Classic Spaghetti and Meatballs Recipe

This Classic Spaghetti and Meatball recipe is a slow simmered pot of comfort food. Tender meatballs combine with a chunky homemade tomato sauce that’s bursting with flavor.

Classic Spaghetti and Meatballs – A Personal Favorite

I love Italian cooking. There are so many combinations of pastas, fresh herbs, meats and sauces to choose from and experiment. And, there is great history to go along all the delicious different regional dishes Italy has available.

And, while I do prepare a lot of different types of Italian meals (Grilled Chicken Pesto Pasta, Skinny Fettuccine Alfredo, Easy Traditional Lasagna to name just a few), a favorite meal of mine and a go-to recipe continues to be this Classic Spaghetti and Meatballs.

I love a good red sauce and this homemade spaghetti sauce is thick, rich and delicious. Add in some homemade meatballs and you have a winning combination.

Nothing is terribly difficult with this dish, it just takes time for it to simmer and let all the wonderful flavors develop.

Making Your Own Pasta Sauce

Making your own sauce is not as hard as it may seem. And, it’s all done in one pot.

You start by simply sautéing chopped onion, minced garlic cloves and crushed red pepper flakes in olive oil. Once that is done, add in red wine and allow to reduce.

Now, add in your tomatoes and bring to a boil. Once at a boil, reduce heat to a gentle simmer. Then, just cover and let it simmer to bring all those wonderful flavors (the mix of herbs, the splash of red wine and the healthy amount of fresh garlic).

It makes a ton of sauce. You can freeze the leftover sauce for up to three months. Simply put into an airtight container or freezer bags and place in the freezer.

When you are ready to use it again, either defrost in the microwave or let thaw and heat up in a sauce pan.

Making Your Own Italian Meatballs

While the sauce is simmering, you prepare this delicious meatball recipe. I think the most flavorful meatballs use a combination of meats. In this case, I use a combination of ground beef and ground veal.

This meat mixture, along with bread cubes that have been soaked in milk, create an incredibly soft and tender meatball. The milk-soaked bread cubes are a real game changer in terms of making your meatballs soft and tender.

To start, saute minced onions and garlic in olive oil and then cool for a bit. While the onions and garlic are cooling, you soak white bread cubes in milk. Then, take them out of the milk and remove the excess milk.

Now, comes the fun part – combining the remaining ingredients in a large bowl. And, the best way to do this is with your hands.

You don’t want to use a food processor or something like a potato masher to combine. It will break down the meat too much and make it very difficult to prepare the meatballs for browning.

Then, you form the meatballs and brown for a few minutes in olive oil. Put them in the homemade sauce for an hour and you are ready to go. I find that after a nice long simmer, the sauce thickens up nicely and simmering the meatballs in the sauce gives it a deep meaty flavor.

Serving Your Spaghetti and Meatballs

This classic spaghetti and meatballs recipe is a great meal to serve for weekend entertaining. You can get this simmering on the stove well before your guests arrive. Once they arrive – and smell the wonderful aroma coming from your kitchen – all you need to do is cook pasta and you’re ready to put a delicious meal on the table.

Serve this dish with a Field Greens Salad and these easy Parmesan Puffs, or a loaf of crusty bread and you have a complete meal.

Ingredients Needed for Classic Spaghetti and Meatballs

Full instructions can be found below in the printable recipe card

For the sauce:

• Olive oil
• Onion – red or yellow will work
• Garlic – I highly recommend fresh garlic as opposed to garlic powder or garlic salt
• Dry red wine
• Crushed red pepper flakes
• Canned whole tomatoes
• Fresh oregano
• Fresh basil
• Fresh parsley
• Sugar – this helps to balance the acidity of the tomatoes
• Salt
• Black pepper
• Hot cooked pasta – my preference is spaghetti, but any pasta will be delicious

For the meatballs:

• Onion
• Garlic
• Olive oil
• Sliced white bread – any white bread that you have on hand will work
• Milk
• Eggs
• Fresh oregano
• Grated parmesan cheese – I prefer this over shredded because grated with get more equally incorporated into the meat mixture
• Ground beef
• Ground veal – ground pork can easily be substituted, if you prefer
• Salt
• Black pepper

How to Make Classic Spaghetti and Meatballs

• Starting with the sauce, heat olive oil in a large pot.
• Add onions and sauté.
• Add garlic and crushed red pepper flakes while continuing to sauté.
• Add wine and allow to reduce.
• Add chopped tomatoes and reserved tomato juice. Bring to a bubble, then reduce to low heat and stir in herbs, sugar, salt and pepper.
• Cover and simmer sauce for at least 1-1/2 hours.
• While sauce is simmering, prepare the meatballs.
• Heat a small amount of olive oil in a small skillet. Add onion and sauté for a few minutes, then add garlic and sauté for another minute. Allow to cool slightly.
• Meanwhile, put bread cubes in a medium bowl and pour enough milk over them to cover. Soak for a few minutes, until bread is soft. Remove from bowl and squeeze out excess milk.
• In a large bowl, add all of the meatball ingredients. Mix with your hands until well combined. Shape into 16 meatballs.
• Heat olive oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Brown meatballs for about 4 minutes per side.
• Once sauce has simmered for at least 1-1/2 hours, add browned meatballs and simmer for 1 hour more.
• Serve over hot cooked pasta.

FAQs for Making Classic Spaghetti and Meatballs

I can’t find veal at my grocery store, is there a substitution I can make?

If you can’t find veal or you just don’t care for it, ground pork is a good substitution.

Does the fat content of the ground beef make a difference?

I feel like 85% lean ground beef is best. The fat content helps to keep the meatballs moist, without making the sauce greasy.

Why soak the bread in milk?

The combination of using fresh bread and soaking it in milk helps to create a soft and tender meatball.

What is the best way to mix the meatballs?

Your hands are by far the best and easiest way to get the ingredients mixed together.

How do I get the meatballs to be a uniform size?

An ice cream scoop is a great tool for helping you to get a uniform size.

More Pasta Recipes To Enjoy:

• BLT Pasta
• Chicken Asparagus Pasta
• Skinny Chicken Fettucine Alfredo
• Tortellini Butternut Squash Pasta with Pancetta and Spinach
• Creamy Rotel Pasta
• Chicken Piccata Pasta Toss

ENJOY!