Margherita Meatball Traybake

  • 20MINS
  • 1HR
  • Serves 4
  • 464KCAL

Using a dreamy combination of veggies and meatballs in a rich tomato sauce, we've loaded this indulgent traybake with all of our favourite pizza-inspired flavours. It's SO easy to make with hardly any washing up to do afterwards. We can't get enough of that gooey mozzarella topping!

  • Bakes and Roasts pinchofnom.com
  • Freezable pinchofnom.com
  • Special Occasion pinchofnom.com
Easy Peasy Margherita Meatball Traybake pinchofnom.com
5

NutritionPer Serving

  • Calories464
  • Carbs41g
  • Protein47g
  • Fat9.7g
  • Saturates4.7g
  • Sugars17g

Margherita Meatball Traybake - Pinch of Nom Slimming Recipes

For the full list of ingredients and comprehensive instructions, please see the recipe card below. Before you scroll, there’s important stuff in the blurb!

We’ve loaded up our roasting tin with delicious ingredients to bring you an oh-so-cheesy traybake the whole family will love.

A Weekly Indulgence recipe at 464 calories per serving, this gooey, tomatoey bake is the perfect answer to your pizza cravings on family Fakeaway night. As if juicy meatballs, oven-baked potatoes and veggies in a rich tomato sauce isn’t irresistible enough, we’ve added a bubbly topping of melty mozzarella for good measure!

Once the meatballs are cooked through and your rich, homemade sauce is piping hot, plate them up with a crispy, mixed salad or Garlic Green Beans. It’s an explosion of Italian-inspired flavour – perfect for impressing dinner guests at any special occasion.

Psst! If you can’t get enough of the convenience of a flavour-loaded meatball bake, try our Cheesy Mac ‘n’ Meatballs next (you won’t regret it!).

What diets is this Margherita Meatball Traybake suitable for?

This Margherita Meatball Traybake can be made gluten-free as long as you swap out the following ingredients for gluten-free versions; 

  • Wholemeal bread

Please make sure to double or triple check all of your ingredients if you’re cooking for people with allergies.

Do you need any special ingredients to make Margherita Meatball Traybake?

This recipe really couldn’t be simpler to make and doesn’t require any special ingredients!

You’ll want to use a large roasting tin or shallow casserole pan for baking your ingredients.

Hints & Tips

Below we added some of our communities most common hints and tips. We hope you find them useful.

Adapt to taste
Next time I make this I will add a tsp of sugar or honey as sauce was a wee bit sharp for my taste.
Simple but delicious recipe, little fuss and little mess!
This is so good, I did add some chilli flakes and fresh chilli slices to give it a kick! Clean plates, not a lot of washing up and leftovers for lunch tomorrow 😍
Very tasty & easy to make
This could also be done on a bed of pasta, leaving out the potatoes. This is definitely another favourite for me.
Easy and quick to make
This was tasty and easy to make. I might add chilli next time to give it a stronger flavour.
I added...
I added sweet potatoes and carrots to the tray
Absolutely gorgeous
Added some chilli flakes to sauce for a kick
Definitely a favourite
We find turkey mince sometimes dry so we use half turkey and half 5% beef mince. Only a slight difference in calories. Made larger meatballs as well.

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‘Easy to make all in one dish. Was delicious’

Sue

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A large roasting tin will make sure all of your ingredients bake evenly.

Garlic granules come in handy for this and so many other recipes!

How many calories are in this Margherita Meatball Traybake?

There are 464 calories per portion in this Margherita Meatball Traybake, which means it falls into our Weekly Indulgence category. 

To cut down the amount of calories even more, you can simply halve the portion size and serve with a healthy accompaniment!

This Margherita Meatball Traybake is perfect if you’re following a calorie-controlled diet, and fits well with any one of the major diet plans such as Weight Watchers. 

As a guide, an average man needs around 2,500kcal (10,500kJ) a day to maintain a healthy body weight. For an average woman, that figure is around 2,000kcal (8,400kJ) a day. Obviously, if your goal is to lose weight then you might want to adjust these slightly! You can read more about these recommendations on the NHS website.

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 180°C and spray a roasting tin with low-calorie cooking spray.

Step 2

Scatter the potatoes over the roasting tin, spray well with low-calorie cooking spray and season with a little salt and pepper.

Step 2 pinchofnom.com

Step 3

Place in the oven and roast for 25 minutes.

Step 4

While the potatoes are cooking, place all the ingredients for the meatballs in a bowl and thoroughly mix together. You can fry a penny-sized piece of mix, to taste and season with salt and pepper according to your taste. Roll the mixture into 24 evenly-sized balls.

Step 4 pinchofnom.com Step 4 pinchofnom.com

Step 5

After 25 minutes, remove the potatoes from the oven. They should be starting to brown and soften.

Step 6

Add the peppers and onions to the tin and arrange the meatballs on top; spray with low-calorie cooking spray and return to the oven for 20 minutes.

Step 6 pinchofnom.com

Step 7

Mix the passata with the balsamic vinegar and remaining garlic granules and oregano.

Step 7 pinchofnom.com

Step 8

After 20 minutes, pour the passata into the roasting tin with the meatballs and veggies. Stir and then tear the mozzarella into small pieces and scatter over the top.

