Spaghetti and Meatballs
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This spaghetti and meatball recipe is the ultimate weeknight family dinner — quick, easy, and picky eater-approved!
This is my go-to recipe for spaghetti and meatballs. With a quick 45-minute cook time, it’s perfect for busy weeknights and sure to please even the pickiest eaters. The meatballs are juicy and packed with flavor, with a fork-tender texture that keeps everyone coming back for more. To make things easy and save on mess, I brown the meatballs in the oven on a sheet pan instead of pan-frying them on the stovetop. I also use a good quality store-bought marinara sauce to save time, but feel free to use homemade tomato sauce if you have some on hand.
For more family-friendly Italian recipes (everybody loves Italian!), try my baked ziti, stuffed shells, and chicken parmesan. For an alternative to beef meatballs, try my favorite turkey meatballs.
What You’ll Need To Make Spaghetti and Meatballs
For the most flavorful meatballs (or meatloaf), I recommend using equal parts beef, veal, and pork; at most supermarkets, this blend is labeled “meatloaf mix.” If your market doesn’t carry the blend, you can use half beef and half pork (since ground veal isn’t readily available).
For the cheese, be sure to use the real-deal imported Parmigiano-Reggiano from Italy; domestic Parmesan pales in comparison. You can always tell if it’s authentic by looking at the rind, which is embossed with the name over and over. If the cheese is already grated, it should be labeled “Parmigiano-Reggiano,” not “Parmesan.”
Step-by-Step Instructions
Begin with the meatballs: In a large bowl, combine the egg, basil, parsley, oregano, salt, pepper, garlic and water; whisk well.
Add the meat, breadcrumbs and Parmigiano Reggiano. meatball recipe
Mix with your hands until just combined.
Roll the mixture into golf ball-sized meatballs, and place on an ungreased baking sheet.
Bake for about 10 minutes, then remove the baking sheet from the oven and use a metal spatula or tongs to turn the meatballs (they will stick a bit but should release easily when you scrape under them with the spatula).
Put the meatballs back in the oven and cook for another 10 minutes, until they are nicely browned and almost cooked through.
In the meantime, bring the marinara sauce to a simmer in a large skillet. Taste it and adjust the seasoning if necessary (I usually add a healthy pinch of sugar and some freshly ground black pepper). Transfer the browned meatballs to the marinara sauce, leaving the fat behind. Cover loosely with a lid or foil and simmer for about 10 minutes, until the flavors marry and the meatballs are cooked through. Keep warm until ready to toss with pasta.
While the meatballs are cooking, bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil.
Add the spaghetti and cook until al dente. Drain, then toss with the sauce and meatballs.
Transfer the spaghetti and meatballs to serving bowls and top with fresh chopped basil and more grated cheese.
You may also like
- Turkey, Spinach & Cheese Meatballs
- Bolognese
- Chicken Meatballs with Tomato-Balsamic Glaze
- Orecchiette with Sausage and Broccoli
- Turkey Meatballs in Marinara Sauce
- Cacio e Pepe
Spaghetti & Meatballs
This spaghetti and meatball recipe is the ultimate weeknight family dinner — quick, easy, and picky eater-approved!
Ingredients
- 1 large egg
- 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil (plus more for serving)
- 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ cup water
- 1½ pounds ground "meatloaf mix" (approximately equal parts ground beef, pork and veal)
- ¾ cup dried Italian style bread crumbs (such as Progresso)
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (plus more for serving)
- Large jar (32 oz) good quality Marinara sauce (such as Rao's)
- 1 pound spaghetti
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and set an oven rack in the middle position.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the egg, basil, parsley, oregano, salt, pepper, garlic and water. Add the meat, breadcrumbs and cheese and mix until just combined (your hands are the best tool). Do not overwork it.
- Roll the mixture into golf ball-sized meatballs and place on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for about 10 minutes, then remove the baking sheet from oven and use a metal spatula to turn the meatballs (they will stick a bit but should release easily when you scrape under them with the spatula). Put the meatballs back in the oven and cook for another 10 minutes, until they are nicely browned and almost cooked through.
- In the meantime, bring the marinara sauce to a simmer in a large skillet. Taste it and adjust the seasoning if necessary (I usually add a healthy pinch of sugar and some freshly ground black pepper). Transfer the browned meatballs to the marinara sauce, leaving the fat behind. Cover loosely with a lid or foil and simmer for about 10 minutes, until the flavors marry and the meatballs are cooked through. Keep warm until ready to toss with pasta.
- While the meatballs are cooking, bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook until al dente. Drain, then toss with the sauce and meatballs (you may find it easier to toss everything together in the pasta pot rather than the skillet; it depends on the sizes of pans you are using.). Serve topped with fresh basil and more grated cheese.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The cooked meatballs can be frozen, in their sauce, for up to 3 months. When ready to serve, defrost overnight in the refrigerator and reheat on the stovetop until the meatballs are hot in the center.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (6 servings)
- Calories: 731
- Fat: 29 g
- Saturated fat: 10 g
- Carbohydrates: 78 g
- Sugar: 11 g
- Fiber: 6 g
- Protein: 37 g
- Sodium: 897 mg
- Cholesterol: 116 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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I use milk to moisten meatballs instead of water and my secret ingredient is a dash of ground nutmeg to the mixture. I also always fry my meatballs never bake.
