When you want to make a classic spaghetti and meatballs dish without all the fuss and wait, turn to your air fryer! You’ll have Air Fryer Spaghetti Meatballs on the table in half the time!
Air Fryer Spaghetti Meatballs is a quick and simple way to have dinner served in no time!
Hearty air-fried meatballs made with your choice of ground protein, combined with fresh cooked pasta & sauce, then topped with fresh herbs – it’s a classic dish that everyone knows and loves.
Ingredients:
- 1 lb of ground protein
- Chopped onion
- Chopped parsley
- Breadcrumbs
- Eggs
- Garlic Salt
- Pasta and sauce of choice
Prepping the Meatballs
- Place a pound of fresh or thawed ground protein in a bowl.
- Add some chopped onion (red onion is great for meatballs because of its potent flavor.)
- Add some breadcrumbs.
- Add some fresh chopped parsley to the bowl to give the meatballs some incredible Italian-style flavor.
- Add an egg to the bowl. The egg will work together with the breadcrumbs to bind the mixture together.
- Finally, add some garlic salt to top off the flavor of these delicious air fryer meatballs.
Cooking the Meatballs
Once you have all of your meatball ingredients in your bowl, here’s what to do next:
- Combine the ingredients using your hands or a spoon. Mix thoroughly.
- Roll the meatball mixture into 1-1.5 inch meatballs.
- Place the meatballs in a single layer in a foil-lined air fryer basket. Space the meatballs at least a half inch apart to avoid sticking. You may need to work in batched depending on how big your air fryer basket is.
- Cook the meatballs in the air fryer at 380 degrees for 15 minutes or until they’re golden brown.
- Boil water to cook your pasta. When the pasta is cooked, drain and toss with sauce.
- Add the meatballs and you’re done!
Tips for Making Meatballs
- Be sure to use ground protein that is fresh or thawed through. If your meat is still a bit frozen it’ll be harder to get the ingredients mixed completely and the meatballs may not cook evenly.
- Don’t skip the breadcrumbs and the egg! These ingredients act as a binding agent for the meat.
- Use wet hands while rolling the meatballs. This will help cut down on mess and will help you to shape your meatballs nicely.
How to Serve Meatballs
Toss both the meatballs and pasta with sauce before serving. If you’re feeding a crowd, you can place the pasta in a big bowl and top it with the meatballs in a single layer overtop.
Serve with a large pair of serving spoons and pass the bowl around the table so that everyone can help themselves, family style.
Provide small bowls of fresh parsley, Parmesan cheese, and buttery toasted breadcrumbs for topping.
If you’re serving a small family, plate servings of spaghetti and meatballs individually. Top with a sprinkling desired toppings before serving.
Air Fryer Spaghetti and Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground protein (beef, pork, veggie protein)
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup red onion diced
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley chopped
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp garlic salt
- 1 tsp oregano
- 12 oz pasta
- 1 jar spaghetti sauce
- fresh basil optional
- Parmesan cheese optional
Instructions
- Combine the ground protein, breadcrumbs, onion, parsley, egg, garlic salt, and oregano in a bowl.
- Roll the mixture into 1-1.5 inch meatballs.
- Line your air fryer basket with foil or parchment paper.
- Arrange the meatballs in the air fryer basket in a single layer.
- Cook at 380 degrees F for 15 minutes.
- While the meatballs are cooking, cook the pasta according to package instructions.
- When the pasta is done cooking, toss it with 1/2 cup of the spaghetti sauce to coat.
- Pour 1/2 cup of spaghetti sauce in a bowl and toss the cooked meatballs in the sauce to coat.
- Divide the pasta and meatballs onto 4 plates.
- Top with additional spaghetti sauce, fresh basil, and Parmesan if desired.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Air Fryers can vary greatly. Please take the time to learn your specific air fryer. You may need to adjust times and temperatures based upon your air fryer. All though this website attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, the information should only be considered an estimate. Varying factors such as different product types, different brands, etc. can change nutritional information. It is your responsibility as a consumer to read all labels to make sure the ingredients fit your dietary needs as well as calculate your own nutritional information as a double check.
Not only do these sound like they’d make amazing meatballs, but made in my air fryer!?!? I’m in love! Trying this ASAP!
Hope that you enjoy Jenn!
I love my air fryer and these meatballs were delicious cooked in there! They get so much crispier compared to the oven!
Thank you, I totally agree! These air fryer meatballs come out much crisper than in the oven!
What a great dinner meal that could be ready in 25 minutes. This recipe is a keeper! LOVE it!
Thank you Irina! We think this recipe is a keeper too! We love air fryer spaghetti and meatballs!
These meat ball were a delicious addition to my home made spaghetti.
Thanks fantastic, Stephanie! I am so glad you loved adding these air fryer meatballs to your spaghetti!
The meatballs are delicious and very easy to prepare in an air fryer. This is another winner recipe from you. 🙂
This looks like a delicious dish, Cindy! My husband and I have been using our air fryer for almost 3 years and we’d be lost without it lol! Our recipes are limited though so your site will definitely come in handy in the future. 🙂
So glad Corinne! Thanks for visiting and do let me know if you have any questions!