Spaghetti and Meatballs
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This spaghetti and meatball recipe is the ultimate weeknight family dinner — quick, easy, and picky eater-approved!
This is my go-to recipe for spaghetti and meatballs. With a quick 45-minute cook time, it’s perfect for busy weeknights and sure to please even the pickiest eaters. The meatballs are juicy and packed with flavor, with a fork-tender texture that keeps everyone coming back for more. To make things easy and save on mess, I brown the meatballs in the oven on a sheet pan instead of pan-frying them on the stovetop. I also use a good quality store-bought marinara sauce to save time, but feel free to use homemade tomato sauce if you have some on hand.
For more family-friendly Italian recipes (everybody loves Italian!), try my baked ziti, stuffed shells, and chicken parmesan. For an alternative to beef meatballs, try my favorite turkey meatballs.
What You’ll Need To Make Spaghetti and Meatballs
For the most flavorful meatballs (or meatloaf), I recommend using equal parts beef, veal, and pork; at most supermarkets, this blend is labeled “meatloaf mix.” If your market doesn’t carry the blend, you can use half beef and half pork (since ground veal isn’t readily available).
For the cheese, be sure to use the real-deal imported Parmigiano-Reggiano from Italy; domestic Parmesan pales in comparison. You can always tell if it’s authentic by looking at the rind, which is embossed with the name over and over. If the cheese is already grated, it should be labeled “Parmigiano-Reggiano,” not “Parmesan.”
Step-by-Step Instructions
Begin with the meatballs: In a large bowl, combine the egg, basil, parsley, oregano, salt, pepper, garlic and water; whisk well.
Add the meat, breadcrumbs and Parmigiano Reggiano. meatball recipe
Mix with your hands until just combined.
Roll the mixture into golf ball-sized meatballs, and place on an ungreased baking sheet.
Bake for about 10 minutes, then remove the baking sheet from the oven and use a metal spatula or tongs to turn the meatballs (they will stick a bit but should release easily when you scrape under them with the spatula).
Put the meatballs back in the oven and cook for another 10 minutes, until they are nicely browned and almost cooked through.
In the meantime, bring the marinara sauce to a simmer in a large skillet. Taste it and adjust the seasoning if necessary (I usually add a healthy pinch of sugar and some freshly ground black pepper). Transfer the browned meatballs to the marinara sauce, leaving the fat behind. Cover loosely with a lid or foil and simmer for about 10 minutes, until the flavors marry and the meatballs are cooked through. Keep warm until ready to toss with pasta.
While the meatballs are cooking, bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil.
Add the spaghetti and cook until al dente. Drain, then toss with the sauce and meatballs.
Transfer the spaghetti and meatballs to serving bowls and top with fresh chopped basil and more grated cheese.
You may also like
- Turkey, Spinach & Cheese Meatballs
- Bolognese
- Chicken Meatballs with Tomato-Balsamic Glaze
- Orecchiette with Sausage and Broccoli
- Turkey Meatballs in Marinara Sauce
- Cacio e Pepe
Spaghetti & Meatballs
This spaghetti and meatball recipe is the ultimate weeknight family dinner — quick, easy, and picky eater-approved!
Ingredients
- 1 large egg
- 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil (plus more for serving)
- 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ cup water
- 1½ pounds ground "meatloaf mix" (approximately equal parts ground beef, pork and veal)
- ¾ cup dried Italian style bread crumbs (such as Progresso)
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (plus more for serving)
- Large jar (32 oz) good quality Marinara sauce (such as Rao's)
- 1 pound spaghetti
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and set an oven rack in the middle position.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the egg, basil, parsley, oregano, salt, pepper, garlic and water. Add the meat, breadcrumbs and cheese and mix until just combined (your hands are the best tool). Do not overwork it.
