Spaghetti and Meatballs Recipe (VIDEO)
Spaghetti and Meatballs in homemade marinara sauce. These are amazing “WOW”-inducing MEATBALLS – so tasty and juicy and BIG! We’re sharing all of our secrets for incredibly tender and flavorful meatballs.
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Spaghetti and Meatballs Recipe:
The secret to getting uber tender meatballs is bread; yes, bread. And the secret to getting uber flavorful meatballs is in the combination of meats – I’m talking about lean ground beef with sweet Italian sausage.
You’ll finish these up by simmering them in the super yummy and easy home-made marinara sauce. This are seriously the best spaghetti meatball recipe I’ve ever tried.
Store-bought meatballs can’t touch these (in an MC Hammer kind of way) – I have no idea why I keep referencing Mr. Hammer? I think I grew up in the 90’s, in Seattle.
Ingredients for Meatballs (makes 22-23 meatballs):
- White bread is best but you can use whole wheat or other soft sliced bread
- Use lean ground beef – 7% to 15% fat content
- If you aren’t able to find Italian sausage meat only, use sausages and remove casings
- Use freshly grated parmesan or finely shredded pre-packaged
- Do not skimp on the garlic in the meatballs or the sauce
Ingredients for Marinara Sauce:
- It seems like alot of chopped yellow onion but it shrinks considerably
- If you use “Crushed tomatoes with basil” you can omit the fresh basil if desired
- Bay leaves are nice, but optional if you don’t have them on hand
How to Make the Best Italian Meatballs:
1. Combine diced crustless bread pieces with 2/3 cup water and set aside for 5 minutes then mash together with a fork.
2. In a large mixing bowl (I use my KitchenAid mixer to do the work), add: 1 lb ground beef, 1 lb sausage, 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, 4 minced garlic cloves, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper, 1 egg and the mashed moist bread crumbs. Mix until well combined.
3. Form into 1 1/2″ meatballs (about a flat ice cream scoop’s worth of meat). Dredge/roll meatballs in flour. Heat a deep, large, heavy skillet or a Dutch oven over medium heat with about 3 Tbsp oil. Add meatballs in batches so you don’t crowd the pan and saute until browned on all sides (6 min total or 2 min per side). Remove meatballs to a separate dish and set aside (don’t worry about cooking through at this point).
How to Make Marinara Sauce:
1. In the same skillet over medium heat, add more oil if needed and saute 1 cup chopped onion stirring often until soft and golden (5 min). Add 4 cloves minced garlic and stir 1 minute.
2. Stir in 2 cans of crushed tomatoes and 2 bay leaves. Bring to a light boil (stir to make sure it’s actually boiling and hot and not just letting bubbles to the surface).
3. Add meatballs back into the pan with tomato sauce, partially cover and cook at a gentle simmer for 30 min, turning the meatballs occasionally. Meatballs will be tender and sauce will be thickened. 5 minutes before your sauce is done, stir in chopped fresh basil and add salt and pepper to taste.
Finishing Details:
1. Cook pasta according to package instructions until aldente or softer if your family loves it that way! Truth be told, I love slightly overcooked pasta. Drain pasta and return to the empty pot.
2. Pour sauce and meatballs over spaghetti and toss gently to combine. To serve family-style, transfer to a large platter, garnish with more parmesan cheese and fresh basil leaves if desired and serve hot.
More Family-Favorite Pasta Recipes:
Creamy Shrimp Pasta – so creamy with plump juicy shrimp
Chicken Fettuccini Alfredo – Mom’s classic recipe
Chicken Tetrazzini – creamy, cheesy and easy with rotisserie chicken
Watch Natasha Make Spaghetti and Meatballs:
This recipe is also great for meal prep and to-go lunches since it freezes and reheats really well. I hope this becomes a new favorite recipe for you!
Spaghetti and Meatballs Recipe
Spaghetti and Meatballs in homemade marinara sauce. Learn how to make juicy Italian Meatballs - so tender and big! The Best Homemade Spaghetti Meatballs.
Ingredients
Ingredients for Meatballs (makes 22-23 meatballs):
- 3 slices white bread, (crusts removed), diced or torn to pieces
- 2/3 cup cold water
- 1 lb lean ground beef, (7%-15% fat)
- 1 lb Sweet Ground Italian sausage, casings removed
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus more to serve
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 large egg
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, to dredge meatballs
- 3 Tbsp Light olive oil to saute, or use vegetable oil
Ingredients for Sauce:
- 1 medium yellow onion, (1 cup chopped)
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 56 oz crushed tomatoes, (from 2 - 28 oz cans)
- 2 bay leaves, optional
- Salt & pepper , to taste
- 2 Tbsp basil, finely minced*
Other Ingredients:
- 1 lb spaghetti
Instructions
How to Make the Best Italian Meatballs:
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Combine bread pieces with 2/3 cup water and set aside 5 min then mash with a fork.
