Spaghetti and Meatballs

Looking for more delicious, easy pasta recipes? Check out my Single Skillet Spaghetti, One-Pot Boursin Pasta, and Shrimp Scampi Pasta for more of my family faves!

Ingredients needed for this spaghetti and meatballs recipe

For the ingredient measurements and entire recipe, be sure to scroll down to the bottom of the blog post where the recipe card is located.

• Pasta: 1lb. of spaghetti pasta, or your favorite pasta!
• Red sauce: I recommend making this with 2 jars of pasta sauce (~48 ounces). You want enough sauce to cover most of the meatballs so they simmer in the sauce and become nice and tender.
• Ground beef: 1 lb. You can also use ground turkey, ground chuck, ground chicken, ground veal or ground pork. Just keep in mind, the fattier the meat the more tender the meatball will be.
• Breadcrumbs: This is the binder so you don’t want to skip this part.
• Panko breadcrumbs or Italian breadcrumbs is what I typically use. However if you don’t have those on hand you can use a slice of torn-up bread, or even crumbled saltine crackers.
• White onion: Very finely diced. Or grated on the large holes of a coarse grater.
• Other ingredients needed: Ketchup, Dijon mustard, minced garlic, oregano, garlic powder, dried parsley (or fresh), salt, Worcestershire, olive oil and Parmigiano-Reggiano for garnish.

How to make the best recipe for spaghetti and meatballs

(For the full recipe, scroll down to the recipe card below)

1. Cook your spaghetti or pasta of choice and be sure to reserve 1/2 cup of the starchy pasta water.
2. Combine all of the ingredients: In a large bowl, gently mix together all of the ingredients for the meatballs: ground beef, breadcrumbs, onions, ketchup, Dijon, garlic, oregano, garlic powder, parsley, salt, and Worcestershire.
3. Work the meat just until combined either with clean hands or a spatula or spoon.
4. Form into meatballs: I like to have a rimmed baking sheet by my side so I can place the rolled meatballs onto it. Either using your hands or a cookie scoop, scoop out some of the meat mixture and roll into a ball ~2-3 Tbsp. each.
5. Continue shaping until all meat is used and place on the baking sheet, don’t let the meatballs touch. You will have about ~17-18 meatballs.
6. Cook the meatballs: In a large/deep frying pan over medium heat, warm 1-2 Tbsp. olive oil. Place meatballs down in an even layer and cook on each side for 3-5 minutes or until they are browned on each side.
7. Simmer meatballs: Pour the red sauce and 1/2 cup reserved pasta water over the meatballs, bring to a simmer. Turn the heat down to low and cover with a lid. Allow to simmer for 15-20 minutes. The longer they simmer the more tender they become!

How to make meatballs without breadcrumbs

Breadcrumbs are important for binding when it comes to making meatballs. However, there is a way to make them without breadcrumbs.

Panade is actually my hubby’s grandmother’s secret to a tender meatball. Panade is essentially bread soaked in liquid (milk) so it gets mushy.

If you want to try this method: remove the crust from 1 or 2 slices of white bread (1 cup cubed) and cube it up. Soak it in about 3 Tbsp. milk until it gets mushy. Add this to the meat mixture and it will have the same binding power and also create a very tender meatball.

Tips for making easy spaghetti and meatballs:

• Simmering: Gentle simmering make some of the most tender and most flavorful meatballs you’ve ever had, but the sauce also becomes richer and more savory in the process.
• Low carb: Make this meal lower in carbohydrates by replacing a portion of the spaghetti noodles with zoodles or spiralized zucchini noodles.
• Don’t want these with pasta? Serve on a hoagie roll and melt more cheese on top for a meatball sub.
• Avoid overworking the meat. Mix the meat and other ingredients just until combined. I also recommend using your hands for this step; since you can actually feel when things are mixed, you’re less likely to overwork the meat. Use a spoon if this grosses you out!
• Use a fattier meat: the fattier the meat the more tender the meatball will be.
• Double the recipe for leftovers or larger crowds.
• Meatballs can be frozen for up to 2 months. Be sure to let them cool completely before freezing.

