Today I’m showing you how to make a savory cupcake- Spaghetti and Meatball cupcakes! If you need a quick snack for the kids, or just a change from the regular, you have to try these “cupcakes”. When they’re baked, they get crunchy and it’s oh so good!
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Living with an Italian is a hard thing to do- your cooking (and baking) is always compared to his mother’s. *cough* Well, at least that’s what I imagine it would be like if I, like, knew anyone, that was like, in that, like situation. *cough* I’m definitely not referring to Paul and his mom. Nope. Never. Have I mentioned his family is from Italy? Oh, I have? What a coincidence!
Anyway, if you found yourself in that situation, you’d always be looking for another way to serve up an old favourite in a new way- which is where the creation of spaghetti and meatball cupcakes comes in. One year, I made him meatloaf cupcakes for his birthday (and almost burned down the house I was renting, but that’s another story for another day). So when only having a few minutes to get dinner ready one night, I was thinking about those cupcakes, while making spaghetti, and voila, a new idea came to me!
As I said above, the best part of the cupcake is the crunch the noodles get while baking in the oven. It makes the entire dish so much more delicious than regular spaghetti. You can go wild and crazy and make your pasta, sauce and meatballs from scratch (like a certain someone’s mother would do), but I don’t have time for that, so I used premade everything. And the world did not stop turning.
After cooking the noodles to your desired tenderness, coat them in a generous amount of Parmesan cheese. The gooier the better, and the crunchier they will be. I warmed the meatballs in the microwave before putting them on top of the pile of spaghetti. I don’t think it’s necessary, but I wanted to make sure that they were heated through since they bake for only 20 minutes in the oven. I would pile on more sauce the next time I do these, but the sauce hid the meatball in the photos so I had to make the sacrifice this time, but when cameras aren’t rolling the next time, watch out meatballs, you’re going to drown in store bought spaghetti sauce.
I added chives simply for color, but you could also add more traditional Italian seasonings like basil, oregano, or thyme. You can eat these with your hands, they get super messy though so make sure you have a bib, or you can serve them up on a plate with a fork and knife. Kids would love to find these in their lunches for school, and it would also be a really cute appetizer for a dinner party. Well, they’d make a great appetizer at an Italian dinner party- where spaghetti is not the main course. Please tell me you’ve suffered through an Italian meal as well? Or am I the only one who thought that when the spaghetti hit the table, you should dig in, not realizing it was course 2 of 8? Oh, just me? Ya, that was a fun time. I think I’m still full two years later. That’s one of those life lessons of living with Italian in laws.
Spaghetti and Meatball Cupcakes
Makes 8 cupcakes
Ingredients:
- 6 oz spaghetti noodles
- 2 cups spaghetti sauce
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese + extra for sprinkling on top
- 2 tablespoons chives
- 8 meatballs
- 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
Procedure:
- Fill pot with water, and bring to a boil. Place spaghetti noodles into the boiling water, and cook for 8-10 minutes, or until al dente. Drain and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes.
- Place noodles in a large bowl, and coat in olive oil, then parmesan cheese.
- Preheat oven to 375F. Spray a cupcake tin with non stick spray.
- Using tongs, twirl noodles into nests in each cupcake well.
- Place a tablespoon of sauce on top, and a then a meatball. Top with chives and additional parmesan cheese and sauce if desired.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until meatballs are heated and cheese has melted.
- Allow to cool for 2-3 mintues, then remove from wells and place onto plates.
- Cupcakes are best served warm but can be kept in the fridge for 2-3 days in a sealed container.
For more Savory ideas, check out our Savory Playlist:
