One-pan Spaghetti and Meatballs Recipe

One-pan spaghetti and meatballs recipe – yep, spaghetti, meatballs, ragu and a cheesy finish all cooked in one pan. Of course, it’s gluten-free and Coeliac-friendly as always.

One-pan spaghetti and meatballs recipe? That means no separate pans for boiling spaghetti/simmering the sauce, there’s no colander needed and no extra baking dish for that cheesy ‘al forno’ finish. One oven-proof pan is all you need!

Since you guys loved my one-pan lasagna when I posted it on social media, I thought it absolutely must have a sequel. And this recipe is exactly that, but… spaghetti and meatballs-style!

Anytime we have a pasta dish, it always requires at least two pans on the go: one for boiling the pasta and the other for whatever else is going on. That is how you ordinarily cook pasta dishes after all!

However, once I started cooking my pasta in the sauce, I’ve never looked back (more specifically, I’ve never looked back for my extra saucepan or colander). The starch in pasta naturally thickens the sauce too, meaning you always end up with a thick, luxuriously smooth tomato sauce.

Using the same pan to fry the meatballs adds tons of flavour to the sauce too, then you can finish them off in the middle by plunging them into the sauce.

Here’s all the humble supermarket-friendly ingredients you’ll need:

One-pan spaghetti and meatballs recipe: What you’ll need…

• Beef mince: Any % fat beef mince works well here as with meatballs, most of the juices will stay inside the meatballs instead of leaking out into the pan! I used 12% fat and they were glorious.
• Salt and pepper: These matter more than you think, so don’t forget these!
• Egg: This is just to help bind the meatballs together so a small, medium or large will work fine here. I used a large egg.
• Cornflour or gluten-free plain flour: Again, this is to help with binding, but it also helps to get an extra crisp coating on the outside of the meatballs.
• Garlic-infused oil: An instant injection of wonderful garlic flavour – no chopping or pre-frying of fresh garlic required. And if your garlic oil doesn’t have any bits of actual garlic floating in it, then it’s low FODMAP too.
• Leek or onion: I can’t tolerate onion, so I always use leek (the green leafy parts only). Use whatever works for your stomach!
• Passata: These are essentially sieved tomatoes which usually come in a carton or jar. They vary in price a lot but the cheapest ones (somewhere in the region of 40p) work wonders and there’s really no need to spend more here.
• Tomato puree: This helps to thicken the tomato sauce so it’s velvety smooth and not too thin. It also boosts the tomato flavour a bit too.
• Dried mixed herbs: Either use this, dried Italian herbs, dried oregano or Herbs de Provence. They all work!
• Caster sugar: This helps to balance the acidity in the tomato sauce and doesn’t necessarily make the tomato sauce taste sweet per se. I always put a little in much in the same way I use salt and pepper when cooking with tomato.
• Dried gluten-free spaghetti: You’ll find this down the free from aisle in supermarkets without problems at all. I’d highly recommend using brown rice spaghetti as it doesn’t break anywhere near as easily as the yellower dried gluten-free spaghetti and also doesn’t add any extra unwanted flavour.
• Mozzarella and cheddar: When grated, these add the ultimate crispy, stringy, cheesy finish to the top layer of your meatball bake.

So, what does my one-pan spaghetti and meatballs taste like?

To be honest, it’s something I could only dream of ordering in a restaurant! (especially when you consider I struggle to tolerate onion and garlic…) The meatballs have a wonderful crisp exterior, a succulent middle and are submerged in a rich, smooth tomato sauce.

The pasta can be grilled a little longer for a pasta-bake like finish, or instead just give it a quick flash grill to just melt the cheese for spaghetti you can still wrap around your fork.

This has always been a favourite in our house – so nothing has changed there – but the only difference now is that it’s so much easier and stress-free to make.

One-pan spaghetti and meatballs recipe: Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make this recipe gluten-free? Is it suitable for Coeliacs?

