Weight Watchers Recipe of the Day: Spaghetti & Chicken Meatballs
Spaghetti and meatballs has been a favorite of mine for as long as I can remember. It was one of my mom's specialties when I was growing up.
Back then she would make huge pots of homemade sauce with meatballs and Italian sausage that simmered on the stove for hours.
WW Friendly Spaghetti with Chicken Meatballs
I can't imagine life without the occasional bowl of pasta.
And thanks to Weight Watchers, I've learned that I don't have to.
With time, practice and plenty of patience, I've learned how to incorporate all of my favorites, even wine, chocolate and ice cream, into my life.
The key for me has been learning to substitute lower calorie versions and/or settle for smaller portions, depending on the food and/or situation.
This WW Spaghetti & Chicken Meatballs recipe is a great example.
It's lower in fat and calories than traditional spaghetti and meatballs and doesn't make a huge amount.
Cooking everything in a large skillet (affiliate link) makes this quick and easy to prepare too.
Skinny on WW Friendly Spaghetti & Chicken Meatballs
Substituting ground chicken for beef in the meatballs significantly lowers the fat and calories without sacrificing flavor.
It's an easy switch I'm happy to make in the name of moderation.
Lightened Up Spaghetti with Chicken Meatballs
How Many Calories and WW Points in this Spaghetti and Meatballs?
According to my calculations, each serving has 351 calories and:
8 *SmartPoints (Green plan)
6 *SmartPoints (Blue plan)
3 *SmartPoints (Purple plan)
9 *PointsPlus (Old plan)
To see your WW PersonalPoints for this recipe and track it in the WW app or site, Click here!
If the portion seems too skimpy, there are a few things you can do.
Increase the size of your pasta serving to a cup for 2 Points.
Bulk up your pasta by combining it with zucchini noodles or spaghetti squash.
Or skip the pasta altogether and go with the squash. Enjoy!
If you like this lightened up version of chicken meatballs and spaghetti, be sure to check out my other Weight Watchers friendly recipes including: Slow Cooker Porcupine Meatballs, Slow Cooker Meatballs with Sauce, Slow Cooker French Onion Meatballs, Crock Pot Cranberry Meatballs, Slow Cooker Hawaiian Meatballs and Instant Pot Italian Turkey Meatballs
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Weight Watchers Spaghetti with Chicken Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground chicken breast
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup Italian-seasoned dried bread crumbs
- ½ cup grated Parmesan
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 can (28-ounces) diced tomatoes
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 6 ounces whole-wheat spaghetti
Instructions
- To make the meatballs, in a large bowl gently mix together the chicken, eggs, bread crumbs, Parmesan and salt until well blended. With lightly moistened hands, form the mixture into 18 meatballs (about 1-½ inch in diameter).
- Heat 2 teaspoons of the oil in a large nonstick skillet (affiliate link) set over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs and cook, turning occasionally, until browned, 6-8 minutes. Transfer the meatballs to a plate.
- Add the remaining 1 teaspoon oil to the skillet. Add the onion, garlic, and basil and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion begins to soften, 2-3 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and tomato paste and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, until the sauce thickens slightly, about 10 minutes.
- Add the meatballs, cover and simmer until the meatballs are cooked through, 8-10 minutes longer.
- Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti according to the package directions.
- Divide the spaghetti among 6 bowls; top evenly with the meatballs and sauce.
Recipe Notes
Source: Weight Watchers Comfort Classics : 150 Favorite Home-Style Dishes (affiliate link)
*Points® calculated by WW. *PointsPlus® and SmartPoints® calculated by Simple Nourished Living; Not endorsed by Weight Watchers International, Inc. All recipe ingredients except optional items included in determining nutritional estimates. SmartPoints® values calculated WITHOUT each plan's ZeroPoint Foods (Green plan, Blue plan, Purple plan) using the WW Recipe Builder.
This video from FitMenCook shows how he makes meal prep chicken meatballs:
More Weight Watchers Recipes for Meatball Lovers:
- Honey Sriracha Glazed Meatballs (EatYourselfSkinny)
- Skillet Taco Meatballs (HungryGirl)
- Eggplant "Meatballs" (SkinnyTaste)
- Low Calorie Buffalo Turkey Meatballs with Skinny Ranch Dressing (SkinnyKitchen)
- Ground Beef Spinach Meatballs (SlenderKitchen)
- Turkey Meatball Stroganoff (SkinnyTaste)
Search for More Weight Watchers Friendly Recipes
Here's another way to make healthy chicken meatballs:
Martha is the founder and main content writer for Simple-Nourished-Living.
A longtime lifetime WW at goal, she is committed to balancing her love of food and desire to stay slim while savoring life and helping others do the same.
She is the author of the Smart Start 28-Day Weight Loss Challenge.
A huge fan of the slow cooker and confessed cookbook addict, when she's not experimenting in the kitchen, you're likely to find Martha on her yoga mat.
This post contains affiliate links to products I like. When you buy something through one of my Amazon links or other (affiliate links), I receive a small commission that helps support this site. Thank you for your purchase!
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WENDYLOU Kelley
hello is the gound chicken breast 99% or 93%
Martha McKinnon
Hi WendyLou, This was made with 98-99% chicken breast (the zero points kind). Hope this helps. ~Martha
Gen
The pictures must show all 6 servings on the plate because 1 oz of spaghetti per serving would be one of those little swirls of noodles.
This recipe is already at 6 points per serving. Maybe adding some milk to the breadcrumbs before mixing with the meat would permit cutting back on the breadcrumbs without sacrificing the texture and making them dry. Mixing some soy sauce into the meatballs might add flavor and permit cutting back on the parm. Then the points savings could be alotted towards increasing the amount of noodles?
Sunita Aristimuno
Delicious and light!