My IN-LAWS (from Rome, Italy) would be turning over in their graves IF I used basil,onion and oregano in my meatballs. And Romano is the cheese of choice in our meatballs.I use Ilio DiPaolo’s bread crumbs..The crumbs are seasoned with ROMANO and parsley.
OREGANO IS ONLY FOR PIZZA…Not sauce/not meatballs.
Carol, My in-laws are from just outside of Rome and the same here…. use only seasoned bread crumbs, egg, salt and pepper in the meatballs. She said the sauce will absorb the seasoning from the meatballs (because I cook the meatballs in the sauce) and the meatballs will absorb the seasoning from the sauce. I put slightly sauted garlic, fresh parsley and onion and then add red wine & parmesian in my sauce. As a matter of fact, we’re making sauce from the tomatoes in our garden now.
I forgot, I chop up the leaves of celery and then drop a piece of celery in the sauce while it’s cooking. It helps take the acidity out of it! Never use sugar!!
Essentially a good recipe…BUT, ground veal is either too expensive or non-existent. I haven’t seen ground veal in a supermarket in many years. Ditto the meatball mix. The butchers at Krogers and Publix will be happy to grind the $14.95 per pound veal cutlets, etc. if and when they have it. I have taken to use ground chicken or turkey in its stead. I’ve been making Italian style meatballs for over 55 years, and my recipe is very similar, but I deep fry my meatballs and never bake them.
I bake my meat ball too but , but I place a rack in the pan so the meatballs don’t set in the grease at all
I use a similar recipe but don’t fry or bake the meatballs. I throw them into a crockpot with the sauce and let them cook in the sauce on low for several hours. The absorb some of the sauce and are extremely tender and moist.
George, I used to put the meatballs raw right into the sauce too, but my husband (who is the Italian) wanted me to fry them a little first. To get any grease out of the sauce, just cool it overnight and the grease will harden on top and you can scoop it all out. They taste so much better cooked in the sauce!
The secret is to use ground chuck (it’s not as dense and will maintain the flavor and juices), add ingrediants, roll meatballs, fry but not completely done. You want the center to be raw so that it soaks up the spaghetti sauce as they simmer and finish cooking in the sauce. They must cook in the sauce a minimum of 4 hrs. The next day is always better (about 8 hrs of cooking). The flavors from the meatballs will also add great flavor to the sauce.
For those west coasters – surely you must have butcher shops in California! Someone mentioned a particular one not far from me for another item, and to be honest, I was so used to the convenience of my local supermarket, I totally forgot to go to the butcher shop…. they’re usually at small neighborhood stores. My recipe is also quite similar to so many. Everyone says that my sauce always tastes better the next day, even tho I simmer it all afternoon. I also add a small pork roast, small piece of beef, sweet Italian sausage to the sauce. mmmmm.
I neglected to mention pignoli nuts. Other family members prefer to add raisins in the meatballs, which I hate, so I’ll half the meat, put raisins in half of them. No basil, parsley or oregano. Also, never use powders, but chopped garlic & minced onions. My mom used to braise the meats & fry the sausage & meatballs and add the bits on the bottom of the pan in the sauce for additional taste. Nowadays, there’s usually just teflon coated pans, so there’s no sticking left.. We also never called it gravy, but sauce. My dad was from Italy & “taught” my mother to cook Italian….. “THAT does NOT taste like my mother made it!” So she learned through trial and error, as his mother had passed away prior to her meeting. Later people thought SHE was the Italian, not him! .;)
just saying that i have always broiled my meatballs. I started doing this when i had gallbladder issues. cuts out a lot of the grease and as mentioned better for you. Takes only about 5 minutes, then simmer with your sauce.
i don’t fry or bake my meatballs—i put them directly in to the sauce, it think that makes for a very tender, tasty mb & it gives additional flavor to the sauce. i also don’t use any herb except italian parsley.the type of grated cheese you use is more of a person preference. since my family comes from the naples region, we use romano. for all you people who can’t find a beef/pork/veal mixture—most stores will grind a mixture for you==all you have to do is pick what cut of meat you want from the meat case. the ratio is generally 1 lb beef, 1/4 lb pork, 1/4 veal.. this way you can control the amount of fat in your mixture, & if you can’t find veal, you can always substiture turkey just ask the butcher to grind the meats separately & then grind the mixture a 2nd time with all 3 meats so the are completely mixed together. .
80/20 ground beef, locatelli romano cheese, fresh onion, garlic, parsley, basil, oregano, eggs, breadcrumbs w/ a bit of water, salf and pepper. used to fry, but switched over the baking and they taste great. Must have home made “gravy”…use lots of cheese in the sauce along with a few small carrots to “sweeten” the sauce naturally…takes the “bite” out of the acidity of the tomatoes The fresher the ingredients, the better the final product. Making it this way for close to 40 years…