Kate’s Best Italian Spaghetti and Meatballs Recipe
Roll up your sleeves, this spaghetti and meatballs recipe takes a bit of effort but is absolute perfection. Homemade tomato sauce and tender meatballs made from a mixture of beef and pork, all tangled up in toothsome spaghetti. Simply the best!
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There is nothing ordinary about this spaghetti and meatballs recipe. It is one of my family’s favorite recipes that I’ve been making for at least a decade or more and is inspired by my dear friend, Aida’s family recipe that she learned to make from her Italian grandmother. So, in other words, legit.
My love for Italian food is no secret. See pizza, stuffed peppers, polenta, and salsa verde recipes for examples. But the Italian-American combo of spaghetti and meatballs holds a special place in my heart.
While this is not an easy recipe (if you want one of those check out this list) but I’m going to share all my tips and tricks for making homemade meatballs, flavorful (not too sweet, not too acidic) tomato sauce, and bringing it all together for a plate of spaghetti that will comfort and dazzle. Consider this your ultimate guide to spaghetti and meatballs. Let’s go!
Overview: How To Make Spaghetti and Meatballs
The recipe card has detailed instructions but here’s a brief look at the essential steps:
- Soak the bread: For the meatball mixture we are using a baguette (ideally one that is a day or two old) instead of bread crumbs. Place the pieces of bread in a large bowl and cover with the beaten eggs to soak.
- Form the meatballs: Create a garlic paste by hand-chopping the garlic, fennel seeds, salt, and pepper together. Add this to the bread mixture along with the remaining meatball ingredients. Mix gently, but thoroughly with your hands.
- Test and taste: Take a little bit of the meatball mixture and cook it. Give it a taste. Does it need more salt? Seasoning? If it is perfect, shape the meat mixture into meatballs using a 2-tablespoon-sized cookie scoop if you have one. This will make about 40 meatballs. Make them larger or smaller if you prefer.
- Cook the meatballs: You must pan-fry the meatballs for maximum flavor. We will fry them in the same large pot or 5-6 quart Dutch oven the sauce gets cooked in so the sauce can benefit from the browned bits left from the meatballs. Fry them in batches over medium heat until browned on all sides. If you’re in the market for a new pot, check out my recommendations.
- Prepare the tomato sauce: For this classic recipe we are using my easy homemade marinara sauce. Sauté the onions and garlic in the leftover pan drippings from the meatballs (flavor!) then add San Marzano tomatoes, bay leaf, and salt. Simmer a bit then add the meatballs to the sauce.
- Cook the spaghetti: Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook, stirring frequently to prevent from sticking together until al dente (7-8 minutes). Drain.
- Combine everything together: Return spaghetti to the pot and ladle the meatballs and tomato sauce over spaghetti. Toss gently to combine. You can save some meatballs and sauce for spooning a little on top of each plate.
- Serve: Divide the pasta between plates and top each plate with an extra meatball, a little bit of sauce, a sprinkling of fresh basil, some freshly grated parmesan cheese, and red pepper flakes, if you’d like.
Key Ingredients
- Stale bread: I like to use a baguette, ideally one that is 1-2 days old. You don’t need to remove the crust.
- Eggs: Make the meatballs extra tender, plus help them to stay together when cooking.
- Garlic: Two garlic cloves go in the meatballs and two go in the sauce.
- Ground meat: I like a combination of half ground pork and half ground beef but you could use Italian sausage instead of the ground pork or ground veal instead of the ground beef.
- Meatball seasoning: This meatball recipe uses a mixture of fennel, black pepper, salt, and oregano for the seasoning.
- Onion: You will use half for the meatball ingredients and half for the sauce. Mince by hand or pulse in a food processor until very small.
- Fresh herbs: Basil and fresh parsley
- Olive oil: For frying the meatballs.
- Tomato paste: Adds sweetness and helps thicken the tomato sauce.
- Canned tomatoes: Just like with our Tomato Mushroom Spaghetti we are using canned San Marzano tomatoes.
- Bay leaf: To flavor the sauce.
- Spaghetti: Classic but you can use any type of pasta you’d like.
- Parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes: For serving.
Spaghetti and Meatballs Success Tips
- Best herbs and spices for spaghetti sauce. In this case, the sauce gets a ton of flavor from the meatballs so we only use a bay leaf and fresh basil added in the end. If I’m making the sauce on its own I add dried oregano as well. I’m not a fan of Italian seasoning, I would rather use the individual herbs and spices by themselves so I have more control over the flavor.
- How long does it take to boil spaghetti? Make sure the pasta water is at a rolling boil over medium-high heat then add the spaghetti. Cook pasta in a lot of water (to prevent sticking) for about 9 minutes. It should have some resistance when you bite into it.
- How long is leftover spaghetti good for? It will last in an airtight container for up to 5 days. If you know you will be saving some for leftovers, it is best to store the pasta (drizzled with a little olive oil) separate from the meatballs and sauce.
How To Freeze Meatballs?
Italian meatballs are a welcome sight on a busy weeknight. I prefer to cook the meatballs, then freeze them so all you need to do is reheat but you can also freeze raw meatballs to cook later.
Freezing raw meatballs: Form the meatballs and place in a single layer on a baking sheet. Place in the freezer until frozen solid then transfer to an airtight container or a freezer bag and freeze for up to 6 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before browning.
