I don't know a single person who hates spaghetti and meatballs, and this recipe is no exception! With a simple and straightforward list of ingredients, you too can have a delicious and comforting classic on the table in about an hour.
I just can’t imagine having spaghetti without some bread to soak up the final remnants of the sauce, and a little salad. Usually when I make this recipe, it's accompanied by some Caesar Salad and Nolan’s famous Seal the Deal bread, which is a really creamy and fancy riff on garlic bread. Which, with his permission, I need to put on the blog too...
I make spaghetti and meatballs a lot, and I can't believe it’s taken this long to put it on the blog. It’s my go-to for a fancy date night at home (pictured below), or if guests are coming over and I want to impress. I try to save this recipe for the weekend because I don't have that kind of time on a Tuesday, but if you want to prepare the meatballs the night before, I bet you could cook this a lot faster.
This is one of my boyfriend's favorite meals, and Chloe’s too. In fact, during our most recent date night, Chloe sat under our feet and meowed for some scraps. I think Chloe and Nolan are in agreement, this dish is a 10/10.
I found this on Food & Wine’s website a few years ago, and I’ve made a few adjustments, but it's basically the same. Check out that recipe here.
Without further ado, let’s make some spaghetti and meatballs!
Classic Spaghetti and Meatballs
Servings: 6
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Meatball Ingredients:
⅔ cup plain breadcrumbs
¼ cup whole milk
1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground pork
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp fresh basil, minced
1 tsp dried oregano (or 2 tsp fresh, minced)
2 Tbsp parmesan cheese, grated
2 tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
2 Tbsp olive oil
Spaghetti Ingredients:
2 Tbsp olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
2 28 oz cans of whole tomatoes (preferably San Marzano style)
1 large basil sprig
Salt and pepper
1 lb spaghetti noodles
Directions:
In a large bowl, add the breadcrumbs and milk. Mix well. Then, add the remaining meatball ingredients to the bowl, except for the olive oil. Use your hands to mix the meatball mixture together.
Once the meat mixture is well combined, take a teaspoon or two of the meat and roll it into golf-ball sized balls. It should make about 20 meatballs. Place them on a plate, then loosely cover them with some plastic wrap, and put it in the fridge for 30 minutes to chill.
While the meatballs chill, begin working on the sauce. Start by heating 2 tablespoons of olive oil in your largest pan on medium heat. Add the garlic to the pan and cook until it's golden brown, about 2 minutes.
Next, add the red pepper flakes to the pan and cook for another minute. Then, add the cans of tomatoes. Bring it to a simmer and start breaking up the tomatoes into small pieces. I have a meat chopper that works well, but a potato masher, or a large, flat wooden spoon would work here too!
After the tomatoes are chopped up, add the basil sprig to the simmering tomatoes and cook for 25 minutes until the sauce has thickened up. Once thickened, remove the basil sprig and season with salt and pepper.
Take the meatballs out of the fridge and start heating up 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a medium sized pan. Working in batches, sear your meatballs on medium-high heat, turning them after about 5 minutes on each side. Once seared, move them to the pan with the tomato sauce. Let them simmer in the sauce for about 10 minutes to finish cooking the meatballs.
Add about 1⁄4 cup of water to the pan you cooked your meatballs in, and scrape up the browned bits from the bottom. Pour that water into the pan you're cooking the sauce and meatballs in so you dont miss out on that flavor!
While you wait for the sauce to incorporate with your meatballs, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook your spaghetti according to package directions. Drain the noodles and add them back into the pot without turning on the heat.
Add about 2 cups of sauce to the noodles and stir to coat. Begin plating by adding some of the coated noodles to a plate or shallow bowl, and topping it with a few meatballs and more sauce.
Serve with an additional sprinkle of parmesan and torn basil and enjoy!
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