Easy Homemade Spaghetti and Meatballs

Easy Homemade Spaghetti and Meatballs

My favorite meal has always been spaghetti and meatballs. When I was young my favorite was Ragu. Not Prego. No chunks of anything, either. My tastes have changed a bit as I've grown older, thank goodness!

Now I make the sauce myself...kind of. I don't usually have access to fresh tomatoes good enough to cook down into my own sauce, so I cheat and used canned. It's not exactly "homemade", but I can control the ingredients, flavor, and accents much better than buying jarred sauce.

I have a BUNCH of recipes on the site that are a variation of this. Spaghetti and Meat Sauce & Homemade Marinara for an example!

My favorite way to make this sauce though is with good homemade meatballs!

What kind of tomato sauce works best for marinara?

This is my favorite brand of canned tomato. They are authentic San Marzano tomatoes from Italy, so they aren't the least expensive option, but they ARE the best! That being said, you'll still have an awesome meal even if you use the least expensive store-brand tomatoes. Don't let that stop you.

If you want to hit the easy button and grab a jar of marinara and just make homemade meatballs. My favorite brand of jarred sauce is Rao's.

Why You'll Love This Dish

• Classic Comfort Food - Spaghetti and meatballs is familiar, filling, and easy to put on the menu any time of year.
• Homemade Meatballs Without Extra Fuss - The meatball mixture is simple, with bread, milk, egg, garlic, and herbs doing a lot of the work.
• Pantry-Friendly Sauce - Canned tomato products keep the sauce easy to shop for and easy to repeat.
• Great For Family Dinners - The recipe yields 8 servings, so it works well for a group or for leftovers.
• Easy To Adjust - You can thin the sauce with water during simmering and fine-tune the seasoning to fit your taste.

Traeger Grilled Garlic Bread

Recipe Shopping List

Wondering if you have to hit the store? Here's the list of items you'll need to make this recipe. For specific amounts, please refer to the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.

• Olive Oil - Used to cook the onions and start the sauce with a rich base. A good olive oil adds body and rounds out the tomato flavor.
• Onion - Sliced onion cooks down for sweetness in the pan, and a little finely chopped onion goes into the meatballs for extra flavor. Yellow onion is a solid all-purpose pick.
• Ground Beef - The heart of the meatballs. An 80/20 or 85/15 blend gives you good flavor without making the sauce greasy.
• Whole Wheat Bread - Soaked bread helps keep the meatballs tender. Plain sandwich bread works too if that's what you have.
• Milk - Used to soak the bread for the panade. This step helps the meatballs stay soft instead of dense.
• Egg - Binds the meatball mixture so it holds together during browning and simmering.
• Garlic - Goes into both the meatballs and the sauce, giving the whole dish a strong savory backbone. Fresh garlic is best here.
• Garlic Salt - Seasons the meatballs fast and adds another layer of garlic flavor. You can swap in kosher salt plus a little garlic powder if needed.
• Dried Basil - Adds that familiar Italian-style flavor to the meatballs. Dried basil works well in long-cooked dishes like this.
• Dried Oregano - Brings a sharper herbal note to both the meatballs and the sauce. It helps keep the sauce from tasting flat.
• Ground Black Pepper - Gives the meatballs a little bite and rounds out the seasoning. Fresh cracked pepper works nicely.
• San Marzano Tomatoes - Get the best tomatoes you can. If you can't swing real San Marzanos, whole peeled plum tomatoes in sauce work well, too.
• Tomato Sauce - Adds smooth texture and deep tomato flavor. Plain canned tomato sauce is a dependable pantry item for recipes like this.
• Cayenne Pepper - A small amount wakes up the sauce without making it overly spicy. Reduce it if you want a milder pot.
• Fresh Basil - Stirred into the sauce for a fresher finish. You can use dried basil in a pinch, just use less.
• Fresh Oregano - Brings a brighter herbal note to the sauce. Dried oregano works fine when fresh isn't in the fridge.
• Water - Helps loosen the sauce as it simmers so it doesn't get too thick or stick to the pan. Add it a little at a time.
• Spaghetti - The natural pasta partner for this sauce and meatball combo. Cook it just to al dente so it holds up under the sauce.
• Parmesan Cheese - The finishing touch for serving. Freshly grated parmesan adds salty, nutty flavor right at the table.

Garlic Bread Sticks

How To Make This Recipe

This is just the overview so you can see what you're actually getting into here. When you are cooking, you'll want to use the full recipe at the bottom of the page.

1. Start by sautéing some thinly sliced and chopped onion in olive oil over medium-low heat. While the onions are cooking, start your meatballs. Stir the onions frequently and cook until translucent.

2. Take one slice of whole wheat bread and pour enough milk over it on a plate to thoroughly soak it. Squeeze the excess milk lightly from the bread, and tear into small chunks. Place into a bowl. Use 1 large egg, 1-2 tablespoon chopped garlic, 2 teaspoon garlic salt, 2 tablespoon super-finely chopped onions, ½ teaspoon basil, ½ teaspoon oregano, and a few shakes of ground black pepper.

3. Mix all of this together well, either with a fork or with your hands. Make sure the bread is mixed well and there are no chunks of it in the meat.

4. Form into small meatballs, approximately 1 inch in diameter. You can make them bigger if you prefer, but I find that they fall apart more easily if they are bigger, and they take much longer to cook through. Brown the meatballs in the same pot you are cooking the onion in. Scoot the onion over to one side of the pan and stir now and then to make sure they don't burn.

5. After all the meatballs have been browned, remove from the pan leaving the onion behind.
6. Add 2 tablespoon of chopped garlic to the pan and cook for 1 minute. Add all of the tomatoes, cayenne pepper, chopped fresh basil (or substitute 2 teaspoon dried basil), and oregano.
7. Add in a little bit of the water to make sure the sauce isn't too thick.
8. You want the sauce to have something to cook off so it's not too thick in the end and so things don't stick or scorch on the bottom. Add in the meatballs, stir gently on a regular basis, and cook an additional 30 minutes to 1 hour, or until meatballs are cooked through. 
9. Top with a high-quality parmesan, and serve with your favorite pasta, caesar salad, and fresh garlic bread.

Caesar Vinaigrette

Recipe FAQ

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