These flavors and textures are so delicious. The noodles have some spice to them and the Italian meatballs are hard to stop at just a few. This 30 minute dinner is simple and takes a lot of ingredients you probably have around the house– with the exception of the spinach fettuccine, but heck– sub with regular noodles if you have them.
I paired this meal with beer bread from Krusteaz. Its sweet taste and thickness pairs nicely with the spinach texture. Okay- let’s get cooking!
Meatballs and Spinach Fettuccine with Butter and Garlic Sauce
Prep time: 15 minutes | Cook time: 15 minutes | Total time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
- Meatballs
- 1/2 lb ground pork sausage
- 1/2 lb ground beef
- 1 1/2 cup Italian breadcrumbs
- 1 egg
- 2 tbs Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbs parsley
- 2 tbs Italian seasoning
- 1 tbs minced garlic
- 1 cup parmesan cheese
- salt and pepper to taste
- Pasta Mixture
- 1 package of spinach fettuccine
- 4 tbs butter
- 1 tbs minced garlic
- 2 oz cream cheese
- 1/4 cup milk
- For seasonings, I used 2 tbs of a mozzarella caprese packet (pictured above). You can use something similar or the below option:
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes (if you don’t want it to be spicy, exclude this)
- 1 tbs oregano
- 1 tsp cumin
- 10-15 mozzarella pearls
Recipe
- Fill a large pot of water and bring it to a boil on the stovetop.
- While that’s heating up, begin forming your meatball mixture. In a medium bowl, mix all of the meatball ingredients together until everything is combined.
- Begin assembling the meatballs in 1-inch balls and setting them on a greased cookie sheet. Continue doing so until all of the meat mixture is used.
- Carefully drop your spinach fettuccine into the boiling water. It should only boil for like 3-4 minutes. Test the noodles and when they’re tender, drain them out of the water immediately and set aside. Do not overcook.
- While that’s boiling, add the meatballs to the oven on broil for 8-10 minutes depending on the size of your meatballs.
- While those are broiling, grab a large skillet and melt the butter on medium heat.
- Add the garlic and cook for one minute.
- Add in cream cheese, milk, mozzarella pearls and the seasonings you’ve chosen and slowly stir until the cream cheese is melted. The smell will be AMAZING.
- Once the mixture is a bit creamy, add the drained spinach fettuccine and gently stir until the noodles and sauce are all incorporated.
- Plate the noodles and set the cooked meatballs on top. I don’t mix them into the sauce. That’s just preference. 🙂
XO, Rachel