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4.84 from 18 reviews

Spaghetti and Meatballs

Prep: 20 minutes mins

Cook: 30 minutes mins

Total: 50 minutes mins

Servings: 4 people

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An easy spaghetti and meatballs recipe: a classic recipe the whole family will love!

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Ingredients

• ▢ 1 lb. ground beef
• ▢ 1/2 cup Italian breadcrumbs
• ▢ 1/4 cup white onion, finely chopped or grated
• ▢ 1 egg
• ▢ 2 Tbsp. ketchup
• ▢ 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
• ▢ 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ▢ 2 tsp. Worcestershire
• ▢ 1 tsp. garlic powder
• ▢ 1 tsp. dried parsley
• ▢ 1 tsp. salt
• ▢ 1/2 tsp. oregano
• ▢ 2 tbsp olive oil
• ▢ 48 oz. red sauce (or 2 jars)
• ▢ Parmesan/Parsley/Basil for garnish.
• ▢ 1 lb. spaghetti pasta, cooked
• ▢ 1/2 cup reserved pasta water

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Instructions 

• Cook your spaghetti or pasta of choice and be sure to reserve 1/2 cup of the starchy pasta water.
  1 lb. spaghetti pasta, cooked
  
• Combine all of the ingredients: In a large bowl, gently mix together all of the ingredients for the meatballs: ground beef, breadcrumbs, egg, onions, ketchup, Dijon, garlic, oregano, garlic powder, parsley, salt, and Worcestershire. Work the meat just until combined either with clean hands or a spatula or spoon.
  1 lb. ground beef, 1/2 cup Italian breadcrumbs, 1/4 cup white onion, finely chopped or grated, 1 egg, 2 Tbsp. ketchup, 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard, 2 cloves garlic, minced, 1 tsp. garlic powder, 1 tsp. dried parsley, 1 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. oregano, 2 tsp. Worcestershire
• Form into meatballs: I like to have a rimmed baking sheet by my side so I can place the rolled meatballs onto it. Either using your hands or a cookie scoop, scoop out some of the meat mixture and roll into a ball ~2-3 Tbsp. each. Continue shaping until all meat is used and place on the baking sheet, not touching. You will have about ~17-18 meatballs.
• Cook the meatballs: In a large frying pan over medium heat, warm 1-2 Tbsp. olive oil. Place meatballs down in an even layer and cook on each side for 3-5 minutes or until they are browned on each side.
  2 tbsp olive oil
• Simmer meatballs: Pour the red sauce and the 1/2 cup reserved pasta over the meatballs, bring to a simmer. Turn the heat down to low and cover with a lid. Allow to simmer for 15-20 minutes. The longer they simmer the more tender they become!
  48 oz. red sauce (or 2 jars), 1/2 cup reserved pasta water
• Serve meatballs over cooked spaghetti noodles and garnish with cheese and Italian parsley.
  Parmesan/Parsley/Basil for garnish.

Equipment

Large mixing bowl

Video

Notes

• Avoid overworking the meat. Mix the meat and other ingredients just until combined. I also recommend using your hands for this step; since you can actually feel when things are mixed, you’re less likely to overwork the meat. Use a spoon if this grosses you out!
• After you roll your meatballs, if you feel like they got warm, pop them in the fridge for 30 minutes. You want to keep the fat from melting and breaking down before you cook the meatballs. This also helps them from breaking apart. Alternatively, you can chill the meat, then roll into balls.
• Baked meatballs: Place meatballs on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake at 400°F for 15-20 minutes or until browned and cooked through. I use this method often and then transfer them to a pan on the stove and let them simmer in the red sauce. 
• Meatballs can be frozen for up to 2 months. Be sure to let them cool completely before freezing.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 440kcal (22%)

Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is automatically calculated. It should only be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Kroll’s Korner can’t make any guarantees to the accuracy of this information.

© Author: Tawnie Graham of Kroll’s Korner

Photography: photos taken in this post are by Megan from The Broke Girl Table.