High-protein monster eye spaghetti with beef meatballs

High-protein monster eye spaghetti: wholewheat spaghetti with beef meatballs in tomato sauce and eyes made from mini mozzarella and olives. A Halloween dinner with 45 g of protein.

At a glance

• Serves 4
• Prep time: 20 min
• Cooking time: 25 min
• Total time: 45 min
• Calories: 647 kcal per serving
• Protein: 45 g
• Fat: 25 g
• Carbs: 56 g

Ingredients

• 500g beef mince
• 1 egg
• 30g oats
• 1 onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 700g passata
• 250g wholewheat spaghetti
• 125g mini mozzarella balls
• 6 olives
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 pinch of salt
• 1 pinch of pepper
• 1/2 bunch of basil

Method

You’ll need: frying pan · saucepan · chopping board · knife · sieve

1. Finely chop the onion and garlic. Knead half of it with the beef mince, egg, oats, salt and pepper and shape into 16 balls.
2. Brown the meatballs all over in the olive oil in a large frying pan for 5 minutes and take them out.
3. Cook the remaining onion and garlic gently in the pan fat for 2 minutes, add the passata and oregano and put the meatballs back in. Simmer, covered, for 15 minutes.
4. Cook the wholewheat spaghetti in salted water until al dente according to the packet instructions, then drain.
5. Halve the mini mozzarella balls, put one half on each meatball and press a piece of olive on top as the pupil. Cover and let the mozzarella melt for 2 minutes.
6. Divide the spaghetti between plates, top with the sauce and monster eyes and scatter over the basil.

Good to know

Eyes stare up at you from the tomato sauce: beef meatballs with mozzarella and olive. Underneath is wholewheat spaghetti, and there's a Halloween dinner kids will try straight away. You can shape the meatballs the day before.

Swaps

Beef mince → turkey mince. Wholewheat spaghetti → lentil pasta. Oats → breadcrumbs. Mini mozzarella → feta cubes (pasteurised in pregnancy).

Cooking tips

With damp hands, the meatballs won't stick. Only brown them – they finish cooking in the sauce, which keeps them juicy.

Storage

The meatballs in sauce keep for 3 days in the fridge and can be frozen for 3 months; cook the spaghetti fresh.

Allergens

Contains gluten (spaghetti, oats), egg and milk; no nuts. Suitable for children; in pregnancy, cook the meatballs right through and use mozzarella made from pasteurised milk.

Frequently asked questions

Can you freeze monster eye spaghetti?

The meatballs in sauce keep for 3 days in the fridge and can be frozen for 3 months; cook the spaghetti fresh.

How long does monster eye spaghetti keep in the fridge?

The meatballs in sauce keep for 3 days in the fridge and can be frozen for 3 months; cook the spaghetti fresh.