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 am Italian and I can tell you that in my family they would NEVER use basil or oregano in the meatballs. Lots of cheese and garlic and parsley but NOT oregano or basil in the meat mix !!
I use my greatgrandmother’s mint she brought from Sicily in 1897.. our secret ingreadiant! No oragano, parsley or basil!
Never thought of mint, i love mint leaves, i will try that.
I was perplexed by a few things in the article. First, I have never seen in ANY store, a “meatloaf mix.” We can’t get any kind of veal here in Northern L.A. County also. The blend of meat is a great idea though. Using pork or turkey to replace some of the beef cuts down on calories and adds flavor as well as tenderness to your product. Secondly, I thought it was odd to use some fresh herbs AND dried ones too. Why not all fresh or all dried? Lastly, if you are concerned about the fat left behind, you are probably using a high fat(30%) content ground meat. Using a 7% fat will cut down on that or better yet, grind your own London Broil and control the fat content yourself. GL
chef, here on the east coast the beef,port,veal combo is available in the majority of our supermarkets. its usually labeled meatloaf mix. its all i use when making meatballs. when i visit my dtr in san francisco i freeze a couple of pkgs and bring them with me to make my meatballs there. i know the mix is not readily available on the west coast and i dont know why that is.
che cavolo dite aggiungere acqua, non mi fate ridere , imparate a fare le vere polpette!
Can’t wait to make these meatballs! I did want to recommend MID’S brand, for a jarred sauce, if time is a factor.
I do mine about the same but use a cream of mushroom sauce .
NO ONIONS ! Just garlic. Also, Romano cheese , not Parmesan. Stale Italian bread soaked in water or milk, and no store-bought breadcrumbs. Fried, not baked ( that’s for restaurants). Pork and veal only add to the cost, not necessary. Ground beef will suffice. 80/20 or 75/25.
pete yours is just like mine, we use romano and use stale italian bread either soaked in milk or water, no onions just garlic , egg, parsley, romano cheese and bread soaked in milk or water, and fry those babies up an dthen finish cooking in the sauce. these r the best and from my grandmas from italy and all u need is some good ground chuck, u dont need veal or pork.
I’m with you Denise, the problem I have is in the food stores in my area all sell “ground beef 80/20” this is not ground chuck. I have asked the butcher why they claim it’s chuck and he just shrugged his shoulders and said it’s a union thing. Every Sunday I actually drive 2 towns over to buy ground chuck from a small upscale food store. I also fry my meatballs but do not add them to my gravy until about a 1/2 hour before I serve them this way they are juicy.
Pete, Your suggestions are perfect! I worked with a lady from Naples and this is how she cooked her meatballs.–Soaked stale bread in milk and no onions, just garlic. Delicious!
Beg to differ on just Ground beef…big taste difference..My mother taught us 1/2, 1/4 , 1/4…Beef, Veal, Pork…i agree with the onions…absolutely not…
when using 1 1/2 lbs of meat and all those other ingredients, , 1/4 tesp of salt is like one drop of rain in a rainstorm.. Ssalt to taste is recommended. start with at lease 1 tsp, and then adjust to taste. With the pepper, again, to taste.The egg is to bind the ingredients. With 1.5 ls of meat, you may have to use a 2nd egg. The water is ok, but mix the meat & ingredients first before adding water, and then start with filling 1/2 of the broken egg shell with water. Otherwise, the meatballs may be too wet to hold together.
I agree with the extra egg and we always soaked our bread in milk, that would cover the water in this case
I have been making meatballs from a family receipt similar to this with homemade sauce. I have one tip for rolling meatballs that my dad started doing long ago. After you have mixed all the ingredients simply roll into logs about the diameter of a quarter and the length of a cookie sheet or cutting board you use and lay them out and then cut into meatball size pieces then bake or fry.
Oooh……looks soooo good ! Can’t wait to make them !!!
Sounds great will try