- Roll the mixture into golf ball-sized meatballs and place on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for about 10 minutes, then remove the baking sheet from oven and use a metal spatula to turn the meatballs (they will stick a bit but should release easily when you scrape under them with the spatula). Put the meatballs back in the oven and cook for another 10 minutes, until they are nicely browned and almost cooked through.
- In the meantime, bring the marinara sauce to a simmer in a large skillet. Taste it and adjust the seasoning if necessary (I usually add a healthy pinch of sugar and some freshly ground black pepper). Transfer the browned meatballs to the marinara sauce, leaving the fat behind. Cover loosely with a lid or foil and simmer for about 10 minutes, until the flavors marry and the meatballs are cooked through. Keep warm until ready to toss with pasta.
- While the meatballs are cooking, bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook until al dente. Drain, then toss with the sauce and meatballs (you may find it easier to toss everything together in the pasta pot rather than the skillet; it depends on the sizes of pans you are using.). Serve topped with fresh basil and more grated cheese.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The cooked meatballs can be frozen, in their sauce, for up to 3 months. When ready to serve, defrost overnight in the refrigerator and reheat on the stovetop until the meatballs are hot in the center.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (6 servings)
- Calories: 731
- Fat: 29 g
- Saturated fat: 10 g
- Carbohydrates: 78 g
- Sugar: 11 g
- Fiber: 6 g
- Protein: 37 g
- Sodium: 897 mg
- Cholesterol: 116 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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I love the look of everything and my meatballs are kind of hard so, I will be trying this recipe ! My family loves my cooking but, I do feel I can improve on the meatballs. I will let you know the outcome. Thanks !!
interesting until you added canned sauce. Marinara is simple. Simply buy one can of San Marzano tomatoes, (Product of Italy) crush them by hand in a bowl, add olive oil to a pan, tun heat up, a little fresh garlic, (do not burn- 30sec) add tomatoes, 1 tsp salt, handful of fresh basil…cook on high to reduce sauce to your prefered thckness. Remove from heat, when sauce stops boiling, add 3 Tbs of cold butter and integrate into sauce…you will be amazed!
Looking forward to getting your recipes
These meatballs are like raking your backyard and adding meat… Leave out the herbs and never add garlic… Only garlic powder… Parm cheese is ok, but they come out much better if you just cook them in the sauce…. Trust me.. Been making the best meatballs since 1968….. I get rave reviews…
My Italian Mother made this type of meat balls during the Depression to extend the burger … still great today
oy ve’ !! – make your own sauce – don’t ruin homemade meatballs with jar sauce 🙁
To make ahead of time, and ‘ Freeze ‘
Is it ok to freeze the Meatballs, after the 20 minutes in the Oven, and later, finish simmering in sauce the other 10 minutes.
Thank you
I have to say, this is a very good begining. However, I feel that adding other meats like veal and/or pork and/or turkey is like a “newer” style meatball. Very close to the meatballs my great grandmother taught me to make. But there are a few more “tricks” that have been left out. I NEVER use store bought sauces. OH and Baking is definately a +++! Overall a super job!
The recipe is fine, but use the Itallian Sausage of your choice for the meat…it will makes this recipe even easier. Still add the other ingredients mentioned in the recipe. I think the main good tip to be gained from this recipe is to not simply use just gound beef. Even mixing an Itallian sauage 50/50 with ground beef is fine. At the same time you do this…brown up any extra meat, refridgerate it, and use it later for other dishes later in the week such as extra pizza topping on top of a frozen pizza or with some Hamburger Helper, etc.
Never had a good meatball receipt. These meatballs look so good. I’m going to make them for dinner tonight. Can’t wait to try them
You’re good with the ingredients but next time substitute grated romano cheese for the parmesan. It’s more moist and a bit more flavorful and DEFINTIELY add chopped onions. Not the same without it.
I am allergic to wheat, so in place of the bread crumbs, I use a baked potato, that I put through my wire mesh strainer (kind of like a ricer). It makes the meatballs very light and airy. I mix the potato in very last, and bake them in the oven.
