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Home » Recipes » Pasta Recipes

Authentic Italian Spaghetti and Meatballs Recipe

Published: Jun 14, 2018 · Modified: Oct 9, 2021 by Chef Dennis Littley

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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 being able to eat what we want, when we want it. And worrying about the consequences shouldn’t be in the decision-making process.

spaghetti and meatballs in a white bowl with a sprig of Italian Parsley and grated cheese
Table of Contents:
  • Audio Player
  • Ingredients to make Spaghetti Sauce
  • How to Make a Classic Italian Tomato Sauce:
  • Ingredients to make Italian Meatballs
  • How to Make Homemade Italian Meatballs
  • More Recipes You’ll Love!
  • Recipe: Spaghetti and Meatballs

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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.

If you enjoyed our classic Italian spaghetti sauce, be sure to try our traditional Italian Bolognese sauce.

Ingredients to make Spaghetti Sauce

ingredients to make tomato sauce in glass bowls sitting on a wooden cutting board

Let’s start by gathering the ingredients we need to make Authentic Italian Spaghetti and Meatballs. In Chef Speak, this is called the “Mise en Place,” which translates to “Everything in its Place.”

Not only does setting up your ingredients ahead of time speed up the cooking process, it also helps ensure you have everything you need to make the dish.

*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.

How to Make a Classic Italian Tomato Sauce:

Follow along with my simple step-by-step instructions to learn how to make Classic Italian Tomato Sauce in your home kitchen.

This family recipe has been passed down for generations, and it’s how I’ve been making Authentic Italian Spaghetti Sauce for more than 50 years.

garlic added to pot with sauteed onions

In a large skillet or small saucepot, sauté the diced onions in olive oil for 3-5 minutes, then add the finely chopped garlic and continue cooking for an additional 1-2 minutes.

Don’t let them burn!

crushed tomatoes and seasonings in a large pot
  • 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 them by hand or with an immersion blender).
  • Add the chopped basil, sugar, sea salt, and black pepper to taste (don’t overseason the spaghetti sauce; 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 a rich, hearty, and totally amazing spaghetti sauce, allow it to simmer for 3-5 hours before serving the spaghetti and meatballs. You’ll thank me for it later!

*Gently add the browned meatballs to the sauce about one hour before you finish 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.

Ingredients to make Italian Meatballs

ingredients to make Italian meatballs sitting on a wooden cutting board

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.

If you have leftover ground beef, you can use it up in my tasty meatloaf recipe.

How to Make Homemade Italian Meatballs

stainless steel bowl filled the ingredients to make Italian meatballs

Place all the meatball ingredients into a large bowl.

Italian meatball mixture sitting in a stainless steel bowl on top of a wooden cutting board

After combining all the ingredients, cover the bowl with plastic and place it in the refrigerator for one hour.

Do not overmix the meatball mixture. If you do, your meatballs will be tough.

raw meatballs place in rows on a rectangular white serving dish

Roll your meatballs out, closing up the gap, making the outside of the meatball as smooth as possible.

authentic italian meatballs on a white platter

Your goal is to get a crust on the outside of the meatball. This means leaving them alone for 2-3 minutes before turning them. This lets them get nicely browned, making the perfect meatballs for my spaghetti and 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.

spaghetti and meatballs with a sprig of Italian parsley on a white bowl

Then all that’s left to do is cook the pasta and serve up a delicious bowl of spaghetti and meatballs. Garnish the pasta with grated pecorino Romano cheese or Parmesan cheese and chopped Italian parsley (for color). Then 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 with a sprig of Italian parsley on a white bowl

Spaghetti and Meatballs

Chef Dennis Littley
Nothing says comfort food to me more than a plate of the Italian Classic, Spaghetti and Meatballs. I never get tired of this delicious dish and making a batch of sauce and meatballs ahead of time is a great way to make sure you have dinner in the freezer whenever you need it.
4.96 from 116 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe Listen to the Post
Prep Time 30 minutes mins
Cook Time 30 minutes mins
chill meatball mixture 1 hour hr
Total Time 1 hour hr
Course Entree
Cuisine Italian
Servings 8
Calories 937 kcal

Ingredients
 
 

Meatballs

  • 1 cup stale Italian bread
  • ½ cup milk
  • ½ cup onion fine dice
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1 pound ground pork
  • 2 eggs
  • ¼ cup Italian parsley chopped
  • 1 tablespoon garlic minced
  • 2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • ¼ cup grated Romano cheese
  • 2 tablespoon olive oil to fry meatballs

Tomato Sauce

  • ½ onion finely diced
  • 1 tablespoon fresh garlic finely chopped
  • 56 ounces Crushed Tomato San Marzano (whole tomatoes crushed by hand or with immersion blender)
  • 1 bunch fresh basil finely chopped – about 1 cup
  • ¼ cup Olive Oil
  • 2 teaspoon sugar optional
  • 1 teaspoon Sea Salt to taste
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper to taste
  • 2 pounds spaghetti I used De Cecco

Instructions
 

Meatballs

  • Break the stale bread up into small pieces. Soak bread in milk in a small bowl for 20 minutes. Then drain off any milk that hasn't been soaked up.
    *You can substiture half a cup of bread crumbs.
  • 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.  