It is gluten-free, though nobody would know just by tasting it – trust me!

Bear in mind that minimising cross-contamination is hugely important if you’re Coeliac or making this for someone who is. Here’s some tips from Coeliac UK on minimising the risk of cross contamination.

Also, make sure that all ingredients used don’t have any gluten-containing ingredients. Then make sure that they also don’t have a ‘may contain’ warning for gluten, wheat, rye, barley, oats (which aren’t gf), spelt and khorasan wheat (aka Kamut).

Here’s some more info from Coeliac UK on identifying safe gluten-free products.

Can I make your one-pan spaghetti and meatballs recipe dairy-free?

All you’d need to do is use a smoked dairy-free cheese instead of cheddar for the topping. Easy!

Can I make your one-pan spaghetti and meatballs recipe veggie or vegan?

Of course! Follow the dairy-free advice above first, then:

• Swap the beef mince for a gluten-free and vegan-friendly mince.
• Swap the egg for 1 tsp of dairy-free milk if you’re making it vegan.
• That’s it!

Is this recipe low FODMAP?

It can be – see the guidance below! With these changes made, just under one serving of the finished dish would be a safe low FODMAP serving size:

• Ensure your garlic-infused oil doesn’t have any actual bits of garlic floating in it (the one in Tesco is safe, but sadly the one in Aldi is not, for example)
• Use leek (green parts only) instead of onion
• Use a 400g tin of chopped tomatoes instead of passata
• Omit the tomato puree

Can I add more veg?

Yes, this really is a recipe you can make your own! However, make sure your pan is big enough or it won’t be able to accommodate the extra bulk (mine would be a bit of a squeeze and it’s 30cm in diameter). Here’s a few things I’ve added in the past:

• Red/green/yellow pepper (chopped into chunks)
• Mushrooms (diced)
• Courgette (diced)
• Celery (finely chopped)

Simply fry these along with the leek or onion.

Is this a healthy recipe?

If you want to make this recipe healthier, you can always do one or all of the below:

• Use light mozzarella and cheddar or just reduce the amount on top (or both!)
• Use a low-calorie garlic-flavoured spray instead of garlic infused oil
• Use 5% fat beef mince or turkey/chicken mince

Can I freeze your one-pan spaghetti and meatballs?

Yes! Once cooled, simply portion into airtight containers and freeze for up to 2-3 months.

To reheat from frozen, defrost in the fridge overnight then reheat in the microwave until piping hot in the middle.

You can also store this in the fridge for 3-4 days and microwave until piping hot too.

One-pan spaghetti and meatballs recipe: Tips for quick and easy prep + cooking

1. Get all the ingredients out and ready before you start cooking. Trust me, it makes cooking feel a lot easier!
2. Use gluten-free brown rice spaghetti if you can. It’s stronger and can take being overcooked without becoming fragile – the regular kind of gluten-free spaghetti is fine, just try not to overcook it!
3. Once the pasta is done (try a bit to see if it’s hard or not) don’t cook it for any longer than you have to. Gluten-free pasta has a bad habit of easily falling apart when overcooked, so don’t leave it simmering too long once cooked. And once cooked, don’t stir everything too much after either!
4. Don’t grill for too long if you want loose pasta that wraps around your fork. Grilling for longer means the spaghetti will become almost ‘set’ like in a pasta bake. That’s certainly not a bad thing, but you will inevitably break the spaghetti when serving it up.
5. Once the meatballs are in and done and the sauce has reduced, you can optionally skip the last step. As this isn’t necessarily a meal that’s traditionally served with melty mozzarella on top, you could actually skip that part, making this a 30 minute meal.

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Thanks for reading all about my one-pan lasagna recipe! If you make it, I’d love to see how it turned out so don’t forget to take a snap of your creations and tag me on Instagram!

Any questions about the recipe? Please do let me know by following me on Instagram and leaving me a comment on a recent photo!

Thanks for reading,

Becky xxx

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