Spaghetti and Chicken Parmesan Meatballs

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This Spaghetti and Chicken Parmesan Meatballs dish is the perfect comfort food. The meatballs are meaty, cheesy, and herby, and they’re topped with a delicious tomato cream sauce, turning a classic dish into something a little new and different.

Why We Love This Recipe

The best chicken meatballs we’ve ever had. These meatballs are insanely delicious. Ground chicken can sometimes have the reputation of being dry, but we’ve added ingredients like chicken Italian sausage, parmesan, and basil to boost their flavor, moisture, and texture.
A tomato cream sauce that’s good enough to drink. We love a good sauce, and this tomato cream sauce is so good. It’s mildly acidic from the tomatoes, creamy from the heavy cream, savory and nutty from the parmesan, and herby from the fresh basil and dried oregano.
It’s super comforting and hearty. When we want a stick-to-your-ribs meal, we often gravitate towards pasta. It doesn’t matter if it’s the middle of summer or dead of winter; pasta always feels comforting. The meatballs add protein and make this meal extra hearty and satisfying.
A classic dish with a twist. Spaghetti and meatballs is a classic Italian-American dish. The meatballs are usually made with beef or pork or a combination of the two, spaghetti pasta, and a bright marinara sauce. In this version, we swap out the red meat in the meatballs for ground chicken and chicken Italian sausage. We also add parmesan and a little cream to our tomato sauce to add richness, depth, and balance.

Side view of a bowl of spaghetti covered in creamy red sauce with chicken meatballs in the background, a fork pulling up a twirled bunch of noodles.

All the Ingredients You’ll Need for This Recipe

Chicken Parmesan Meatballs

Ground chicken – we love using ground chicken because it’s lean and relatively inexpensive.
Chicken Italian sausage – this gives the meatballs extra flavor, richness, and necessary fat.
Parmesan cheese – we suggest using freshly grated parmesan here instead of pre-shredded or it won’t mix in as well.
Onion – this gives the meatballs a nice allium flavor.
Basil – this helps flavor the meatballs and complement the tomato in the sauce.
Breadcrumbs – we find that regular breadcrumbs (not panko) work the best here.
Spices – these meatballs are perfectly spiced with onion powder, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, and salt.
Egg – this recipe uses a whole egg and an egg yolk for binding and richness.
Olive oil – using a little olive oil in the meatball mixture helps to keep it moist.

Tomato Cream Sauce & Spaghetti

Onion – these provide a sweetness and a subtle sharpness.
Tomatoes – this sauce uses both whole peeled tomatoes, which we blend in the can using an immersion blender, and tomato paste for added sweetness and umami flavor.
Spices – dried oregano gives the sauce herby notes, and crushed red pepper flakes add the right amount of heat.
Heavy cream – this recipe uses just enough heavy cream to balance the acidity of the tomatoes, make the sauce a little creamier, and turn it into a delightful pinky red color.
Parmesan cheese – we recommend shredding the parmesan cheese yourself so that it melts into the sauce more easily.
Fresh basil – the basil in the sauce matches the basil in the meatballs and adds fresh herby flavor.
Spaghetti – we like to use spaghetti pasta, but feel free to use your favorite pasta shape.

Top down view of a bowl full of spaghetti noodles topped with creamy tomato sauce, 3 chicken parmesan meatballs, and chopped basil and shredded parmesan on top.

How to Make These Spaghetti & Chicken Parmesan Meatballs

Preheat your oven to 400°F, then line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Add meatball ingredients to a large bowl and mix until just combined (overmixing can make the meatballs tough). Form the meat mixture into balls about 3 tablespoons large (about 2 inches across). This recipe makes 30 meatballs of this size.
Bake the meatballs on the prepared baking sheet for 15 minutes, then flip the meatballs over and bake for another 10 minutes until they’re cooked through.
While the meatballs are baking, heat oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the onions and a pinch of salt to the pan and cook for about 5 minutes.
Stir in the tomato paste, then mix in the oregano and red pepper flakes and cook for 1 minute.
Puree the canned tomatoes (this can be done with an immersion blender in the tomato can), then add them to the pan and cook for about 10 minutes.
Reduce the heat to low and stir in the cream, then mix in the parmesan cheese. Taste the sauce for seasoning and add more salt if needed.
While the sauce cooks, make the pasta according to the package directions. Plate some pasta with sauce and a few meatballs. Garnish with extra parmesan cheese.

Storage Suggestions

Short term storage: store any leftover cooked meatballs, pasta, and sauce in the fridge in airtight containers. You can mix them all together, or store the meatballs, spaghetti, and sauce, separately.
Longer term storage: you can form and bake the meatballs ahead of time and freeze them for later. For best results, we recommend spacing them out on a baking sheet so that they’re not touching and freezing them on the sheet for a couple of hours. Then you can move them into a freezer safe bag or container. This way, they don’t get stuck together.

Spaghetti & Chicken Parmesan Meatballs: FAQs

Can I use ground turkey instead of chicken?

Yes! Ground turkey would be great here and would cook basically the same as ground chicken. Just be sure to pick an option with a little fat. Don’t go any leaner than 93% or the meatballs could get dry.

How big should I make the meatballs?

This recipe is for meatballs that are just slightly smaller than 2 inches across. If you make them smaller, they may take a little less time to cook.

How do I know when the chicken parmesan meatballs are fully cooked?

They should reach an internal temperature of 165°F. If you don’t have a thermometer, you can cut a meatball open and check the color. For a done meatball, the center should be white and no longer pink.

What can I serve with this dish?

We like serving this with a simple arugula side salad with a light vinaigrette. You can also serve it with garlic bread, roasted broccoli, or your vegetable side of choice.