A trick I learned from my daughter who is a chef-Add about a cup of beef broth to the pan in which you bake the meatballs. they will nit stick to the pan and it adds extra flavor.
Since I have a slight aversion to oregano except on pizza and fresh tomatoes, I usually make my meatballs the same way, without oregano and with fresh bread crumbs, varying quantities of the other ingredients and fresh basil. Yours sound yummy and I must give them a try. Thank you.
If your using a non-stick skillet to fry the meatballs w/ no added fat how is that worse than baking them in the oven ? The meatballs are going to put off the same amount of fat either way you just don’t add the drippings to the sauce. You can go a step further & place the meatballs on papertowels to eliminate even more fat before adding them to the sauce.
I use pretty much the same recipe except that I don’t bake the meat balls, I drop them directly into the sauce and cook for an hour. Another hint, use a small ice cream scoop for forming perfectly shaped balls and then roll them in the palms of your hands for tightness. Throw away vinyl gloves are a must. Good luck.
I just saw this picture and recipe today. I will try the recipe soon so for now I cannot comment on its success, but comments make me want to try. What about freezing them for future use? Assume that would work just fine, right???
Hi Helen, Yes, they freeze very well.
Even easier than baking the meatballs is m’waving them on a m’wave bacon tray. The fat drips down and away from the meat. Oila!
Great meatball recipe, but one my Sicilian Mom and Granpop used all the time! Love that you found it and what makes is special is the baking part too.
Also can add a few small pieces of Italian sauage to it. Thanks!
I agree with everything you put into your meatball mixture. I used milk instead of water at one time but I started using water and what a difference it makes. Water definitely works better!
one egg is not enough for 1 and 1/2 lbs of meat
southern italians use 3 eggs per pound and no oregano, no basil, thats for the sauce, all parsley, garlic salt, bread crumbs, lots of cheese a little water, without adding the oil left after frying them to the sauce, the sauce doesn’t have a real italian flavor
I use milk in place of the water, makes it even more flavorful.
The recipe is similar to one passed down from my Grandma, but we added a bit of milk instead of water. And a sprinkling of fennel seeds. There was always an friendly argument around the table regarding raisins, yes raisins. Finely chopped and added, also added moisture. So, sometimes I do and sometimes I don’t. Either way, the fennel seed, about 1/2 tsp. adds an authentic touch.
where are the rasins? my famly is from Italy and came here in the very early 1900″s. them and all their friends who came over made their meatballs with all you put in and lots of rasins. try it you’ll love them.
Adding a packet of plain instant oatmeal will insure that meatballs are moist, I also like to add worcestshire sauce and some red pepper flakes.
Excellent, but one tip: it’s not necessary to either bake or fry the meatballs; just drop them in the sauce and let it all cook together. So much better flavor for both sauce and the meatballs.
Doesn’t anybody cook anymore? Real Italians wouldn’t think of using sauce from a jar.
If you want really good spaghetti and meatballs, you’ve got to start from scratch!
No, not veal! I know it tastes good, but the ethics of it keep me away.
I have never really cooked before, I’m
Married now and trying to find my inner chef. I found your recipe, it was simple to make ( I used ground beef and pork) I loved bakeing them instead of having to use alot of oil, and they turned out very yummy!!! Thank you
My son is obsessed with spaghetti, and these meatballs are AMAZING. I made my own spaghetti sauce and served them with whole-wheat pasta, and it was very satisfying and healthy. 🙂
So, there’s an Italian restaurant that my husband and I used to eat at years ago, and I LOVED their meatballs but could never seem to recreate them at home. I once asked the owner if she would tell me what was in them that gave them such a nice texture, and the only thing she would divulge is that they used cold water. “Most people use milk, but cold water is the secret!” she said. When I found this recipe and noticed that Jenn used water, I decided to try it. And guess what? This is about as close as I’ve ever gotten to those meatballs from the Italian restaurant, so I’m thrilled. I’ll be using this as my meatball recipe from now on. Thanks, Jenn!
made this, this week with homemade marinara and it was a hit with my son and his friends
Looking at this makes me hungry, wrote it all down, will be trying this receipt for sure. Thanks
My family LOVED this recipe! It’s our new favorite for Sunday dinner.
