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{This post is sponsored by Disney!}
Giant + Mini Spaghetti and Meatballs!
Hey guys! Happy December 1st! I wanted to kick off the best month of the year with a classic recipe that everyone loves. Actually, I think this is one of the most classic cozy meals there is. Who doesn’t love a plate of spaghetti and meatballs? It’s the perfect any night family meal. It’s also possibly one of my brother Creighton’s favorite dinners.
This is another one of those recipes that I always make around Christmas time when my family is town. It’s simple, quick, and can be easily doubled or tripled to feed a crowd. Plus, everyone seems to truly love the meal. I think there’s something about the combo of pasta, red sauce, meat and cheese. It gets people every time.
Today I’ve partnered with Disney for the release of The BFG on Blu-ray, Digital HD & Disney Movies Anywhere. If you guys have seen or heard anything about this movie, than you may know that it’s about a young girl named Sophie who befriends a big friendly giant! I don’t want to give away all the details because this is such a fun movie watch, but this recipe was inspired by the Big Friendly Giant’s giant appetite, and Sophie’s mini appetite. Fun right?
I took my everyday meatball recipe and created one GIANT meatball. Then I surrounded it with a bunch of mini meatballs, which actually makes for a cute presentation. Give your favorite family giant the exclusive meatball, and divi up the minis for us smaller eaters. Oh, and the minis work equally great as holiday appetizers for your next party!
When I told my little sister, Asher what I was working on, she insisted that we watch the movie while decorating the Christmas tree and eating our bowls of spaghetti and meatballs…or in her case giant bowl…little backwards there. It ended up being perfect because while this is definitely a movie made for younger kids, it’s still a fun movie for adults to watch, and once Asher got tired of decorating, she crashed on the couch and finished watching the movie…leaving me with a giant mess .
Typical.
Anyway, when I was deciding on a recipe that would best inspire the big and little theme of the movie, I wanted to create something that would not only be great for holiday entertaining, but equally great for a simple family movie night.
These meatballs could not be more perfect!
I like to bake my meatballs for easy cooking and then top them with plenty of fresh mozzarella and parmesan…then simply add sauce and pasta! Yes, please!
So, do we have our dinner plans set? Movie watching and meatball eating? Cool, cool, me too!
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Got to love a good pasta twirl! 🙂
{This post is sponsored by Disney The BFG. Thank you for supporting the brands that keep Half Baked Harvest cooking!! }
We love this recipe, we usually add kalamata olives, more breadcrumbs, and some more spices, like garlic and onion powder. Thanks HBH! ?
Hey Monica! Thank you so much for giving this recipe a try, I’m so happy you enjoyed it! xTieghan
Tieghan these meatballs were absolutely delicious! All 12 meatballs gone? Only changes i made were gluten free breadcrumbs panade (Gluten free Canyon Bakerhouse Country White) and paprika(it’s what i had on hand). Baked meatballs for 15 minutes and layered them in the sauce on the stove top and later added the mozzarella cheese just before serving. Can’t wait to try your other recipes!! Thanks for sharing ?
Thank you for trying this one, Ruth Ann! I am really glad it turned out so well for you! xTieghan
We also found the cook times to be inaccurate- recommend not adding mozzarella until last 5 minutes of a 30 minute total bake. Also more seasonings for meat too!
Thank you Anne! Is there anything I can help with? xTieghan
I am a huge fan of HBH and have been cooking these recipes for 5+ years. This is the first one that did not come out as expected, so I feel compelled to suggest a modification. I cooked the mini meatballs in the oven for the recommended 30 minutes at 450 and they were definitely overdone. I would suggest 20 minutes total in the oven. Thanks Tieghan for all of your amazing recipes!
Hi Jeremy! I am so glad my recipes have been turning out so well for you! Thank you for this suggestion, I am glad it still turned out well for you! xTieghan
This was so good! Tasted like the meatballs of my youth. I was just looking for something easy but this will be a new go to!
Amazing!! I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe Jamie! Thank you so much for trying it! xTieghan
It was good but a little dry.. And the flavor was light, so I added more spices.
Hi Emilie! I am glad you liked this! Are there any questions I could answer so it turns out better? Thanks! xTieghan
CAN YOUR ORGANIZATION RECOMMEND A TASTY WINE FOR BEGINNERS ?
Hi Tom! My favorites with this dish are Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot. These are both reds and the Merlot will be a little bit sweeter! I hope you love this!
Great recipe, great presentation with the giant meatballs. Family loved.
Thank you.
I am so happy you all enjoyed this recipe!! Thank you Karen!
Girl, I just absolutely gush over your food photography and recipes. This recipe looks fan-freaking-tastic… you’re amazing!
Awh thank you so so much Monica (: Means so much!
We love meatballs at the Gavin house and these look amazing! I gotta try it 🙂
Hope you love them Jessica! (:
Meatballs turned out great on top of homemade spinach noodles and a chunky tomato sauce.
Sounds delish! So glad it worked out!!
Hi- When you cooked the meatballs did you cook them in the oven in the cast iron skillet? I cooked mine that way and it seemed to cook much faster and almost burned on bottom at 30 mins 🙁 glad I checked them then instead of at 40 mins!! great recipe though! served it over spaghetti squash. Cant wait to make it again but maybe ill try a pyrex dish instead. Due to it being sirloin meat there isn’t much fat so they seem to dry out quick if overcooked at all. Thanks for all your amazing inspirations for yummy recipes.
Hey Jessica! I did cook them in my skillet, but it’s possible my meatballs where a little larger than yours. The skillet will cook them up a little faster too. Sorry they cook so fast for you! Thank you! 🙂
Wow this looks delicious! And the coziest of all meals!! Trying your recipe next time because it definitely trumps mine! 🙂
Awh thanks so much Erin, hope you love them!
Looks amazing! Definitely time to make some spagetti and meatballs 🙂
Thank you Veronica!! Hope you love them!!
“Typical.” hahaha, oh younger sisters. <3
I have been meaning to make spaghetti and meatballs for weeks, so with this I will finally do so this weekend. Have not seen The BFG yet, but I really enjoyed the book, and the movie looks fantastic, so I can hardly wait. Definitely going to be one of the many things I watch over the holiday season. 🙂
Well perfect timing for a spaghetti and meatball recipe! I hope you enjoy this & the movie Kate! Thank you!