Spaghetti and Meatballs

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This comforting Spaghetti and Meatballs recipe is here for us when we need it most! These meatballs are light-as-a-feather, initially roasted and then braised in sauce. This combination makes leftovers, which reheat like a dream. Serve them with my favorite Caprese Salad and Aperol Spritz.

Spaghetti and Meatballs in bowls.

A very big part of me hopes and wishes that you read this blog post title as, “Spaghetti and a Meat-a-balls!” ***Chef’s Kiss***

I feel like I just talked about my love of gangster movies a few weeks ago but I really do love that scene in Goodfellas where they’re all in jail and they’re like, who cares, so what! And cook up this like massive feast. Oh and that one guy slices the garlic with a razor blade? So unnecessary but so awesome.

I think that scene started my love affair with pasta. I love everything from this Pasta al Limone to Pasta alla Nerano. All amazing, cozy meals.

Ingredients You’ll Need for this Spaghetti and Meatballs

Ingredients for Spaghetti and Meatballs.
  1. Ground pork – I love half ground pork and half ground beef for this recipe. It gives a nice rounded, rich flavor to the meatballs.
  2. Ground beef – The ground beef adds a nice heartiness and for lack of a better word, beefiness.
  3. Parmesan-Reggiano – I love this salty, aged cheese for meatballs. They’re a classic.
  4. Egg – This is going to act as our binder.
  5. Breadcrumbs – I like using Italian-style bread crumbs for these. They result in light and airy meatballs.
  6. Italian parsley leaves. Fresh herbs are a win. If you don’t have any fresh parsley, you can add a teaspoon of dried. 
  7. Onion and garlic – We can’t have meatballs without these two iconic ingredients.
  8. Pasta of choice – I like a thin noodle or spaghetti for this recipe.
  9. Jarred sauce. You can also make homemade sauce pretty easily. But I have to say, I’m partial to Rao’s Jarred Marinara Sauce. So good and makes everything easy.

For the rest of the ingredients, please see recipe card below.

Ingredients for Spaghetti and Meatballs.

How to Cook Spaghetti and Meatballs

  1. Soak the breadcrumbs with the milk. Give them a mix and let them sit.
Breadcrumbs mixed with milk in a small bowl.

2. Grate the Parmesan. I like to use the food processor for everything. It makes everything a breeze. Grind up the Parmesan.

3. And then add the chopped onion and garlic. Along with everything else: parsley, egg, crushed red pepper, salt and black pepper.

4. Add the pork and beef to a large bowl. And then top it with mixture. Mix everything with your hands. You really have to get in there and squeeze the meat with the bread crumb mixture to really combine it.

5. Divide the balls into 2-ounce portions. I used a 2-ounce cookie scoop and put them on a greased baking sheet. And then I rolled the scoops into balls.

Meatballs that are raw right before baking.

Bake the meatballs for 15 minutes. 

Meanwhile, warm up the jarred sauce. And then transfer the roasted meatballs to the sauce, cover the lid and cook them for an additional 10 minutes.

Meatballs in simmering sauce.

Boil the pasta. Drain the pasta. And then add sauce to the pasta. here’s the thing: you could skip this step. And just add a bit of sauce from the meatballs to the pasta. But I personally think it’s essential to have my spaghetti super saucy.

Add the pasta to the pot with the sauce. Toss and then serve!

Pot with noodles and marinara being tossed together.

Recipe Tip

Meatball Sandwich – I love a meatball sub. You can absolutely just use this meatball recipe to make a sub. I like to add some sauce to the two sides of a hoagie, top the meatballs with slices of provolone and fresh basil. Pop it in a warm oven until melty. Divine.

Jarred Marinara Sauce – I love the brands Rao’s, Angelini Osteria or Carbone. . Feel free to make your own if you want!

Cook pasta until al dente – Al dente means the pasta is cooked until just done. Don’t overcook the pasta and absolutely do not rinse it. Follow those two rules and you’ll have perfectly textured pasta.

Save Your Pasta Water – I love to save a bit of pasta water when I drain the pasta so I can add it to the pasta and marinara, if needed. The starchy water is truly the secret to a delicious, saucey pasta.

Spaghetti and Meatballs in bowls.

Recipe FAQs

How do I reheat leftovers?

You can reheat the spaghetti and meatballs (or just meatballs solo) in the microwave OR on the stove with a lid on low heat.

Can I use all ground beef or all ground pork?

Absolutely. Both will work great.

Can I use a vegan meat substitute for the meatballs?

Yep! If you want to use a ground meat substitute, it’ll absolutely work great.

Can I use other pasta shapes?

Yes, I think any noodle will work great. I don’t love angel hair for this because it’s too thin and fragile for heavy meatballs but try bucatini,

Spaghetti and Meatballs in a bowl with parmesan on top.

