This spaghetti and meatball recipe is a significant upgrade from the classic weeknight meal using a jarred sauce and frozen meatballs. It takes just a little more effort with higher quality ingredients and the payoff is outstanding.
I only use beef and pork (not veal) in my meatballs for a few reasons: it’s cheaper, I don’t notice any difference in the final result, and it’s always a plus to know I’m not eating a young animal. You can skip the ground pork if you don’t have it, but I do believe the combination of beef and pork are the ideal combination for a good balance of fat, flavor, and texture.
Quality ingredients make quality food – for a better end result, ensure that you are using high quality canned tomatoes, pasta, and parmigiano reggiano.
The Best Spaghetti and Meatballs
Ingredients
Sauce ingredients
- ⅛ cup olive oil
- 1 large onion diced small
- 8 garlic cloves
- 2 28oz cans San Marzano tomatoes
Meatball ingredients:
- 1 egg
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs seasoned with pecorino romano cheese
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
- ½ cup parmigiano reggiano freshly grated
- ½ cup heavy cream or whole milk
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp cracked black pepper
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- 1 pound ground beef
- ¾ pound ground pork
Pasta:
- 2 pounds high quality dried spaghetti
Instructions
- Dice the onion small and place in a large pot with the olive oil. Thinly slice or mince the garlic and set it aside. With an immersion blender, blend one of the 28oz cans of San Marzano tomatoes until it is a puree.8 garlic cloves, 2 28oz cans San Marzano tomatoes, 1 large onion
- Sauté the onions over medium heat until translucent. Add the garlic and continue to sauté until fragrant.1 large onion, 8 garlic cloves
- When the garlic is fragrant, add the pureed can of tomatoes to the pot and reduce the heat to medium-low.8 garlic cloves, 2 28oz cans San Marzano tomatoes
- Take the remaining can of tomatoes and tear the tomatoes until they are the desired size. For a smoother sauce, blend more of the tomatoes. For a chunkier sauce, tear more by hand. Add all remaining tomatoes and puree to the pot and bring to a low simmer for at least 15 minutes.2 28oz cans San Marzano tomatoes
- In another wide pan, place enough olive oil to thinly coat the bottom and begin preheating it on medium heat.
- While the sauce is simmering and the olive oil is heating, place all meatball ingredients in a mixing bowl except for the meat. Combine thoroughly.1 egg, 1 cup panko breadcrumbs, 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp worcestershire sauce, ½ cup parmigiano reggiano, ½ cup heavy cream, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp cracked black pepper, 1 ½ tsp salt
- Add the ground meat to the mixing bowl and gently knead with your hands until thoroughly combined.1 pound ground beef, ¾ pound ground pork
- Shape the meat mixture into roughly 2 inch-sized meatballs and set aside on a plate as the oil in the pan heats.
- When the oil in the pan is heated enough to sizzle when water is splashed into it, place the meatballs in the frying pan with about half an inch between each meatball. You may need to do these in batches. Allow the meatballs to brown on all sides. When they are browned on all sides, place them in a medium-sized baking dish.
- When all meatballs have been browned on all sides, place the baking dish with the meatballs in the oven at 350°F for 25 minutes.
- As the meatballs are baking, taste the sauce and adjust it to your taste. Add salt, pepper, and sugar for flavor adjustment and add water to thin the sauce as needed.
- Cook the pasta according to package directions, but stop cooking approximately 2 minutes before done to allow it to finish cooking in the sauce.2 pounds high quality dried spaghetti
- When the pasta has 2 minutes remaining on its cooking time, drain it and add it to the sauce. Add water as needed to ensure that it is fully covered by the sauce. Turn the heat up and stir frequently as the pasta finishes cooking. Remove from heat when pasta is done cooking and the sauce is the desired texture.
- Top with meatballs, parmesan, and (optionally) fresh basil and serve.
For a quicker vegan recipe, check out my Cherry Tomato Chickpea Pasta recipe.