Does it really get any more homey and comforting than spaghetti and meatballs? Not in my world! This classic recipe for Homemade Spaghetti and Meatballs (or “pasketti and meatballs,” if you ask my kids) is both comforting and simple, using mostly pantry ingredients and doable for even a weeknight dinner. If you can’t eat pasta, it’s also great over a bed of zucchini zoodles or roasted spaghetti squash.
Ingredients Needed
This is just a preview of ingredients and method, keep scrolling for full printable recipe.
Meatballs
- Lean ground beef
- Italian sausage
- Dry bread crumbs – Found in the baking aisle. You could sub in panko bread crumbs or finely crushed cracker crumbs in a pinch. I often just toss 2 pieces of white bread in my blender and pulse them up and it works great.
- Dehydrated onion
- Eggs
- Parmesan cheese – Freshly grated.
- Dried basil
- Dried parsley
- Fresh garlic
- Kosher salt and black pepper
Sauce
- Onion – Yellow or white.
- Fresh garlic
- Olive oil
- Canned crushed tomatoes – Since the tomatoes are what really shine here, I recommend using a good brand. I often use the cheapest can on the shelf for soups and stews, but if I’m making something like tomato soup, or spaghetti sauce, I’ll use something nicer. Muir Glen or San Marzano are always a good choice and available at most grocery stores. I’m using the fire-roasted, here, but regular is just fine.
- Tomato sauce – Just plain canned tomato sauce.
- Granulated sugar
- Dried basil
- Italian sasoning
- Red pepper flakes
- Salt and pepper
- Baking soda – This helps neutralize the acidity from the tomatoes.
Equipment
- I like meatballs to be 1-2 bite meatballs, so a standard size cookie scoop works great. With that size you’ll get about 3 dozen meatballs. If you don’t own any scoops yet, this set of 3 is great, and will you several options- I use all three of those sizes quite a bit in my kitchen.
How to Make Spaghetti and Meatballs
Meatballs
- You’ll start by mixing up your meatball ingredients. A mix of ground beef and pork sausage give these a lovely texture and flavor. That’s combined with spices, eggs, and Parmesan cheese.
- I use my standard sized cookie scoop to portion out my meat mixture, which gives me meatballs that are 1-2 bites which I think is perfect! Portion out your meatball mixture and roll into balls.
- The meatballs get a quick broil in the oven until they’re nice and brown.
Sauce
- Next you’ll put your sauce together. Onions and garlic get a quick sauté, then you’ll add in tomato sauce, crushed tomatoes, a pinch of sugar, basil, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, a pinch of baking soda, and salt and pepper.
- Add the meatballs to the pot and simmer away for about 25-30 minutes, or until your desired sauce consistency is reached.
- Serve over hot pasta with freshly shaved or grated Parmesan cheese.
Storing and Other Tips
- Store leftover spaghetti and meatballs in an airtight container in the fridge and enjoy within 3-5 days for best results.
- This recipe feeds a crowd, and also makes great leftovers. In our house, there are never any left over, but you could eat half for dinner, and put the rest of the meatballs and sauce in the freezer for another day.
- I like to keep a box of nitrile gloves on hand for things like this. I definitely recommend them if you don’t want to use your bare hands to handle raw meat.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make the meatballs ahead of time and cook later?
You sure can. Mix up the meatball ingredients and store, tightly covered, in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours before cooking. You can portion them before or after refrigerating.
Can I cook this ahead of time?
Yes. The meatballs and sauce reheat really well from both refrigerated and frozen.
Do I have to broil meatballs before adding them to the sauce?
For best results, yes. Broiling gives the meatballs a crust that holds moisture inside the meatballs, meaning a more tender, juicy finished product.
Can I just use store-bought pasta sauce with these meatballs?
Absolutely. A high quality sauce like Rao’s would work well. Much of the simmer time in this recipe is for the sauce, so if you’re using a good prepared sauce, you won’t need to simmer the meatballs as long. You just need to make sure they reach an internal temperature of 165°F.
Spaghetti and Meatballs
Flavorful Italian-style meatballs simmer in a classic spaghetti sauce that’s easy to make at home.
Servings servings
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 pound Italian sausage
- ½ cup dry bread crumbs
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 2 tablespoons dehydrated onion
- 4 eggs lightly beaten
- 4 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 teaspoons dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt See Notes section for substituting garlic bread seasoning
Sauce
- 1 large onion chopped
- 4-5 cloves garlic minced or pressed
- Olive oil
- 2 28- ounce cans crushed tomatoes
- 16 ounce tomato sauce
- 1-2 tablespoons sugar to taste
- 2 teaspoons dried basil
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 pinch baking soda to help neutralize the acid
Instructions
Make the Meatballs
- Gently combine all meatball ingredients in a medium bowl: ground beef, sausage, bread crumbs, onion, beaten eggs, Parmesan cheese, basil, parsley, garlic, salt, and pepper.
