The BEST Spaghetti and Homemade Meatballs (VIDEO)

Serve it with Braised Short Ribs and crispy Roasted Brussels Sprouts for a delicious and decadent dinner!

Ingredients

The two stars of this dish are my homemade meatballs and sauce – I love making both from scratch because it allows me to control what ingredients are in the food I eat and customize it to my exact preference! I highly recommend you do the same – you’ll see that it’s not as hard as you may think AND it tastes so much better homemade!

Meatballs

• ground beef 85/15 – I recommend a slightly higher fat content for the beef, as it adds a ton of flavor. However, you are welcome to use whatever ground beef you prefer!
• ground pork – If you cannot eat pork, you can substitute with ground turkey
• unseasoned breadcrumbs
• whole milk – this is for hydrating the breadcrumbs (one of my key tips to making moist and juicy meatballs); if you don’t have milk on hand or want to avoid dairy, you can use chicken or beef stock.
• grated parmesan cheese – I always recommend grating your own cheese to avoid the extra additives and preservatives added to grated cheese (to prevent the shreds from melting).
• garlic
• extra virgin olive oil
• kosher salt
• black pepper
• fresh parsley – I recommend fresh parsley for the flavor and vibrant color. If you only have dried on hand, you can use that – make sure to halve the amount.
• dried oregano
• egg

Sauce

• yellow onion
• garlic
• canned tomatoes (preferably San Marzano)
• crushed red pepper flakes
• sugar
• dried oregano
• dried thyme
• salt and pepper to taste
• spaghetti, cooked to al dente – while this recipe is for “Spaghetti” and I highly recommend you use a long pasta, you can technically use any kind of pasta you have on hand or prefer.

If you prefer a pasta without a tomato sauce, try my wife’s favorite Carbonara, authentic Fettuccine Alfredo, a foolproof Cacio e Pepe, or a bright and lemony Pasta al Limone! If you would like some seafood with your pasta, try Linguine with Clams or Shrimp Scampi Pasta!

Recipe Instructions

1. Season and Hydrate the Breadcrumbs

Start by adding unseasoned breadcrumbs in large mixing bowl with salt, pepper, grated parmesan, garlic, parsley, oregano. Stir to combine. Add milk slowly and mix into the breadcrumbs with your hands. This is called hydrating your breadcrumbs and is a key component to making moist, delicious meatballs. Do not skip this step!

2. Mix and Form the Meatballs

Take a baking sheet or tray and line with parchment paper or foil.

To the bowl of seasoned and hydrated breadcrumbs, add your ground meat (beef and pork), egg, and olive oil. Mix until thoroughly incorporated.

I like my meatballs on the medium to larger size, so I take 4 ounces of meat and roll them into balls. Refer to the image for scale. You can form the meatballs into any size you prefer – just keep in mind cooking time (larger will require longer cooking time for food safety).

Roll the meatballs and lay them on the baking sheet or tray with parchment paper or foil. Make sure the meatballs do not touch each other. Place the sheet or tray with the meatballs into the freezer for 15 minutes – this will help firm up the meatballs and hold their shape when cooking them!

3. Fry the Meatballs

After freezing for 15 minutes, take out the sheet or tray with meatballs.

Take a large non stick pan and add 4 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat. Sear the meatballs on each side for a total of 3-4 minutes – they should be golden brown all over. Remove the meatballs from the pan and place on a plate.

Do not remove the fat and olive oil in the pan!

4. Make the Tomato Sauce

Dice your onions and garlic.

In the same pan with the remaining fat and oil, sauté diced onion and garlic over medium heat, until the onions are translucent, about 2-3 minutes. Add the San Marzano tomatoes. As you cook them, crush the tomatoes until no large chunks remain. Add the dried seasonings and simmer for 15 minutes over medium heat.

5. Simmer the Meatballs

Add the meatballs to the tomato sauce. Cover and let the meatballs and sauce simmer for another 30 minutes; the meatballs should be cooked through and tender. Make sure to cut into one to confirm they’re done!

Cook your spaghetti in salted water to al dente (approximately 2 minutes less than the package instructions). Drain and add the cooked spaghetti directly into the sauce and mix to finish. Enjoy your Spaghetti and Meatballs!

Storage and Reheating

You can make the meatballs and sauce ahead of time and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. When you are ready to eat your Spaghetti and Meatballs, heat your sauce and meatballs up in one pan while you cook your pasta. Finish the spaghetti in the sauce and serve – dinner is done in 20 minutes!

If you want to freeze Spaghetti and Meatballs, I recommend freezing the sauce and meatballs separately.

• Freeze the meatballs on a parchment lined sheet or tray for 1-2 hours before transferring into a freezer safe bag. This will help them from sticking together in the freezer.
• Once the sauce has cooled, I like to ladle it into freezer safe bags about halfway. I’ll lay them flat on a baking sheet or tray and flatten the sauce until it becomes a flat rectangle or square. I freeze them on the baking sheet or tray until they hold their shape before removing the sheet or tray.

More Dinner Ideas!

Looking for more dinner ideas? I love easy and comforting classics like Meatloaf (with the perfect glaze!) or Fried Chicken. If you want to impress someone, you have to make my Braised Short Ribs with Mashed Potatoes or Steak with Peppercorn Sauce! For a lighter option, I love using my air fryer – favorites include Air Fryer Chicken Thighs and Air Fryer Chicken Tenders. You can’t forget about the sides – Roasted Brussels Sprouts or Roasted Cauliflower goes with everything!

If you tried this Spaghetti and Meatballs or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below!