The BEST Spaghetti and Meatballs (Video)
This Spaghetti and Meatball recipe will be your new go to weeknight family dinner! This is the best recipe for super tender beef and pork meatballs and a home made tomato marinara sauce is an easy, timeless recipe that you'll be making again and again.
Servings: 6
Equipment
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1 cup unseasoned Breadcrumbs
- 3/4 cup whole milk
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tbsp italian parsley chopped
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 lb Ground Beef 85% lean recommended
- 1 lb Ground Pork 80% lean recommended
- 2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil divided
- 1 large egg
Tomato Sauce
- 1 yellow onion finely minced
- 4 cloves garlic finely minced
- 1 28 oz can tomatoes I highly recommend you use San Marzano tomatoes
- 1 tsp crushed red pepper
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp salt or to taste
- 1/2 tsp black pepper or to taste
- 1 lb spaghetti cooked to al dente
Instructions
- Add unseasoned breadcrumbs to a bowl. Season with salt, pepper, grated parmesan, garlic, parsley, and oregano. Mix to combine then add milk and mix through with your hands until the breadcrumbs are moist and softened.
- Add the ground beef and ground pork, egg, and half of the olive oil and mix until thoroughly combined. Take 4 ounces of the meat mixture and roll them into balls with your hands. Lay them on a tray lined with parchment paper and freeze them for 15 minutes to allow the meatballs to firm up and hold their shape.
- In a non stick pan over medium high heat, add the remaining olive oil until shimmering and sear meatballs for 3-4 minutes until golden brown on all sides. Remove from pan to a plate.
- In the same oil, sauté onion and garlic over medium heat until onions are translucent. Add the tomatoes, then crush them with a potato masher or spatula, removing any tough root ends of the tomato. Add crushed red pepper, sugar, dried oregano, dried thyme, and season with salt and pepper and mix to combine. Simmer partially covered for at least 15 minutes over medium heat until the tomatoes have reduced slightly.
- Add the meatballs to the tomato sauce. Cover and let the meatballs simmer in the sauce for another 30 minutes until cooked through and tender. Cook the pasta to al dente, finish in the sauce and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- ground beef (85/15) - I recommend a slightly higher fat content for the beef, as it adds a ton of flavor.
- ground pork - If you cannot eat pork, you can substitute with ground turkey.
- unseasoned breadcrumbs - I recommend using unseasoned breadcrumbs so you can season and hydrate them yourself - this makes a difference in how the meatballs taste!
- whole milk - this is for hydrating the breadcrumbs; if you don't have milk on hand or want to avoid dairy, you can use chicken or beef stock.
- canned tomatoes - I recommend using San Marzano tomatoes, which are a certified product of the San Marzano region of Italy - you can taste the difference in the sauce! Make sure the label clearly states "San Marzano" (not "San Marzano style"). If you cannot use canned San Marzano tomatoes, you can substitute with another canned tomato or use fresh tomatoes if they are in season.
- spaghetti, cooked to al dente - while this recipe is for "Spaghetti" and I highly recommend you use a long pasta, you can use any kind of pasta you prefer.
- Once the sauce has cooled down, ladle it into freezer safe bags until halfway full. Lay the bags flat on a baking sheet or tray so it becomes a flat rectangle and freeze until they hold their shape.
- Freeze the meatballs on a parchment lined baking sheet for 1-2 hours before transferring into a freezer safe bag or container. Make sure the meatballs are not touching each other.
- When ready to eat, heat the sauce and meatballs in one pan while you cook the spaghetti - finish the spaghetti in the sauce and serve!
Nutrition
Calories: 990kcal | Carbohydrates: 64g | Protein: 42g | Fat: 62g | Saturated Fat: 18g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 33g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 126mg | Sodium: 1572mg | Potassium: 729mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 417IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 243mg | Iron: 4mg
