Ninja Combi Spaghetti & Meatballs

Equipment Needed for Ninja Combi Spaghetti & Meatballs

• Ninja Combi pan
• Ninja Combi baking tray (the black tray that comes with the Combi)
• Rack that fits on top of the Combi pan (not the crisping plate because that sits too low) or you can use aluminum foil with holes poked in it.

Ingredients & Substitutions

Pasta

Spaghetti Noodles is the only pasta I have tested with this recipe and is what I recommend using. If you want to use thicker pastas like fettuccine or linguine, you will need to increase your cooking time by a couple of minutes. 

If you want to try using angel hair pasta, you will want to decrease the cooking time to about 7-8 minutes and even then it may be overcooked and clumpy. 

Definitely use dry pasta in this recipe. Fresh pasta cooks too quickly and does not absorb as much liquid so your spaghetti and meatballs would end up pretty soupy. 

Spaghetti Sauce Ingredients

I use a combination of crushed tomatoes, fire roasted diced tomatoes, and tomato paste as the base for the spaghetti sauce. This combination of tomato products, along with the spice blend, creates a light and flavorful spaghetti sauce that allows the noodles to cook fully and not become starchy. 

If you want to use your favorite spaghetti sauce instead, I recommend adding a little extra beef broth to it, maybe ¼ cup, so you have a thin enough sauce and it doesn't settle to the bottom of the pan and burn. 28 ounces of spaghetti sauce should work fine. Make sure to reduce the seasonings used since store bought spaghetti sauce is already seasoned.

Regular diced tomatoes can be used instead of the fire roasted variety, or you can skip the diced tomatoes and add ¼ cup of extra beef broth or water to make up for the thin juices in the can of diced tomatoes. 

If you skip the diced tomatoes, you can add up to 1 cup of extra crushed tomatoes, but make sure to add the extra ¼ cup of beef broth or water.

The tomato paste helps to thicken everything up and I don't recommend omitting it. The seasoning blend is designed with the inclusion of tomato paste, so if you do omit it, make sure to reduce the seasonings so your sauce isn't overpowering.

Seasonings

It's important to use seasonings if you are using canned tomato products like I did. Otherwise, your spaghetti will not have enough flavor. You can use whatever blend of seasonings you like, but I use salt, black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, Italian seasoning blend, and extra basil. 

I recommend using dry herbs and not fresh herbs in the sauce, but you can certainly garnish with fresh basil. 

I also add a bit of sugar into the seasoning blend because I find that it balances out the acidity of the tomato sauce. This is totally optional. 

Most of the time I will also add a little bit of red pepper flakes which doesn't make the spaghetti spicy, but does round out the flavor, especially when using sugar. Only use about ¼ teaspoon unless you want a spicy pasta sauce, and then add ½-1 teaspoon. You can also add the red pepper flakes at the end when serving if everyone in your family doesn't like a little spice. 

Thin Liquids

The thin liquid in this recipe is beef broth which enhances the flavor, however you can use 3 cups of water in its place. The pasta must have enough liquid in order for it to cook correctly, so it is important to use a thin liquid. 

Meatballs

I use my air fryer meatball recipe to make the meatballs which is a simple combination of ground beef, an egg, bread crumbs, and seasonings. They take about 5-10 minutes to make and cook right along with the spaghetti in the Ninja Combi. 

Any type of meatballs that you want to make will work just fine, you can use ground pork or ground turkey in place of ground beef. 

You can use store-bought meatballs if you like. If they are freshly made and about the size of a golf ball (2" meatballs), simply follow the same cooking instructions.

If you are using frozen meatballs and they are fully cooked (which they usually are in the bag from the store), you shouldn't have any issues with putting them into the Ninja Combi from frozen and letting them thaw and heat up while the spaghetti is cooking. 

You can also skip the meatballs, if desired, and brown some ground beef to make a meat sauce instead. 

Optional Ingredients

You can add various ingredients to your spaghetti like roasted garlic, diced onions, green peppers, and any other vegetables you like to add.

You don't have to make any changes to the cooking time, but I do recommend sautéing the veggies before you start building the spaghetti and add them on top of the spaghetti noodles. This prevents them from burning as the thin liquid heats up to cook the pasta.

How to Make Spaghetti and Meatballs in the Ninja Combi

This recipe is super easy with very little prep involved. You can assemble it and have dinner on the table within 30 minutes.

It is important to have all of your ingredients ready to go, which is called Mise En Place, meaning "everything in place." This will allow you make the meal with minimal effort and avoid having the pasta sitting in the broth for too long which can cause issues (clumping and burning) when cooking it in the Ninja Combi.

Mise En Place

• Measure out the spices and make the seasoning blend
• Have the remaining ingredients measured out and ready to go. 
• Make sure you have your pans and racks ready.
• Make the meatballs and set aside. 

Meatball Ingredients

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1½ tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• ¾ teaspoon sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• ¾ teaspoon basil
• ¾ teaspoon onion powder
• ¾ teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 large egg
• ⅓ cup bread crumbs

Instructions

Place all the ingredients into a medium mixing bowl and mix well to combine.

Form the meatballs and set on rack. I use my (affiliate link)Pampered Chef Medium Scoop which is the perfect size, but you can measure out 2 Tablespoons of the meat mixture for each meatball. You want your meatballs to be about 2" in diameter.

Once the meatballs are made and on the rack, set them aside until you are done building the spaghetti in the Combi pan.

Assembling the Spaghetti in the Combi Pan

I cannot stress enough the importance of having all of your ingredients measured out and ready to go before you start assembling the Spaghetti.