These meatballs are so flavorful… Out with my old recipe in with yours… Thanks for making dinner so much easier…
My alltime favorite meal. My mouth is watering. Looks delicious.
Any suggestions on how to freeze these? How would you thaw and reheat for optimal flavor?
I freeze meatballs by placing them on a cookie sheet and sticking them in the freezer until they are frozen. Then taken them out and place in freezer containers or bags (or use one of those vacuum foodsavers) They don’t stick together and you can take out as many as you need and put the rest back in the freezer.
I’ve made this dish several times now and it’s wonderful. The first time I didn’t roll the meatballs tight enough so they fell apart a bit (still good though!), but fixed it second time around. Thanks!
Hi. I stumbled on your blog doing a recipe search, made this tonight and it was DELICIOUS! The meatballs were extremely moist. The only thing I had fresh was the parsley, so all the other herbs were dried and it still turned out wonderful.
I made this recipe last week and it was delicious. My husband, who is Italian, says they were the best meatballs he ever had.
I’ve been making my meatballs like this for years – the only difference is that when I bake them, I put them on a broiler pan, so that most of the fat drips down to the lower level, making for easier clean-up, and hopefully, even healthier (can’t believe I’m saying that) meatballs.
wow…these meatballs are absolutely delicious…I’m almost afraid to “ruin” them with sauce!!! my 18 month old daughter doesn’t really eat meat, but she ate three of these right out of the oven!!! these will definitely be a repeat…and quite often, i’m sure!!! thank you!
Love, love, loved the meatballs. Made them for company this weekend and they raved about them – I left out how easy it was to make them! Thanks once again!
sounds delicious! definitely a people pleaser!
I love meatballs.. but really i don’t know to do that, thank God I’ve found this blog, I will try that at home.
I love meatballs on pasta..
I made these meatball for my family tonight and got rave reviews! They were moist and flavorful~ This meatball recipe will be replacing my current one 🙂 Thanks!
I love good meatballs! I just made them for a dinner party this weekend. Yours look fabulous. Yum
Yummy recipe! looks delicious
Your meatballs look so yummy! I love the different Italian colors in them.
ok folks, Meatballs are fried in olive oil and anything else is not authentic period. They sould have a crisp exterior to hold up to the sauce, otherwise they become soggy, mushy and/or rubbery. That’s a plain and simple truth. Also, putting RAW meat into sauce is just a scandalous or worse. I don’t even want to go there ,,, bacteria, mush, just yukky. If you’re baking them for healthy reasons, then please explain why doctors recommend we all get on a Mediteranian Diet. And real sauce is as easy and simple.
Hi, I just started getting your e-mails and I wanted to say how great your recipes look, with the wonderful pictures for every step…your website really makes me want to cook!
Basically I make my meatballs the same way, with one exception. I make my own sauce and, as my mother did, I drop the raw meatballs and sausage right into the sauce for cooking. My sauce cooks for about four hours. the meats add wonderful flavor to the sauce.
Dennis
Absolutely the best cooking method- if you have a few pork chops or a few chunks of stew beef or both; by all means toss them in first for an hour and follow with the meatballs.
I agree with you Dennis. I use my dad’s recipe (he is 83 years old). He made his own sauce and meatballs and cooked the meatballs right in the sauce so the juices flow into the home-made sauce. EVERYONE loved it! My aunt (his sister) was married to a full-blooded Italian down in Louisiana, so she KNEW how to cook authentic Italian dishes. 😉