 minutes. Enjoy right away, refrigerate, reheat & serve in a thermos for school lunch, or freeze for later.
Since sharing this baked spaghetti and meatball recipe, it has become a favorite.
My kids request them all the time, and they are so fun in a thermos in their lunch boxes.
When asked to do a couple of segments on a local cooking show, Living With Amy, that was all about kids lunch ideas my mind went straight to these Baked Spaghetti and Meatball cups.
You can watch the segment below:
CCK Features both Gluten-Free Guidance and Kids Cooking Instructions: If you’re new to eating gluten-free we understand it’s overwhelming trying to figure out which foods may contain gluten and which ones don’t. All of our gluten-free recipes marked with this symbol ✅ represent foods that need to be checked for gluten or cross-contamination.
The ⭐️ symbol in the recipe below denotes the steps in which kid cooks may need a helper (depending on age). If there is no ⭐️ symbol, that step (or recipe) doesn’t require a helper.
Spaghetti and Meatball Cups
Ingredients
- 8 ounces gluten-free spaghetti, cooked per box instructions
- 1 large egg ✅
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, divided divided
- 1 cup marinara sauce ✅
- 12 precooked meatballs ✅
Instructions
- Preheat the oven and prep the pan. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Spray muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray.
- Blend the noodle mixture. In a medium-sized bowl, blend the cooked spaghetti noodles with 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, egg, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix well. Divide among 12 muffin tins, pushing the pasta down to fit.8 ounces gluten-free spaghetti, cooked per box instructions, 1 large egg, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, divided, 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- Top the spaghetti cups. Add a spoonful of marinara sauce on top of the spaghetti. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top of the sauce. Place a meatball on top.1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, divided, 1 cup marinara sauce, 12 precooked meatballs
- ⭐️ Bake. Bake for 20 minutes.
- Serve. Enjoy right away, refrigerate, reheat & serve in a thermos for school lunch, or freeze for later.
Notes
Nutrition
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Then follow me on social media and tag #createkidsclub if you make the recipe. I love seeing what you come up with!
EA The Spicy RD says
Such a fun recipe! My kids are teenagers now, so, they either buy their lunch, or sometimes pack something basic like a sandwich and fruit. But, I remember when they were younger, trying to come up with fun and creative ideas. Looks like you’ve got it all figured out!
Create Kids Club says
Thanks EA! I don’t really have it all figured out – I am not a fan of the time it takes for fun and creative ideas, so they have to be super easy or I lose interest. Poor kids 😉 I am sure these days will fly by as quickly as those before, and I’ll have high schoolers doing the same as yours. I’ll try to remember how quickly time passes when I start dreading those lunches…!
Mary says
My kids loved these!