If the noodles are allowed to sit in the broth for any extended length of time, they will start to absorb the liquid and this can cause the noodles to clump and not cook evenly. It can also cause issues with burning on the bottom of the pan.

• Pour the beef broth or stock into the combi pan.
• Crisscross the spaghetti noodles so they cook evenly.

• Dump the fire-roasted (or plain diced) tomatoes over the spaghetti noodles. Try to keep the chunks of tomatoes on top of the noodles. The juice from the can will mix with the liquid, and that is fine.
• Sprinkle the seasoning blend over the top as evenly as possible. This ensures the seasonings are evenly distributed.
• Pour the crushed tomatoes over the top of the noodles.

The last step is to put the tomato paste on top of the crushed tomatoes. You can do this before cooking or after. The tomato paste will thicken the sauce and you can use as little or as much as you want. I found that 3 Tablespoons is perfect when using the ingredients and type of tomatoes I used (diced and crushed).

Using Combi Meals to Cook the Spaghetti

I use a rack that sits just at the level of the combi pan to cook the meatballs over the spaghetti. This keeps the meatballs the right distance from the upper heating element so everything cooks in the same time.

If you don't have any racks at home that will work, you can use the black tray that came with the Ninja Combi, but the meatballs may sit a little too close to the heating element, so keep an eye on that.

Here are links to the two racks shown below:

• Round Rack: (affiliate link)Turbokey 8.25" rack with 2" legs
• Rectangle Rack: (affiliate link)8x10 Baking Rack

This setup is not ideal but it works for now! I am hoping to find a rack that will sit on the Combi pan, but I'm still looking. If you know where to get one, please let me know!

Place the Combi pan into the Ninja Combi on the lower level and flip the switch to the up position for Combi cooking.

Select the Combimeals function and set the temperature to 375℉/190℃ and the time to 12 minutes. Press start.

While the Ninja Combi Spaghetti is cooking, prepare your garlic bread. You can use any Italian bread and make your own, or use already prepared garlic bread from the store.

Finishing the Spaghetti and Meatballs

Once the cooking time is up, remove the Combi pan and place the meatballs to the side. Using tongs, mix the spaghetti noodles and sauce. Don't worry that the sauce looks a little thin, it will thicken up.

Put the meatballs into the spaghetti and toss everything around to combine. Place the Combi pan back into the Ninja Combi on the lower level.

This will give the spaghetti time to thicken up and keep it warm while the garlic bread cooks.

Place the garlic bread on the black baking tray and place that on the upper level.

Flip the Combi switch to the down position and select air fry on 375℉/190℃ and set the time for 8 minutes.

It usually takes about 5 minutes for the garlic bread to brown nicely, so make sure to keep an eye on it. You can open the Combi door at any time to check on it.

When the garlic bread is done the way you like it, remove the upper tray from the Ninja Combi and set it aside.

Remove the Combi pan of spaghetti, stir and serve!

Grate some parmesan over the top if desired.

Enjoy your quick and easy spaghetti dinner with garlic bread!

How to Make Homemade Garlic Bread

If you want to make your own, here is the combination of seasonings and butter that I used. This is enough to coat both sides of half a loaf of Italian bread.

• 4 tablespoon salted butter
• ⅛ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon garlic
• ¼ teaspoon onion
• ¼ teaspoon Italian seasoning
• ¼ teaspoon dried basil
• 2 teaspoon dried parsley

Use room temperature butter and mix the seasonings into the butter. Cut the Italian loaf of bread in half and then in half lengthwise to expose the interior of the bread.

Spread the butter mixture over both sides of half of the loaf.

Storage & Reheating Instructions

How to Store Leftover Spaghetti

Refrigeration

Store any leftover spaghetti and meatballs in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Remember that the freshness of your ground beef can affect the longevity of the meatballs. So, if you used older meat to make the meatballs, you may want to eat or freeze the leftovers within 1-2 days.

Freezer

Before freezing it is very important that the spaghetti and meatballs is cold, so I recommend refrigerating the leftovers overnight before freezing.

If the food is warm when packaged for freezing, steam can be produced inside the container or freezer bag, resulting in ice crystals forming.

Air is another issue when freezing food, so make sure you choose a container that is the proper size for the amount of leftovers. You don't want a 3-cup container for 1 cup of leftover spaghetti or there will be too much air trapped in the container which can lead to decreased quality of the meat.

My preferred method for freezing is using a vacuum sealer which eliminates this issue.

You can freeze spaghetti and meatballs indefinitely, but for the best quality consume within 3-6 months.

How to Reheat Leftover Spaghetti

Steaming

My preferred way for heating leftover spaghetti from frozen or cold is steaming.

I have found that it is an effective way to reheat pasta without overcooking the pasta.

• Place your spaghetti into a covered container that is safe for steaming. Any metal or glass dish should work as long as it is ovenproof.
• Put 2 cups of water in the Ninja Combi pan and insert on level one.
• Place the criping tray in the Combi pan and place your covered container on top.
• Select the steam function and set the time for 10-25 minutes, depending on how much you are reheating and whether the spaghetti is frozen.
• When the time is up, stir the contents and make sure they are warm enough, if they aren't you can steam longer.

Bake

Place the spaghetti into a covered oven-proof dish and bake on 300℉/150℃ for 20-30 minutes. Stir and make sure the spaghetti is hot all the way through.

More Ninja Combi Recipes

The Ninja Combi is a versatile appliance that can make so many quick and easy meals as well as make the BEST bread!

Here are a few recipes for you to try out.