What to Serve with Spaghetti and Meatballs

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

5 from 7 votes

Spaghetti and Meatballs

Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 25 minutes
Total: 45 minutes
Servings: 4
This comforting Spaghetti and Meatballs recipe is here for us when we need it most! These meatballs are light-as-a-feather, initially roasted and then braised in sauce. This combination makes leftovers, which reheat like a dream.

Ingredients 

Meatballs:

  • 1 tablespoon neutral oil, (like canola, vegetable, avocado oil)
  • 1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
  • 1/4 cup whole milk
  • 2 1/2 ounces grated Parmesan Reggiano, (1/2 cup grated Parmesan)
  • 1/2 yellow onion, peeled and roughly chopped
  • 6 garlic cloves, peeled
  • 1/3 cup Italian parsley leaves
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon crushed red peppers
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  • 1 pound ground pork
  • 1 pound ground beef, (I used grass-fed)
  • 1 (28) ounce jarred tomato sauce

Pasta:

  • 1 pound spaghetti, (or pasta of choice)
  • 1 (28) ounce jarred tomato sauce (see notes below)

Instructions 

To Assemble the Meatballs:

  • Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Brush a half baking sheet with the neutral oil and set aside.
  • In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs and milk. Let them stand for about 5 minutes.
  • Next, add the Parmesan chunks to the food processor. (If you’re using grated, skip this step.) And pulse until the Parmesan is in little bits. And then, add the chopped onion, garlic, parsley leaves, egg, crushed red pepper, salt and pepper, and reserved bread crumb mixture. Pulse until totally cohesive, scraping down the sides as needed, and then blending one last time.
  • *If you don’t own a food processor, no biggie, you can grate the Parmesan (or buy grated Parmesan), and mince up the onion, garlic, parsley with a knife. And then mix everything in a bowl vigorously until cohesive.
  • Add the ground pork and ground beef to a bowl. Pour the onion combination and mix together gently until everything is combined. I definitely, like, squeezed the meat between my fingers to get everything thoroughly combined.
  • Divide the meatballs into 2-ounce portions and roll each portion into a ball and place them on the prepared baking sheet. I used a 2-ounce cookie scoop to portion out the meatballs and then went back and rolled them with my palms.

To Cook the Meatballs:

  • Transfer to the oven to roast for 15 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, pour the jarred tomato sauce in a pot and warm it up over low heat and cover so it’s ready and waiting for the meatballs.
  • Open the oven and remove the baking sheet. The meatballs will have browned slightly and rendered out some of their fat—this is good! Transfer the meatballs, one by one, to the sauce. Bring the sauce to gentle simmer, lower the heat to low and cover. Cook the meatballs for an additional 10 minutes.
  • These meatballs can be cooled completely and then refrigerated or frozen for up to 3 months. This recipe makes enough meatballs to accommodate 2 pounds of pasta so if you make 1 pound of pasta, you’ll end up with meatball leftovers.

To Make the Pasta:

  • Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Drop the pasta in and cook according to the package’s instructions. I cooked my bucatini for about 10 minutes. Drain in a colander.
  • Pour the other 28-ounce jar of tomato sauce into the pot. Turn the heat to medium heat and allow the sauce to warm up for about 1 minute. Add the pasta and toss in the sauce.

To Serve:

  • Divide pasta amongst bowls. Top with 3 meatballs, a sprinkling of Parmesan-Reggiano and Italian parsley.

Notes

Tips and Tricks: 
  1. Meatball Sandwich – I love a meatball sub. You can absolutely just use this meatball recipe to make a sub. I like to add some sauce to the two sides of a hoagie, top the meatballs with slices of provolone and fresh basil. Pop it in a warm oven until melty. Divine.
  2. Jarred Marinara Sauce – I love the brands Rao’s, Angelini Osteria or Carbone. . Feel free to make your own if you want!
  3. Cook pasta until al dente – Al dente means the pasta is cooked until just done. Don’t overcook the pasta and absolutely do not rinse it. Follow those two rules and you’ll have perfectly textured pasta.
  4. Save Your Pasta Water – I love to save a bit of pasta water when I drain the pasta so I can add it to the pasta and marinara, if needed. The starchy water is truly the secret to a delicious, saucey pasta.

Nutrition

Serving: 6g | Calories: 320kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 32mg | Sodium: 124mg | Potassium: 76mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 14IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 23mg | Iron: 4mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American, Italian
Like this Recipe? Please Rate & comment below!

Cozy Latin-Inspired Comfort Food Recipes

Hi! I'm Adrianna and this is my cozy space on the internet that is super-charged by butter, flour and copious amounts of pasta. Stay awhile, will you!

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41 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    love this recipe! I always have a batch frozen. Quick question, can we use only ground pork and please visit us: https://www.beckandbulow.com

  2. these meatballs turned out amazing! just wondering about the nutritional info, a serving is only 6grams?

  3. 5 stars
    So delicious! Made it for my boyfriend for Valentine’s Day.. it was a hit. Love the little spice kick with the crushed red pepper

  4. By crushed red peppers do you mean paprika (red capsicum)? Or dried crushed red chillies? Excited to make this!!