Spaghetti and Meatballs

This recipe for spaghetti and meatballs is simple to make and so delicious, with savory and tender meatballs in a rich and flavorful sauce!

Until recently, I would never have listed spaghetti as one of my favorite meals, but lately I can’t get enough! Ever since I discovered and fell in love with this simple spaghetti recipe while I was pregnant with my daughter Bee, it has become a staple at our house. I’ve made several tweaks to the basic sauce recipe since then to make it a little richer and more flavorful, and this version with homemade meatballs might be my favorite! This recipe for spaghetti and meatballs is both easy to make and totally delicious. It’s a classic hearty dinner that’s always a family favorite!

You can prepare both the sauce and meatballs ahead of time, and they freeze and reheat beautifully. I’ve frozen them both separately and combined, and they work either way. To make the whole recipe start to finish takes me about an hour, but I often prep the sauce and meatballs in the morning while my baby is napping. That way, when it’s the witching hour and I’m trying to cook dinner with a toddler and baby hanging on me, I just have to quickly throw some pasta in a pot and we’re ready to eat. And best of all, everyone is happy!

Spaghetti and Meatballs

Print Recipe

Prep Time:20 minutes mins

Cook Time:45 minutes mins

Total Time:1 hour hr 5 minutes mins

Ingredients

• 1 pound spaghetti noodles

for the meatballs:

• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 pound Italian sausage
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 egg
• 1/4 medium red onion finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese

for the sauce:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 4 cups beef broth
• 1 15 ounce can tomato sauce
• 1 14 ounce can diced tomatoes
• 1 6 ounce can tomato paste
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons dried basil
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Instructions

• To make the meatballs, preheat the oven to 375. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray.
• In a large bowl, mix together the ground beef, Italian sausage, bread crumbs, milk, and egg. Add the onion, parsley, garlic, salt, and parmesan, and mix until well combined. Scoop one inch meatballs onto the prepared baking sheet. Bake 25 minutes, or until browned and cooked through.
• To make the sauce, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic to the pot and cook until fragrant. Add the beef broth, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar, salt, basil, and Worcestershire sauce to the pot, and stir well to combine. Add the meatballs to the pot and bring the sauce to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low and continue to simmer for 20 minutes, until the sauce is thickened.
• While the sauce is simmering, cook the spaghetti noodles according to the package directions. Serve the meatball sauce hot on top of the cooked noodles.

Servings: 6