This will be the best homemade spaghetti and meatballs recipe you’ve ever made! There’s just something about a big bowl of spaghetti with classic meatballs that is so comforting. It uses simple, wholesome ingredients and packs a ton of flavor. Plus, these flavorful meatballs are so moist and tender, your whole family will lick their plates clean.
I love how hearty and satisfying this recipe is. It’s also so easy to make, and you can make this recipe ahead of time or freeze some for later. Serve it with some garlic bread, breadsticks, or dinner rolls to make this meal even heartier. If you want more meatballs, then try my homemade meatball recipe, turkey meatballs recipe or Swedish meatballs recipe.
What You Need to Make This Recipe
Breadcrumbs — use your favorite breadcrumbs for these meatballs. Breadcrumbs help keep the meatballs moist as the breadcrumbs absorb the moisture. You can use panko breadcrumbs as an alternative if you don’t have regular breadcrumbs.
Parmesan — use good-quality parmesan when possible. Using a block and grating it yourself is best! Avoid using pre-grated parmesan from a bottle, as the parmesan cheese helps add flavor and moistens the meatballs.
Egg — the large egg acts as a binder for your meatballs.
Ground beef — make sure to use 80/20 ground beef! Lean ground beef is great for sauces, but you need the fat to help the meatballs stay together when they are cooking in the sauce.
Crushed tomatoes — I use a whole can of crushed tomatoes. If you don’t have crushed tomatoes, you can puree whole canned tomatoes or diced tomatoes instead. San Marzano are the best type of tomatoes to use.
How to Make Spaghetti and Meatballs
1. In a large bowl, stir together the bread crumbs, parsley, parmesan, egg, 2 tablespoons olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper.
2. Add the ground beef. With your hand in a claw shape, gently incorporate the beef and bread crumb.
3. Shape into about 20 meatballs the size of a golf ball.
4. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a large pot over medium heat. Brown the meatballs for about 2 to 3 minutes, rotating them occasionally to brown on all sides. Remove the meatballs from the heavy pot and set aside.
5. To the same pot, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the onion, stirring vigorously, to scrape up brown bits at the bottom of the pan. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are tender and browned on the edges.
6. Stir in the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for another minute. Add the crushed tomatoes, bay leaf, salt, and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat.
7. Add the meatballs back to the pot, and do not stir. Reduce the heat to low and cover. Simmer for 1 hour and gently stir throughout.
8. In the last 15 minutes, cook the spaghetti until al dente according to package instructions and drain. Stir the basil into the sauce and meatballs. Serve the meatballs and sauce over cooked spaghetti. Top with parmesan cheese and extra fresh basil if desired.
Pro Tips for Making This Recipe
- Be as careful as possible with the meat mixture. You do not want to overmix the meatball mixture as the less you mix it, the more tender the meatballs will be.
- To keep the meatballs uniform in size, use a small ice cream scoop or cookie scoop. Having uniformed meatballs will help them cook evenly.
- To make shaping the meatballs easier, wet your hands! When you dampen your hands, the water creates a barrier on your skin, so the meat doesn’t stick, and you can roll them into a ball without causing a mess.
- If you stir the meatballs right after you put them into the sauce, they won’t be firm enough to hold together. Waiting 15 minutes gives them enough time to withstand stirring.
- It seems like a lot of fat when you first add the tomatoes. You need it! The beef fat helps flavor the sauce, and the extra fat gives the sauce a really nice texture and actually coats the spaghetti better.
- For even cooking, it’s best to cook the meatballs in separate batches in a single layer. This way, the meatballs will brown evenly.
- After adding the onions to the pot, make sure you fully scrape up all those brown bits on the bottom of your pan. This is called deglazing, and it helps to loosen and dissolves the food particles on the bottom of the pot and adds extra flavor to the sauce.
Frequently Asked Questions
Store leftover spaghetti and meatballs in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days once they’ve cooled to room temperature. You can reheat them in the microwave or stovetop, stirring gently until warm.
You can freeze the spaghetti separately from the meatballs or freeze them together! Allow everything to cool and transfer to a freezer-safe bag or container. Freeze for up to 3 months.
Yes, the best way to prepare this classic recipe a day ahead is to make the meatballs first, cover them with plastic in the fridge, and cook them the next day. Alternatively, you can make the entire recipe a day ahead and hold off making the spaghetti. Reheat on the stove the next day and make the spaghetti.
You sure can! Place the meatballs on a parchment paper lined sheet pan, then bake at 400°F for 20 to 30 minutes or until fully cooked. You can use an instant-read thermometer to ensure the meatballs’ internal temperature is 165°F.
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If you’ve tried this Spaghetti and Meatballs recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Spaghetti and Meatballs
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Meatballs:
- ½ cup bread crumbs (30g)
- ¼ cup chopped parsley
- ½ cup grated parmesan (40g)
- 1 large egg
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 4 tablespoons olive oil divided (60ml)
- 1 pound 80/20 ground beef (450g)
For the Spaghetti:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion chopped
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 (28-ounce/794g) can crushed tomatoes
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ cup basil chopped
- 1 (16-ounce/454g ) package spaghetti
Instructions
- In a large bowl, stir together the bread crumbs, parsley, parmesan, egg, 2 tablespoons olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper. Add the ground beef. With your hand in a claw shape, gently incorporate the beef and bread crumb. Shape into about 20 (1-ounce) meatballs.
- Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a large pot. Warm over medium heat. Working in batches, brown the meatballs for about 2 to 3 minutes, rotating them occasionally to brown on all sides. Remove the meatballs from the pot and set aside.
- To the same pot, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the onion, stirring vigorously to scrape up brown bits at the bottom of the pan. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are tender and browned on edges, about 10 minutes. Stir in the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for 1 minute more.
- Add the crushed tomatoes, bay leaf, salt, and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat. Add the meatballs back to the pot and do not stir. Reduce the heat to low and cover. Simmer, gently stirring every 15 minutes, for 1 hour.
- In the last 15 minutes, cook the spaghetti according to package instructions and drain.
- Stir the basil into the sauce and meatballs. Serve the meatballs and sauce over cooked spaghetti. Top with parmesan cheese and extra basil if desired.
Notes
- Be as careful with the meat mixture as possible. You do not want to overmix the meatball mixture as the less you mix it, the more tender the meatballs will be.
- To keep the meatballs uniform in size, use a small ice cream scoop or cookie scoop. Having uniformed meatballs will help them cook evenly.
- To make shaping the meatballs easier, wet your hands! When you dampen your hands, the water creates a barrier on your skin, so the meat doesn’t stick, and you can roll them into a ball without causing a mess.
- If you stir the meatballs right after you put them into the sauce, they won’t be firm enough to hold together. Waiting 15 minutes gives them enough time to withstand stirring.
- It seems like a lot of fat when you first add the tomatoes. You need it! The beef fat helps flavor the sauce, and the extra fat gives the sauce a really nice texture and actually coats the spaghetti better.
- For even cooking, it’s best to cook the meatballs in separate batches in a single layer. This way, the meatballs will brown evenly.
- After adding the onions to the pot, make sure you fully scrape up all those brown bits on the bottom of your pan. This is called deglazing, and it helps to loosen and dissolves the food particles on the bottom of the pot and adds extra flavor to the sauce.
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