- Shape into balls, whatever size you like, but I prefer using my standard cookie scoop (about 1 tablespoon) to shape meat into balls and then roll it between my hands to make them even more round. Place on a large cookie sheet and broil until the meatballs start to brown. Remove from oven and set aside until ready to use (or freeze for later use).
Make the Sauce
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add onion and garlic and cook until onions are translucent and garlic is fragrant. Add remaining sauce ingredients: crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, granulated sugar, basil, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, and baking soda.Combine well.
- Bring to a simmer and add meatballs. Simmer on low, uncovered, until desired consistency is reached–about 25-30 minutes for a sauce that's of medium consistency.
- Serve over hot pasta and top with fresh Parmesan if desired. Makes about 3 dozen meatballs and enough sauce to feed 6-8 people (or more if some of those people are kids).
FREEZER MEAL INSTRUCTIONS
- Prepare meatballs as directed, but divide the meatballs among two freezer-safe containers. Prepare sauce through adding all ingredients to the pan, but don’t simmer; rather, divide the sauce among the two containers. Freeze until ready to use. When ready to use, place in slow cooker and cook on low for about 5-6 hours, although you’ll want to keep an eye on the sauce and make sure it’s not burning if you go for the whole 6 hours.
Notes
- Store leftover spaghetti and meatballs in an airtight container in the fridge and enjoy within 3-5 days for best results.
- This recipe feeds a crowd, and also makes great leftovers. In our house, there are never any left over, but you could eat half for dinner, and put the rest of the meatballs and sauce in the freezer for another day.
- I like to keep a box of nitrile gloves on hand for things like this. I definitely recommend them if you don’t want to use your bare hands to handle raw meat.
- If desired, you can replace the Parmesan, basil, parsley, garlic, and salt in the meatballs with 3 tablespoons homemade garlic bread seasoning found here.
- Nutrition information calculated for 1/8th recipe, without pasta.
Nutrition
Calories: 442kcal, Carbohydrates: 28g, Protein: 29g, Fat: 25g, Saturated Fat: 9g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 11g, Trans Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 162mg, Sodium: 1576mg, Potassium: 1208mg, Fiber: 6g, Sugar: 14g, Vitamin A: 825IU, Vitamin C: 26mg, Calcium: 174mg, Iron: 7mg
Calories: 442kcal
Cost: $25
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Questions & Reviews
My whole family loves these meatballs. Big favorite, and we make these at least once a month. Every time I make them my 16-year-old son tells me I am the best mom. They come together very quickly. The most labor intensive part is scooping them out by tablespoon or half tablespoon. My kids feel like they get more meatballs, if there are more meatballs, so ours turn out pretty small. I also make them with only a pound of ground beef (because I can never remember to have the sausage on hand), and they are magnificent!
The recipe looks great!! I plan to try it this weekend. I’m sharing this to my colleagues. 🙂
One of our family favorites!
Can you give me a little more info on cooking the meatballs?
What temp do you BROIL them on and for how long does it usually take?
Broilers usually don’t have temperatures, or if anything it’s just low-high. You can usually do high, and it takes anywhere from 5-7 minutes. However all ovens are different, so just keep an eye on them!
ONE OF MY ALL TIME FAVORITE RECIPES OF ALL TIME! I made this several years ago and followed the recipe exactly. Since then, I have doubled the meat, (1lb each) for that amount of sauce. The only thing I don’t double is the number of eggs in the meatballs. I am a fan of “Food Club” for the brand of tomatoes. My entire family devours this meal. We put this on top of wheat spaghetti noodles because they get less mushy and have a little more flavor than a regular spaghetti noodle.
Your recipes never disappoint! Had to make a few tweaks to use what we had on hand and it turned out fantastic!! Even my picky guy ate it!!
Tweaks: used all ground beef
For the sauce only had one small can of crushed tomatoes so used a small can of petite tomatoes, a small can of paste and enough tomatoe sauce cans to make up the rest of the needed ounces. Used dried onions and granulated garlic. Although I would always say use fresh if you have it. My last fresh went in the meatballs. Def a keeper. My kids said no more just browning hamburger for spaghetti.
This is the only pasta sauce and meatballs we ever eat! It comes together so quickly too. We find the sauce delicious even without any added sugar or salt! Thanks for the recipe!
You are so right that EVERYONE needs to be able to make spaghetti and meatballs! Can I put in a plug for NOT using sugar??? My Italian mother made the best sauce I have ever had. If there is anything I have learned from my mother, it is that a bit of grated carrot will cut the acidity of the tomatoes and will add that bit of sweetness naturally. Carrots are good food adding color and vitamins! I was in college before I knew that people put sugar in their sauce. It is a totally American thing. Try the grated carrot…..
I love love love this recipe. I’ve been making it for several years and the family loved it too. I put peppers-red green yellow and zucchini in it. Also we like the spicy Italian sausage. Thank you for this great dish.
Bravo Ladies!! Made this recipe for two different neighborhood families this week. In both cases, the recipients were VERY generous with compliments. Keep up the great work!!