What could be more Italian than Spaghetti and Meatballs? It’s a true Italian Classic and will easily become one of your family’s favorite meals.
One of the great joys of life is eating what we want when we want it. And worrying about the consequences shouldn’t be in the decision-making process.
One dish that should be in everyone’s repertoire is spaghetti and meatballs. And even if you don’t like meatballs (gasp) you can still learn to make homemade spaghetti sauce using my easy-to-make recipe.
Table of Contents:
Tomato Sauce Ingredients:
Let’s start by gathering the ingredients to make a classic Italian tomato sauce. There are just a few ingredients and whether you want to make a quick marinara or a rich simmered tomato sauce the ingredients stay the same.
*I don’t use tomato paste in my recipe, because I let it simmer long enough to naturally thicken the sauce. If you don’t have time to let it simmer for hours, you can add one small can of tomato paste to the sauce.
*The only tomatoes I use in my sauces are from the San Marzano region of Italy, they are less acidic and don’t cause the number of stomach problems (heartburn) that other tomatoes do. And they have excellent flavor.
*Chef Dennis Cooking Tip*
Buy a basil plant at your local grocery store. That way you can pick the leaves as you need and they won’t wilt in your refrigerator waiting to be used or thrown out.
How to Make a Classic Italian Tomato Sauce:
This family recipe has been passed down for generations and it was how I was taught to make Authentic Italian Tomato Sauce more than 50 years ago.
In a large skillet or small saucepot, sauté the diced onions for 3-5 minutes in olive oil, then add the finely chopped garlic and continue cooking for another 1-2 minutes.
Don’t let them burn!
- Add the crushed tomatoes to the pot. Rinse the cans with a little water and add to the sauce (if crushed tomatoes are not available use whole tomatoes and crush by hand or with an immersion blender).
- Add the chopped basil, sugar, sea salt and black pepper to taste (don’t over season you can always add more later). Mix the ingredients together.
- Bring the tomato sauce to a boil, and reduce the heat to a low simmer for 15-20 minutes for homemade Marinara Sauce. For a rich, hearty and totally amazing spaghetti sauce allow it to simmer for 3-5 hours. You’ll thank me for it later!
*Gently add the browned meatballs to the sauce about one hour before you’re done cooking the tomato sauce. Don’t be tempted to leave the meatballs in the sauce for the entire process, they will get dry and tough.
Italian Meatball Ingredients:
The ingredients needed to make my Italian meatballs recipe are pretty basic. I used an equal combination of ground pork and ground beef, but you can always substitute ground turkey or ground chicken if you like. I also suggest using bread instead of breadcrumbs to make your homemade meatballs.
How to Make Homemade Italian Meatballs:
Place all the meatball ingredients into a large bowl.
After combining all the ingredients, cover the bowl with plastic and place in the refrigerator for one hour.
*Chef Dennis Cooking Tip*
Do not over mix the meatball mixture. If you do your meatballs will be tough.
Roll your meatballs out, closing up the gaps making the outside of the meatball as smooth as possible.
Getting a crust on the outside of the meatball is your goal. This means leaving it alone for 1-2 minutes, letting it get nicely browned. This is how you make authentic Italian meatballs.
Once they’re browned, set them aside until you’re ready to add them to the tomato sauce. Again, only leave them in the sauce for an hour, no longer.
Then all that’s left to do is cook your pasta and serve up this delicious classic Italian dish. Garnish the pasta with grated romano cheese or parmesan cheese and chopped Italian parsley(for color) and get ready for the rave reviews!
If you like a little heat don’t forget the crushed red pepper flakes. I don’t add it to the sauce because not everyone’s a fan of heat.
The meatballs also make delicious meatball sandwiches, so make to make enough!
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Spaghetti and Meatballs
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1 cup stale Italian bread
- ½ cup milk
- ½ small onion fine dice
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 pound ground pork
- 2 eggs
- ¼ bunch Italian parsley chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- ¼ cup grated Romano cheese
- 2 tablespoons olive oil to fry meatballs
Tomato Sauce
- 2 cloves fresh garlic chopped
- 56 ounces Crushed Tomato San Marzano
- 1 bunch fresh basil
- ½ onion finely diced
- ¼ cup Olive Oil
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- Sea Salt and Pepper to taste
- 2 pounds spaghetti I used De Cecco
Instructions
Meatballs
- Soak bread in milk in a small bowl for 20 minutes.
- Mix beef and pork together in a large bowl. Stir onions, bread mixture, eggs, parsley, garlic, salt, black pepper,dried basil, and Romano cheese into meat mixture with a rubber spatula until combined. Cover and refrigerate for about one hour.
- Using wet hands, form meat mixture into balls about 1 ½ inches in diameter.
- Heat about ¼-inch of oil in a skillet over medium heat. Fry the meatballs until they are browned on all sides and cooked through, about 15 minutes.
Tomato Sauce
- In a large skillet or small sauce pot, sauté diced onion and chopped garlic in olive oil until onions are translucent, do not allow them to burn!
- Add crushed tomatoes, rinse cans with just a little water and add to the sauce (if crushed tomatoes are not available use whole tomatoes and crush by hand or with an immersion blender).
- add chopped basil, sugar, sea salt and black pepper to taste (don’t over season you can always add more later).
- After your sauce has reached a boil, reduce the heat to low, a simmer for 15-20 minutes for classical Marinara / simmer for 1-3 hours for a rich hearty Tomato Sauce.
