Spaghetti and meatballs are my daughter’s favorite dinner time meal. A classic Italian dish made with perfect al dente pasta. Juicy and tender beef meatballs and covered with a vibrant red tomato meat sauce.
This dish can either be an easy week night dinner or served for a huge family gathering. It’s simple to make and very budget friendly. Pair it with a fresh, crisp, and refreshing Caesar salad and garlic bread or dinner rolls.
How to Make Homemade Spaghetti Sauce
Add the ground beef, chopped onions, and garlic to a deep pot or Dutch oven and cook until browned and there are no signs of pink. You will want to make sure your onions are also transparent, adding the perfect amount of flavor to your sauce.
Once the ground beef is cooked through, drain the grease and return the meat mixture to the deep pot you browned it in. Pour the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, crushed tomatoes and tomato paste into the pot along with your seasonings. Stir to combine your ground meat mixture, tomato mixture and seasonings.
Cover the pot or Dutch oven with a lid to avoid splatter. Turn the flame to a medium low and let simmer while you assemble and cook the meatballs.
How To Make Homemade Meatballs
Homemade meatballs are delicious and are pretty easy to make. Mix all of the ingredients together and roll them into small balls. While mixing the ingredients, omit the olive oil as that is for pan frying.
Mixing the ingredients can be done by hand or by using a stand mixer. You will have to get your hands dirty when rolling the meatballs. You use your hands to ensure that you can feel that you have mixed your ingredients thoroughly.
Use a heaping tablespoon to grab the raw beef mixture. Roll into balls making sure they are kept tight. The shape does not have to be perfect. These meatballs will flatten a little on each side as they pan fry and they’ll be smothered in sauce.
Once you have mixed the ground beef and rolled all the mixture into balls heat the olive oil in a pan or skillet. Fry the meat balls on each side until browned. The meatballs will finish its cooking process while simmering in the homemade spaghetti sauce.
Add the browned meatballs to the bubbly tomato sauce to finish off the cooking process. Reduce the heat to low and continue cooking for an additional 30 minutes making sure the flavors are combined and the meatballs are cooked through.
How To Bake Meatballs In The Oven
Mix all the meatball ingredients together and roll into 1½ inch balls. Place them on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil and bake in a 375 degree oven for approximately 20-24 minutes. The meatballs will be evenly browned on the outside. Then all you need to do is remove them from the oven, and using tongs, place each meatball into the spaghetti sauce to simmer.
The Grand Finale – The Pasta
The most popular type of pasta in the world is spaghetti. Spaghetti noodles are a staple in Italian cooking. I’ll explain how to make the perfect al dente pasta.
Start by using a large pot with a lot of water. Bring the water to a rapid boil and add salt to the water. Don’t be stingy with the salt! Remember, the water that the noodles are cooked in is the first seasoning they will receive and the salt will soak into the pasta as it cooks.
Next, add the spaghetti noodles and immediately stir. Waiting too long to stir will result in a big chunk of pasta that has stuck together. Stir the noodles until the water reaches its boiling temperature.
After bringing the water back to a boil, set a timer for a minute or so less than the package directions call for. If you like your pasta with more of a bite, stop the cooking process even sooner. Taste for doneness and adjust to your liking.
If you choose to mix your pasta with the sauce prior to serving, your pasta will cook a little more while simmering and marry the flavors together. Spaghetti and meatballs do not require just one type of noodles. Use your imagination and switch it up.
Remember I was telling you Spaghetti is my daughters’ favorite supper meal? Her favorite type of pasta are bowties. Some pastas hold the sauce onto the pasta better than others.
Once the pasta has cooked to your liking, your dinner is ready to be served. Family style serving is allowing everyone to dish their own plates or you can mix all the ingredients together prior to serving.
Storing Leftover Spaghetti and Meatballs
Spaghetti and meatballs are great for leftovers and will taste just as delicious and flavorful. Place the leftovers in an airtight container and let it cool to room temperature before placing the lid on. The spaghetti can be kept in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days.
Once you are ready to enjoy, remove the lid and gently place it back on top of the container and reheat in the microwave for 60 seconds stirring occasionally to make sure the mixture is heated through. Reheat for longer if needed. Or, spoon an individual serving in a microwave safe bowl. Cover the bowl with a paper towel and heat for 45-60 seconds, or longer if needed.
This Italian favorite pairs perfectly with freshly grated parmesan, a salad, and garlic bread for a well-rounded, hearty, and filling meal.
Spaghetti and meatballs are a quick and easy to make meal that is easy on the pocket book, but will feed an army! You will have everyone gathered around the table just from the aroma of the garlic, parsley, oregano, and basil. Be prepared to serve seconds and watch everyone enjoy!
Ingredients for Spaghetti and Meatballs
- Ground beef
- Onions
- Cloves garlic
- Oregano
- Basil
- Salt
- Black pepper
- Red pepper flakes
- Diced tomatoes
- Tomato sauce
- Crushed tomatoes
- Tomato paste
- Breadcrumbs
- Large eggs
- Parmesan cheese
- Parsley
- Olive oil
- Spaghetti noodles
How To Make Spaghetti and Meatballs
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1 – Prep
Brown ground beef, onions, and garlic until meat is no longer pink and onions are translucent. Drain and return to pot. Pour diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, crushed tomatoes, tomato pasta, and seasonings to pot. Stir to combine well. Cover and cook on low-medium heat.
Step 2 – Making the Meatballs
In a large bowl, mix together all ingredients except olive oil. Roll a heaping tablespoon of meat mixture into a ball. Heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add meatballs to pan and cook until brown on all sides.
Step 3 – Adding the Meatballs to the Sauce
Remove meatballs from the pan and place them into the spaghetti sauce. Reduce heat to low and let simmer in the sauce for 30 minutes. Cook spaghetti noodled according to package. Spoon meatballs and sauce over noodles and serve hot.
Try This Delicious Spaghetti and Meatball Recipe Today
Looking for More Delicious Italian Recipes?
You can also try this Cheesy Rigatoni Pasta Bake or these amazing Garlic Knots from Great Grub Delicious Treats!
Spaghetti and Meatballs
Ingredients
For the Spaghetti Sauce
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1½ tsp oregano
- 1½ tsp basil
- 1 tsp garlic salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
- 15 ounce can diced tomatoes
- 15 ounce can tomato sauce
- 15 ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 6 ounce can tomato paste
- 16 ounce package spaghetti noodles
For the Meatballs
- 1½ pounds lean ground beef
- ⅓ cup onions, finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ cup Panko breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup Italian breadcrumbs
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese
- 1½ teaspoons parsley
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- ½ teaspoon basil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
For the Spaghetti Sauce
- Brown ground beef, onions and garlic in a large stock pot or dutch oven until meat is no longer pink and onions are translucent. Drain and return to pot.
- Pour diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste and seasonings into pot. Stir to combine.
- Cover and cook on low/medium heat, stirring occasionally.
- Using a large frying pan or cast iron skillet, heat olive oil over medium high heat.
For the Meatballs
- In a large bowl, mix all ingredients together, except the olive oil, until combined.
- Roll a heaping tablespoon of meat mixture into a ball.
- Add meatballs to pan, cook until brown on all sides.
- Remove from pan and place into the spaghetti sauce.
- Reduce heat to low and continue cooking for approximately 30 minutes.
- Cook spaghetti noodles according to package directions.
- Serve hot with a side salad and garlic breadsticks.
Here are a couple pics that are perfect to pin to your Italian Food board or Pasta board on Pinterest.
