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Spaghetti & Meatball Nests

These make for an easy, crowd-pleasing appetizer or mess-free entree.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 27 minutes
Course Appetizer, Main Course
Cuisine American, Italian
Servings 12 nests

Ingredients
  

  • cooking spray
  • 2 tbsp milk
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/3 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
  • 1/2 box (8 oz.) spaghetti noodles, cooked and drained
  • 3 cups marinara sauce
  • 12 frozen meatballs, thawed
  • torn, fresh basil (optional)

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. As it heats, spritz cooking spray (or use butter) to grease the bottom and sides of the cups of a muffin tin.
  • In a large mixing bowl, combine milk, egg and Parm. Beat with a fork to break up the egg and really mix it all together. Use tongs to add in the cooked spaghetti noodles, tossing them all in the mixture. Once coated, add in 1 1/2 cups of the spaghetti sauce, coating them in that as well. (Set aside the rest of the sauce for serving.)
  • Use a fork to twirl a bunch of the noodles into a ball, placing each "nest" of noodles into a cup of the muffin tin. It should fill it about 3/4 of the way up. Nestle a frozen meatball in the center.
  • Bake for about 20 minutes, until the meatballs are thoroughly cooked. Let cool before removing the nests from the muffin tin. Serve with additional spaghetti sauce and fresh basil, for garnishing on top.
Keyword appetizers, spaghetti