Spaghetti and Meatballs is a comfort food classic and the ultimate family friendly food. With this spaghetti and meatballs recipe learn how to make tender, juicy meatballs and finish them in a savory homemade marinara sauce.
I have been making this spaghetti and meatballs recipe for over a decade. It what everyone requests when I invite people for dinner. It is what my kiddos request when I ask them to pick their favorite dinner.
I don’t blame them, it’s my favorite too. I love to make it in the fall when the weather turns cold. There is nothing better than the aroma of simmering pot of spaghetti and meatballs. Am I right?!
Over the years, I have perfected this recipe and have since developed tips to ensure you can make the perfect juicy meatball and a hearty homemade marinara sauce.
Tips for making juicy meatballs:
- Tip #1 for making juicy meatballs is bread. More specifically, bread soaked in milk. I have tried this recipe with dried bread crumbs and while good, those made with bread soaked in milk are even more tender.
- Tip #2 for making juicy meatballs is using a combination of ground beef and ground Italian sausage. You will also want to use ground beef that is 80/20 (that means 80 percent lean beef to 20 percent fat).
- Tip #3: Don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty! Over mixing will make meatballs tough. Instead mix the meatball mixture with your hands just until it starts to come together and can roll into a ball.
- Tip #4 You may be asking yourself if you can cook raw meatballs in the sauce. The answer is sure, but I don’t recommend it. Cooking the raw meatballs in the sauce will leave the sauce greasy and your meatballs won’t have the nice crust. Instead, my advice is to bake them in the oven until they are almost cooked through. Then slow simmer them in the sauce.
DES’ TIP: Starting the meatballs in the oven and finishing them in the sauce, ensures they are tender, juicy and flavorful.
How to make Spaghetti Sauce:
In addition to perfecting meatballs over the years, I have perfected making spaghetti sauce. First, you will want to cook onions and garlic in olive oil just until they become translucent. I also like my sauce a bit chunky so I add some mushrooms, this is totally optional of course.
Once the onions and garlic have cooked, add red wine to deglaze the pan. Be sure to scrape up any bits that have stuck to the bottom of the pan. This is where all the flavor is!
Next you’ll want to stir in all of the seasonings before returning the meatballs to the sauce to finish cooking. I like to add a bit of sugar to my tomato sauce to cut back on the acidity of the tomatoes. I also prefer to add my salt and pepper after the sauce has had a chance to cook a bit. This way you’re adjusting after the flavors have developed.
Steps for making Spaghetti and Meatballs:
- Step 1: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Step 2: Combine all ingredients for meatballs in a large mixing bowl. Use clean hands to mix everything together and then roll into 1 – 1 1/2 inch balls.
- Step 3: Bake meatballs in the oven just until browned.
- Step 4: In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onions, mushrooms and garlic and cook just until translucent.
- Step 5: Pour in wine and scrape up any bits that have stuck to the bottom of the pan.
- Step 6: Add in crushed tomatoes and diced tomatoes. Stir in seasonings.
- Step 7: Return the meatballs to the sauce and cook over low heat for at least 45 minutes.
- Step 8: Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain.
- Step 9: Scoop pasta into a bowl and spoon meatballs over the top. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and crushed red pepper if desired.
What should I serve with Spaghetti and Meatballs?
Whenever I make this spaghetti and meatballs recipe, I have to serve it along side our favorite easy garlic bread to sop up all the sauce. If you want to make things a bit heartier, you could even go with some cheese bread.
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Note: When I started my blog back in 2008, this was the very first recipe that I posted. It was updated in 2019 with tips, nutrition facts and new photos.
Servings
Ingredients
- 3 slices Italian bread
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 lb ground mild Italian sausage
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 medium onion (diced small, divided)
- 8 cloves garlic (minced, divided)
- 1 egg (beaten)
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon dried oregano (divided)
- 2 tablespoon fresh chopped Italian parsley
- 1/2 cup grated Romano cheese (parmesan works too!)
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 cup red wine
- 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
- 1 28oz can diced tomatoes
- 1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon Allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon sugar
- 1 pound dried spaghetti noodles
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
- Dip the bread into the milk, squeeze excess milk out and tear the bread into pieces. Using your hands mix together bread, Italian sausage, ground beef, 1/2 of the medium onion, 1/2 of the garlic cloves, egg, 1 teaspoon of dried oregano, parsley and romano cheese.
- Roll the mixture into approx. 30 meatballs. Place these meatballs in a baking dish. Cook in oven just until browned.
- While the meatballs are cooking, start your sauce. In a large pot heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add remaining diced garlic and onions to pan and cook for 2-3 minutes, then add the mushrooms.
- When the mushrooms are soft and the onions are translucent add the red wine. Allow to cook for five minutes and make sure you scrape up all the little bits of goodness that are on the bottom of the pan. Next add the diced tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, oregano, basil, allspice, sugar.
- Carefully add the browned meatballs to the sauce. Cook the sauce for at least 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. The longer the sauce cooks the thicker it will become.
- When you're ready to eat, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain.
- Spoon meatballs and sauce over the top.
Hello, can I use all ground beef if I don’t eat pork?
Thanks!
My whole family love meatballs. I will try this recipe next weekend.
This looks like a family recipe everyone will love!!
Love this traditional recipe! So flavorful and always a hit; delicious!
My absolute favorite meal! Those meatballs are so much flavor!
My most favorite comfort food – who could turn this down?
This is pure comfort food! It really doesn’t get any better than this.
JustDorkin- I usually use three slices of 1 inch thick cut Italian bread. After it’s torn up maybe a cup/ cup and a half.
when says 3 slices of italian bread how much bread is it?
yur mom loves this food!
Hi Jackie, if you buy turkey Italian sausage, all of the seasonings that is in pork Italian sausage is in there. Hope that helps!
Hi Des
I want to know if I could use turkey sausage instead of italian sausage in this recipe, if so, do I have to change or add any other seasonings.
Hi Jackie, you can use freshly grated Parmesan. Romano has a salty flavor and is more pungent then Parmesan, I personally enjoy the flavor a little more, however some people find it too strong and prefer Parmesan. But you can often substitute one for the other depending on your personal taste. As far as mushrooms go you can use white button mushrooms or crimini, I tend to use crimini because they have a more earthy flavor than button mushrooms. But I have used white button mushrooms before and they have worked just fine.
Hi Des
I was wondering if I could use freshly grated parmesan chesse instead of romano. Also do it add a better flavor than parmesean cheese. Also what kind of mushrooms did you use.
I can speak from experience, this spaghetti is absolutely wonderful!!!!!