- Gently add the browned meatballs to the sauce about one hour before you're done cooking the tomato sauce. Don't be tempted to leave the meatballs in the sauce for the entire process, they will get dry and tough.
Pasta
- Cook pasta. Follow instructions on box.**Unless you have a large enough pot to cook both pounds at once cook them 1 pound at a time.
Jenny Lendrum
I am trying this recipe out for my son’s birthday next week. A huge fan of your recipes Chef Dennis and I am sure this again will be another great hit with the family. thankyou again for opening up my cooking skills with such wonderful recipes.
Chef Dennis Littley
you’re very welcome Jenny, I hope your son enjoys his birthday dinner!
Ann
Made your meat balls for my husband last night. Said they were the best meat balls he ever ate. And he is very picky. Thanks for the recipe.
Chef Dennis Littley
You’re very welcome Ann, I’m happy to hear your husband enjoyed the meatballs!
Laura C
Hello Chef Made your recipe and it was a huge hit with my family and company. I’d love to be able to make a large batch of these meatballs and just wondering if I can make these meatballs ahead and freeze them? If so, should they be cooked or raw when frozen? Pretty sure I could freeze the sauce. Thanks and I’m so excited to try some of your other meals.
Chef Dennis Littley
hi Laura
you certainly can make a big batch and either freeze them raw or cooked, it’s up to you. You could consider, baking them on a sheet pan if you’re making a big batch, rather than sauteing them.
When freezing place them on a baking sheet and let them freeze solid, then place them in a ziplock bag.
I always make a large batch of sauce and freeze that as well. It freezes very well.
Let me know if you have other questions.
Dennis
Laura C.
Great news! Thank you so much for your prompt reply Chef. Have a wonderful day. 👍
Amy
Can’t go wrong with this dish! A family favourite.
Chloe
I love a good comforting classic, delicious!
Jamie
Can’t have spaghetti without meatballs, these are delicious!
Lindsay
These are mouthwatering and such a favorite!!
Laura Lynch
The meatballs really make this dish. They’re so full of flavor.
Susan
I’ve been making meatballs like this forever! My little Italian grandma (Naples) always added plenty of fresh basil, Romano and parsley too. Many recipes leave out the basil and that’s a huge mistake in my book! I don’t always use the pork but all beef is delicious as well Thank you!
Andréa Janssen
This is a winning recipe in my house. Certainly going to prepare it more often!
Linda
You got me at meatballs! Like you, I enjoy eating whatever I want and deal with the consequences later; but let’s forget about the consequences when it comes to this spaghetti and meatballs. And look how juicy the meatballs are!
Jo
Hello, do you put the 2 tbs olive in meat mixture and do you finely dice onion? Thanks, jo
Chef Dennis Littley
sorry for the confusion, the oil is to fry the meatballs and yes the onions are finely diced.
FOODHEAL
I like that you made meatballs from scratch! I am sure this spaghetti is super delicious
Courtneu
These were amazing! The whole family loved these meatballs. Thank you!
Marilyn Lorenzo
My search is over-this is the perfect meatball and spaghetti recipe! I especially appreciated all the preparation tips that were provided in the introductory article. My Italian husband could not stop raving about how delicious it was-and he is very particular about Italian food. I am looking forward to trying other recipes from this website.
Ann W
Hi! I also love spaghetti and meatballs. I tried your sauce and not only did I love it, it was a huge hit from son who absolutely dislikes red sauce. My question: Dear Chef Dennis, I refuse to cook with ground beef since 1990, using ground turkey instead. If it must taste like beef I use package onion soup mix (yes, with all the bad stuffs) for meatloaf and meatballs. How wou YOU adjust your glorious meatball recipe accordingly, cutting recipe in half using 1 pound of ground turkey and the forbiden package onion soup mix?
Chef Dennis Littley
hi Ann
I’m happy to hear that your son enjoyed the sauce! As for the meatballs, turkey meatballs are great and it all comes to how you season them. It sounds like you have a good start on seasoning and giving them time to soak up flavor in the sauce will also help the flavors. If you’re use to turkey meatballs then I don’t see a problem. Maybe make a few beef ones for your son, or mix them half and half and there is also the impossible burger meat, if you’re looking to stay away from beef.
Have you ever tried ground chicken? It’s a bit messier to work with, but I like the texture and flavor more than ground turkey.
I think a bit of experimentation on your part will help you come up with a meatball that you’re happy with. Have fun making them and serve up meatball subs for dinner with your results.
Pamela Frost
My favorite meal is spaghetti and meatballs. Always has been since I was a kid. I think the idea of crating a hard crust on the meatballs first is key to making them a better meatball!
Joy
Oh yum that looks like a hearty, tasty meal! I will definitely be trying out your recipe. I can’t guarantee that it will be as good as yours though lol.
LuciWest
It’s all about the homemade aspect when it comes to good pasta dishes. This seems to have that in spades. Thank you for all the detailed steps with photos.
Lisa
This is a classic Italian dish at its finest. We’ve not made it yet, despite living in Italy (!), but i’ll speak to my mother-in-law and see if we can make this together!
Rosey
I’ve never really thought about it that way, but we are very fortunate. The spaghetti and meatballs look delicious.
Lyosha
the recipe definitely looks classic and very balanced which only makes it better! haven’t had meatball and spaghetti for ages! need to cook it