Change of cooking vessel makes meal

This recipe didn’t make the cut for today’s cover story — I decided it relied too heavily on prepared and packaged foods, but it was a big hit at my house.

After I worked out some kinks.

The first incarnation of this dinner was from Cook’s Country One-Pan Wonders: Fuss Free Meals for Your Sheet Pan, Dutch Oven, Skillet, Roasting Pan, Casserole and Slow Cooker. The Cook’s Country version called for combining the uncooked spaghetti, sauce and meatballs in a baking dish and putting it in a 475-degree oven.

My first issue was the intensity of heat. Most glass bakeware — even Pyrex — cannot withstand an oven that hot, and my stoneware dish was not large enough to hold everything, so I opted to use a metal pan. And I turned down the heat just a notch to 425 degrees because, well, 475 degrees.

The results were edible, but the pasta was disappointing with a marked pastiness to it. The meatballs, on the other hand, were some of the best I’ve made.

So I made it again, but boiled the spaghetti as one normally does and baked the meatballs in the sauce with great success.

You could use frozen meatballs (be sure to adjust the cooking time accordingly), but we prefer the flavor of fresh-made.

The meatballs and sauce are also delicious served over hot garlic bread in place of pasta.

Spaghetti and Meatballs

Vegetable oil or nonstick spray 1 (24-ounce) jar favorite marinara (I used Classico Roasted Tomato and Garlic)

1 pound ground beef or turkey ½ cup rolled oats or bread crumbs ¼ cup prepared pesto

Salt and ground black pepper 12 ounces dry spaghetti Freshly grated parmesan cheese

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

Coat a 9-inch square metal baking pan (I used a “disposable” aluminum pan) with vegetable oil.

Pour sauce into the prepared pan; set aside.

In a large bowl, combine beef, oats, pesto, 1 teaspoon salt and about ½ teaspoon black pepper. Mix well. Divide and shape mixture into walnut-size balls. Arrange meatballs in a single layer over the sauce. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking until sauce has thickened, 5 to 10 minutes more.

When water comes to a boil, add the pasta and cook, according to package directions, until al dente. Drain.

Serve meatballs and sauce over spaghetti garnished with freshly grated parmesan cheese.

Makes 4 servings.