Nutrition

Calories: 937kcalCarbohydrates: 105gProtein: 40gFat: 39gSaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 126mgSodium: 995mgPotassium: 1218mgFiber: 7gSugar: 15gVitamin A: 560IUVitamin C: 20.1mgCalcium: 176mgIron: 6.1mg
Tried this recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @askchefdennis or tag #askchefdennis!

Comments

    4.96 from 116 votes (80 ratings without comment)

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    Recipe Rating




  1. rika says

    January 06, 2019 at 2:17 pm

    5 stars
    I love classic Italian recipes! My kids always order Spaghetti and meatballs every time we dine at restaurants! You always make great food!

    Reply
  2. Lynndee says

    January 05, 2019 at 7:33 pm

    I love pasta and spaghetti and meatballs are one of my favorites. I would love to try your recipe one day. It looks absolutely delicious!

    Reply
  3. Cherri Megasko says

    January 05, 2019 at 1:09 pm

    For the last few decades, I’ve tended to snub spaghetti in favor of more robust pastas. But I do like angel hair, and I think I might just give your recipe a try! Thanks.

    Reply
  4. Beth says

    January 05, 2019 at 12:04 pm

    I’ll have to try your sauce recipe. Usually, we buy sauce in a jar and I never really like it. My sister says if I would like spaghetti if I had a good sauce.

    Reply
  5. Karen says

    January 05, 2019 at 11:04 am

    Yum, yum and yum! Spaghetti and meatballs is about my fave dish, so I am drooling reading this! Great idea about the basil plant! I’ll do that next time at the grocery store!

    Reply
  6. Tim B says

    January 05, 2019 at 9:46 am

    5 stars
    My daughter LOVES spaghetti! When we make it at home normally use meat sauce instead of including meatballs. She always get meatballs when ordering spaghetti at restaurants. Will have to try out this meatball recipe and see how she likes them next time cooking at home!

    Reply
  7. Gervin Khan says

    January 05, 2019 at 9:44 am

    This looks yummy and very delicious. We can never go wrong with spaghetti and you add our all time favorite meat balls, it will definitely be an outstanding recipe.

    Reply
  8. Kathy says

    January 04, 2019 at 9:44 pm

    This recipe does look amazing. My family loves having spaghetti and meatballs. It’s one of our favorite dishes.

    Reply
  9. Brandy says

    January 04, 2019 at 8:21 pm

    It’s like you just knew I needed a new recipe to try when I do spaghetti and meatballs for dinner. I’ll be trying your recipe out for sure.

    Reply
  10. Sarah Bailey says

    January 04, 2019 at 6:54 pm

    Now this sounds like an absolutely delicious meal. I mean who doesn’t love spaghetti and meatballs and I most definitely need to give it a try for myself!

    Reply
  11. Laura Dove says

    January 04, 2019 at 2:50 pm

    Spaghetti meatballs is my all time favourite dish! I just love it and love trying other peoples recipes of the same dish. I’m going to try this!

    Reply
  12. Kita Bryant says

    January 04, 2019 at 2:03 pm

    I use to make my sauce from scratch but I have gotten really really lazy and I need to do better. I love spaghetti and can’t wait to make this one

    Reply
  13. Amber Myers says

    January 04, 2019 at 1:47 pm

    5 stars
    I just love spaghetti. We have it in the house often since it’s a big hit. I’ll have to try your version!

    Reply
  14. Pam Wattenbarger says

    January 04, 2019 at 10:16 am

    Spaghetti and meatballs is a favorite in our family. It is something that I always know the kids will eat. I can’t wait to try your version.

    Reply
  15. Terri Steffes says

    January 04, 2019 at 9:51 am

    5 stars
    I adore making meatballs and I too buy a basil plant during the winter months. We keep it and our rosemary downstairs and we love having fresh herbs in the winter!

    Reply
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My name is Chef Dennis Littley, creator and owner of Ask Chef Dennis Productions. As a classically trained chef with 40+ years of experience in the kitchen, I share my time-tested recipes, knowledge, and chef tips to help you create easy-to-make restaurant-quality meals in your home kitchen.

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