Freezing cooked meatballs: Let cool completely, then transfer to an airtight container or freezer bag and freeze for up to 6 months. Add to the sauce (no need to thaw) and simmer until cooked through and warm.
What To Eat With Spaghetti
Classic spaghetti begs to be paired with garlic bread and though I’m all about carbs on carbs, its also nice to have something crisp and green (salad) or another lightly cooked green veggie to add color and textural contrast to the meal. I suggest:
- Blanched Broccoli with Garlic
- Broccolini with Red Onions
- Roasted Brussels Sprouts
- Rosemary Fennel Focaccia
- No-Knead Whole Wheat Green Olive Bread
- Tomato-Basil Salad
- Beet Salad with Cracked Green Olives
- Cucumber Tomato Avocado Salad
- Serve these decadent Salted Chocolate Brownie Truffles for dessert
Wine Pairing With Spaghetti
Flavorful meatballs, rich sauce, lots of fresh herbs and cheese on top deserve something just as juicy and I personally think you should serve Italian wine with Italian food. My favorite Italian reds are from Southern Italy and Sicily. Try a Nero d’Avola, even Whole Foods is stocking a couple good ones now or if you want to look further North, a Chianti Classico (Tuscany) or a Sangiovese from Umbria.
Kate’s Best Spaghetti and Meatballs
Ingredients
For the meatballs:
- 2 packed cups cubed stale baguette, you can leave the crust on
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 pound ground pork
- 1/2 medium yellow onion, minced
- 6 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
For the sauce:
- 1 1/2 medium yellow onions, small dice (use the other half of the onion you cut for the meatballs)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 28-ounce can whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes
- 1 bay leaf
For serving:
- 1 pound spaghetti
- freshly grated Parmesan cheese, optional
- fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced
- red pepper flakes, optional
Instructions
For the meatballs:
- Place the 2 packed cups diced bread in a large mixing bowl and cover with the 2 beaten eggs. (Push bread down so it all gets moistened.) Let soak until most of the egg is absorbed and bread is broken down, about 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, place the 2 cloves garlic and 1 teaspoon fennel seeds on a cutting board and sprinkle the 1/2 teaspoon pepper and 2 teaspoons salt on top. Chop mixture until it is a rough paste (it will resemble cornmeal).
- Add the 1 pound ground beef and 1 pound ground pork to the bowl with the egg-bread mixture along with the 1/2 minced onion (save the other half for the sauce), 6 tablespoons chopped parsley, 1 tablespoon dried oregano, and garlic-fennel paste. Mix with your hands until evenly combined, breaking up any bread chunks.
- Roll one small tester meatball. Heat the 2 tablespoons of oil in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat. Cook tester meatball until it is browned on all sides and cooked through. Taste the meatball. Is it perfect? Does it need more salt? Seasoning? Occasionally I will add more salt or even 1/2 teaspoon red chile flakes to the meatball mixture at this point.
- Gather mixture into round balls, about 2 inches in diameter, using a cookie scoop if you have one, and place on a baking sheet. Make smaller or larger meatballs if you prefer.
- Return the pot that you cooked the tester meatball in to medium heat and add meatballs in batches being careful not to crowd. Cook meatballs turning frequently until browned on all sides. You don't need to cook them all the way through at this point they will finish cooking in the sauce, just make sure they are nice and browned. Remove the meatballs to a clean bowl as they finish cooking and continue with the next batch until all meatballs are browned. Set aside while you make the sauce.
For the sauce:
- Add the chopped onion and 2 cloves minced garlic and the teaspoon salt to the pot you just cooked the meatballs in. Cook, over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until tender. Add the 2 tablespoons tomato paste and cook 1 minute, stirring.
- Add the can of tomatoes and bay leaf. Fill the can halfway with water, swirl to get all the tomato bits and pour into the pot. Stir to combine, pressing the tomatoes against the side of the pot to break up into smaller pieces.
- Bring to a simmer then add the meatballs and all the juices that have collected at the bottom of the bowl. Cook, uncovered, until sauce thickens slightly and meatballs are cooked through and tender, about 30 minutes. Taste and add more salt if necessary.
For serving:
- While the sauce is simmering, bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package instructions and drain. Return to pot.
- Pour meatballs and sauce over pasta and gently toss to combine. Serve topped with Parmesan cheese, thinly sliced basil, and red chile flakes if desired
Notes
- San Marzano Tomatoes: These are the best-tasting type of tomatoes for this sauce.To be labeled San Marzano the tomatoes have to be grown and packed in Italy and they only process them whole, not crushed or diced. Look for the letters “D.O.P.” on the can to ensure you have the real deal. If you’d prefer to use a different type of canned tomato, you can substitute any 28-ounce can of tomatoes you’d like.
- Milk & Cheese: Most meatball recipes have some form of dairy in them from milk to ricotta cheese to parmesan. We leave the dairy out of these meatballs to let the other flavors shine and give them toothsome texture. Plus, they’re dairy free!
- Meatball Size: 2-inch meatballs are a good starting point, but adjust to your preference. Smaller meatballs cook faster, while larger ones take longer.
- Prep Ahead: The meatballs and sauce can be made ahead of time and stored separately in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Reheat the sauce gently before adding the meatballs.
