These pasta bread bowls are hearty, cheesy, packed with flavour and simple to make!
I know this recipe seems slightly OTT at first, and quite frankly, it is, but these bowls are actually incredibly delicious and really simple to put together. Follow me…
Homemade Meat Sauce
We’re essentially going to be stuffing the bread bowls with a version of Spaghetti Bolognese. Just a few tweaks for this recipe:
- Quicker – This version is much quicker than a traditional bolognese, which is often simmered for hours.
- Saucier – Because we’re stuffing it inside the rolls, we want it a little saucier than usual. You want there to be enough to keep the filling nice and juicy without drying out in the oven.
- Less Pasta – Since we’re serving this pasta inside bread bowls, we want slightly less than usual, just so it’s not a complete carb overload.
Process shots: fry onion and garlic (photo 1), fry beef (photo 2), stir in tomato puree (photo 3), stir in stock, passata, herbs and seasoning (photo 4), simmer then stir in parmesan (photo 5), toss in spaghetti (photo 6).
Pasta Bread Bowls
I don’t know about you, but for me, where there’s Pasta there’s Garlic Bread. So really we’re just combining the two here. Yes, that’s my justification for stuffing pasta inside bread.
What kind of bread should I use?
You’ll want to use large white crusty rolls. It’s really important that they’re firm/crusty (they should almost sound hollow to tap). This will give the bowls structure and keep them nice and crispy as they bake.
Garlic bread bowls
Naturally, we’ll be painting the bread with garlic butter, because is it even legal to not do so? The garlic butter is simple just melted butter, garlic, parsley and parmesan.
To make the bread bowls just gut out most of the centre then push the rest to the outside to build a ‘wall’. I then like to brush the bread with butter on the inside and outside for good measure, then in goes the spaghetti.
Process shots: gut out the rolls (photos 1&2), brush with garlic butter (photo 3), add to baking tray (photo 4), stuff (photo 5), stop with mozzarella then bake (photo 6).
Spaghetti Bread Bowls FAQ
Can I make these ahead of time?
You can make the meat sauce and garlic butter ahead of time, but I wouldn’t make the whole thing otherwise the bread soaks in too much of the sauce and they dry out.
What can I do with the excess bread?
I blitz the bread into crumbs, which you can use for numerous different recipes (Meatballs being my fave).
How do you prevent the bowls from going soggy?
So long as you’re using crusty rolls and you press in the filling to build a wall, you’ll be absolutely fine!
Serving Spaghetti Bread Bowls
They don’t need to be in the oven for long at all – 10 minutes max- just to melt the cheese and crisp up the bread bowls. Once they’re out you’ll want to tuck in right away so they don’t dry out and the cheese stays gooey. I like to garnish with fresh parsley, but that’s totally optional.
For another bread bowl recipe check out my Beef and Onion Bread Roll Pies!
Alrighty, let’s tuck into the full recipe for these spaghetti bread bowls shall we?!
How to make Spaghetti Bread Bowls (Full Recipe & Video)
Spaghetti Garlic Bread Bowls
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Equipment
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Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
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Large Pan & Wooden Spoon (for meat sauce)
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Large Pot & Tongs (for spaghetti)
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Jug (for stock)
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Fine Cheese Grater
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Bread Knife
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Small Ramekin (for garlic butter)
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Brush
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Large Tray (preferably lined with baking/parchment paper)
Ingredients
Spaghetti
- drizzle of Olive Oil
- 1 medium White Onion, finely diced
- 2 cloves of Garlic, finely diced
- 500g / 1lb Minced/Ground Beef (see notes)
- 1 heaped tbsp Tomato Puree (Tomato Paste in US)
- 80ml / 1/3 cup Red Wine (sub more beef stock)
- 500g / 2 cups Tomato Passata (pureed/strained tomatoes in US)
- 240ml / 1 cup Beef Stock
- 1/2 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
- 1/2 bunch Fresh Basil, finely diced
- 1/2 tsp EACH: Dried Oregano, Sugar
- 20g / 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
- Salt & Black Pepper, as needed
- 200g / 7oz Spaghetti
Bowls
- 6x Crusty White Rolls (see notes)
- 100g / 7 tbsp Butter, melted
- 30g / 1oz Parmesan (I use the fresh dusty variety)
- 1 heaped tbsp very finely diced Fresh Parsley, plus more to garnish if desired
- 3 cloves of Garlic, finely grated/minced then mashed into a paste with the side of your knife
- 200g / 2 cups shredded Mozzarella, or as needed
Instructions
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Add a drizzle of oil to a large pan over medium heat. Add the onion and fry until it starts to soften and turn golden then add the garlic and fry for 20 seconds or so. Add the beef and fry until browned all over, breaking it up with your wooden spoon as you go.
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Stir in the tomato puree and fry for a minute, then pour in the wine and simmer for a couple of minutes to reduce. Pour in the passata and stock then stir in the Worcestershire sauce, basil, oregano and sugar then season with salt and pepper (I typically start with 1/4 tsp of each). Bring to a simmer then lower the heat and simmer for around 25 minutes until the sauce thickens (see video for consistency guidance). Stir in the parmesan then check for seasoning and adjust if needed.
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With around 8 mins to go add the spaghetti to salted boiling water and cook until al dente. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F.
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While the spaghetti cooks, slice the tops off the rolls and gut out most of the centre. Squish around the outside to help build a protective wall then place the rolls on a large baking tray (preferably lined with baking/parchment paper). In a small pot or ramekin combine the butter, garlic, parsley and parmesan then brush the inside and outside of the rolls.
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Once the spaghetti is al dente, use tongs to transfer it straight from the pot into the sauce and toss to combine. Add into the rolls, making sure you finish with some sauce (to prevent the spaghetti burning/drying out). Top with mozzarella then bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes, or until the bread is crisp and the cheese has melted. You can also flick on the grill/broiler to crisp the cheese.
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Garnish with parsley then tuck in and enjoy!
Video
Notes
b) Rolls – It’s important that you buy rolls that are firm and crusty to ensure they keep their structure as they bake. They should almost sound hollow to tap. I use the ‘White Crusty Rolls’ from Sainsbury’s and they work perfectly (found in the bakery section). If you’re concerned your rolls might be too soft just bake in the oven at 180C/350F for 5 minutes or so to dry them out and firm them up a little after gutting out the centre. For reference, the rolls I use are about 12cm/4.5-5″ wide.
c) Breadcrumbs – To reduce waste you can blitz up the excess bread you tear out and use them as breadcrumbs at a later date. Tightly store at room temp for as long as the bread stays in date or you can freeze.
d) Make ahead – You can make the meat sauce ahead of time, just allow to completely cool and tightly store in the fridge. Gently reheat before tossing in the pasta (toss in some pasta water to loosen up the sauce if needed). You can also make the garlic butter ahead of time too.
e) Calories – Per bowl.
Nutrition
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