Spaghetti and Meatballs

Classic Spaghetti and Meatballs features juicy homemade meatballs tossed with tender pasta and rich tomato sauce for a comforting, family-favorite supper.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Italian Inspired

Keyword best-spaghetti-and-meatballs-recipe, italian-meatballs, spaghetti-and-meatballs

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 1

Total Time 1 20

Servings servings

Calories 761kcal

Ingredients

1 lb lean ground beef
1 lb sweet Italian sausage
3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese plus additional for serving
1 medium onion finely diced (reserve 3 Tbsp for sauce)
1 Tbsp dry Italian seasoning
1 tsp salt
8 large cloves garlic, minced reserve 1 1/2 tsp for sauce
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes optional (may use 1/2 tsp black pepper instead)
1/3 cup milk
2 large eggs
Sauce:
olive oil
2 28 oz cans crushed tomatoes
3 Tbsp can Italian seasoned tomato paste
2 tsp dry Italian seasoning
1 tsp each salt and black pepper may adjust to taste
1 tsp sugar optional
3 Tbsp chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 lb dry spaghetti for serving cooked to al dente per package instructions

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400°F. Spray a broiler pan or a large baking pan fitted with a rack with cooking spray. Set aside.
To a large bowl add ground beef and sausage, onion, panko, Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, salt, garlic and red pepper flakes. Beat milk and eggs together then, add to the bowl. Using your hands, mix everything together thoroughly.
Form into 1 1/2 - 2 inch meatballs and place onto the rack without touching. (I use a 2 oz ice cream scoop to keep meatballs uniform in size) Bake for 25 minutes.
While meatballs bake, in a large pot on the stovetop, heat a couple of drizzles of oil over medium-high heat. Add onion, and simmer for 1-2 minutes or just until translucent. Add garlic, saute for 1 minute longer.
Add tomatoes, tomato paste, dry Italian seasoning, salt, pepper and sugar. Cover and bring to a gentle simmer on medium low heat while the meatballs bake.
Add cooked meatballs to sauce, gently stir to coat. Simmer over medium low uncovered for 5 minutes or while you boil spaghetti.
Serve meatballs over cooked spaghetti, garnished with fresh parsley and additional Parmesan cheese or mozzarella cheese.

Notes

Protein - You can use hot Italian sausage or mild Italian sausage, use only ground beef, ground pork, veal, ground turkey or a combination your favorites for making these meatballs. Should you choose to use spicy sausage, omit the crushed red pepper flakes.
Bread Crumbs - You could use Italian seasoned dry breadcrumbs in place of panko breadcrumbs.
Fresh Herbs - You can use fresh basil or oregano in place of parsley.
Thicken the Sauce - You can thicken the tomato sauce further by adding more tomato paste. Likewise you can thin the sauce adding a splash of red wine, beef broth or tomato sauce.

Nutrition