Step 8 pinchofnom.com

Step 8

Return to the oven for 15 minutes until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese has melted.

Step 9

Serve!

Margherita Meatball Traybake - Pinch of Nom Slimming Recipes

What could I serve with this Margherita Meatball Traybake?

This Margherita Meatball Traybake works really well when served with a crisp, mixed salad or any of the following accompaniments:

Tomato, Basil and Mozzarella Salad pinchofnom.com
Easy Peasy
  • 10MINS
  • 196KCal
Garlic Green Beans pinchofnom.com
Easy Peasy
  • 5MINS
  • 39KCal
Crispy Green Beans pinchofnom.com
Easy Peasy
  • 20MINS
  • 79KCal

How do you know when Margherita Meatball Traybake is cooked?

You should cook this Margherita Meatball Traybake until the sauce is bubbling and the meatballs are cooked throughout. This will take around 35 minutes after the potatoes have been cooked for 25 minutes.

Standard advice here in the UK is to cook food until it has reached 70°C and stayed at that temperature for 2 minutes. This is to keep your family safe. 

How long can you keep Margherita Meatball Traybake in the fridge?

Once you’ve put it out, ideally you should eat it within 4 hours.

If you allow any leftovers to cool, make sure to refrigerate in a container with a lid and chill.  You can keep leftovers of Margherita Meatball Traybake in the fridge for approximately 3 days or so. 

Can I freeze Margherita Meatball Traybake?

Yes you can! This recipe can be frozen, but please remember to do the following;

  • Freeze it as soon as it is cold enough.
  • Use a container or bag that is suitable for freezing.

Don’t forget to add a label with what it is, and on what date you put it in the freezer! 

How do I reheat Margherita Meatball Traybake?

From chilled: Place in a microwave proof container with loosely fitting lid and heat for 4-7 minutes until piping hot.

From frozen: Allow to defrost, and heat covered in the microwave for 3-5 minutes then stir. Cook for a further 5-7 minutes until piping hot.

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Margherita Meatball Traybake

Loaded with delicious, pizza-inspired ingredients, it's hard to believe that this mozzarella-topped traybake is so easy to make!
  • Prep Time
    20 MINS
  • Cook Time
    1 HR
  • KCals 464
  • Carbs 41G

Ingredients

  • 500 g new potatoes cut in half or quarters if large
  • 2 red onions peeled and cut into wedges
  • 2 mixed peppers deseeded and thickly sliced
  • 500 g passata
  • 1 tsp garlic granules
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • low-calorie cooking spray
  • 125 g ball of reduced-fat mozzarella

For the meatballs

  • 500 g turkey breast mince
  • 1 tsp garlic granules
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 slice wholemeal bread made into crumbs
  • 1 medium egg beaten
  • 20 g grated parmesan cheese
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper

large roasting tin

We use a fan assisted oven for all of our recipes. Check out our oven temperature conversion guide.

Please do not screenshot this. Recipes are updated often

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C and spray a roasting tin with low-calorie cooking spray.
  2. Scatter the potatoes over the roasting tin, spray well with low-calorie cooking spray and season with a little salt and pepper.
  3. Place in the oven and roast for 25 minutes.
  4. While the potatoes are cooking, place all the ingredients for the meatballs in a bowl and thoroughly mix together. You can fry a penny-sized piece of mix, to taste and season with salt and pepper according to your taste. Roll the mixture into 24 evenly-sized balls.
  5. After 25 minutes, remove the potatoes from the oven. They should be starting to brown and soften.
  6. Add the peppers and onions to the tin and arrange the meatballs on top; spray with low-calorie cooking spray and return to the oven for 20 minutes.
  7. Mix the passata with the balsamic vinegar and remaining garlic granules and oregano.
  8. After 20 minutes, pour the passata into the roasting tin with the meatballs and veggies. Stir and then tear the mozzarella into small pieces and scatter over the top.
  9. Return to the oven for 15 minutes until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese has melted.
  10. Serve!

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8 comments

See what others have to say

HelenTuesday 27th August 2024

Hi when your saying cups not sure how much that is could you let me know in ozs pls

Reply

    HollyTuesday 27th August 2024

    Hey Helen, sorry the unit conversion should have been appearing as ozs rather than cups this should be correct now! Hope that helps!

    Reply

SaraMonday 24th June 2024

Which book is this in?

Reply

    HollyMonday 8th July 2024

    Hey Sara, this recipe is exclusive to our website so doesn’t currently appear in any of our books, hope that helps!

    Reply

MichelleSunday 11th September 2022

OMG this is absolutely delicious- added 1/2 tsp of chilli flakes to the sauce – definitely a new favourite

Reply

    SharonThursday 15th September 2022

    Hi Michelle, thanks so much for your lovely comment. We’re really pleased to hear you enjoyed our Margherita Meatball Traybake. We like your suggestion for adding some chilli flakes too!

    Reply

      MichelleThursday 6th October 2022

      I made this a second time but was in a hurry so used Aldi skinny meatballs saved a bit time & was Still delicious 😋

      HollyTuesday 11th October 2022

      Hi Michelle, so glad to hear you are a fan of this recipe!

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