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In a large mixing bowl add: 1 lb ground beef, 1 lb sausage, 1/4 cup parmesan, 4 minced garlic cloves, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper, 1 egg and mashed bread crumbs. Mix until well combined.
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Form into 1 1/2" meatballs (about a flat ice cream scoop of meat). Dredge/roll meatballs in flour, dusting off excess. Heat a deep, large, heavy skillet or a Dutch oven over medium heat with about 3 Tbsp oil. Add meatballs in 2 batches without crowding the pan and saute until browned on all sides (about 6 min total or 2 min per side). Remove meatballs and set aside (don't worry about cooking through at this point).
How to Make Easy Marinara Sauce:
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In the same skillet over medium heat, add more oil if needed and saute 1 cup chopped onion stirring often until soft and golden (5 min). Add 4 cloves minced garlic and stir 1-2 min until fragrant.
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Stir in 2 cans of crushed tomatoes and 2 bay leaves. Bring to a light boil (stir to make sure it's actually boiling and not just sending bubbles to the surface).
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Add meatballs back into the pan with tomato sauce, partially cover with lid or cover with a splatter screen to reduce splatter and cook at a gentle simmer for 30 min, turning the meatballs occasionally. Meatballs will be tender and sauce will be thickened. Five minutes before sauce is done, stir in chopped fresh basil and season with salt and pepper to taste.
How to Make Spaghetti and Meatballs:
-
Cook pasta according to package instructions until aldente (or to desired doneness), drain and return to the empty pot.
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Pour sauce and meatballs over spaghetti and toss gently to combine. To serve family-style, transfer to a large platter, garnish with parmesan cheese and fresh basil and serve hot.
Recipe Notes
*Basil is nice but optional if your crushed tomatoes jar has basil as 1 of the ingredients.
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
♥ FAVORITE THINGS ♥
Shown in this post: (nope, no one paid us to write this; just stuff we love):
* The Le Creuset French Ovens are made to last a lifetime. They’re lovely too.
* These glass bowls by pyrex are perfect for prepping & serving. Love them!
* These Joseph Joseph utensils sit next to the stove and they get used. ALOT!
What is your all-time favorite comfort food?
Natasha Kravchuk
Hi! I'm Natasha Kravchuk. Here you'll find delicious, trusted recipes with easy step-by-step photos and videos. 
When heating meatballs that were cooked and frozen. How would you do this, Thaw? Cook covered or uncovered? Etc etc
Many of my other readers have frozen them cooked and reheated them just fine. I think you could heat the frozen meatballs without thawing, it should work just fine.
Super the only thing I did different was instead of bread I used Ritz crackers. They were awesome.
Nice to know that you liked it!
Made this yesterday and made it gluten free. I was worried the gf bread wouldn’t hold meatballs together. It was fantastic.
Hi Sheila! That’s great to know, thank you for sharing with us.
would canola oil work isstead of vegetable oil to saute the vegetables?
Thanks!
Hi Wendy! Yes, that would be fine.
I’ve made many spaghetti and meatballs recipes and this is one of the best! The meatballs were perfect! I followed the recipe pretty closely. Was a hit!
Hi Lisa! That’s wonderful. I’m so glad it was a hit! Thanks for sharing.
This was ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS! I’ve never gotten so many compliments from my family saying they were literally the best meatballs and sauce they’d EVER HAD. And 2 of them lived in Italy for a year! 🙂
Meatballs were so moist, so flavorful and so delish!
I made enough for 12 people and the ingredients and recipe translated great!
I opted to add some hot italian sausage as well – so I did 1/2 ground beef, 1/2 sweet italian sausage and 1/4 hot italian (i realize that’s more than half but that’s how it worked out with expanding recipe portions. I would add more HOT next time and half and half the sausage as i didn’t get any spice from the little amount of hot sausage I added!
These were great ! I made them with elk meat and it was fabulous. I even accidentally mixed the 3/4 cup of flour to the meatballs and they were still very moist ( even with dredging them after).
That’s great, Nicole! Thank you for sharing.
Meatballs were not very tender and the sweet Italian sausage was overpowering.
I made this tonight for Supper and the meatballs were so moist and delicious. The only thing I did different was I used my own homemade Salsa as I did not have any canned tomatoes in the house. It turned out perfect and I will make this again in the near future.
That’s great, Colleen! I’m so glad you loved it. Thank you for the review.
These meatballs are delicious!!!! I will definitley use this recipe for meatballs in the future, they held their shape and are tasty.
Love it! Thank you for your lovely comments and feedback, Kat.
Great recipe! I had 3 lbs of ground beef and sausage so adjusted the ingredients for the meatballs accordingly. Also added a nice cabernet and honey as I prefer a slightly sweeter sauce. Similar to other reviewers, I baked my meatballs in the oven before adding to the sauce.
Thank you for sharing, Jennifer! 🙂
This is a delicious recipe! Where can I find a link for the cheese grater?
Hi Christina! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe! You can find our favorite kitchen tools in our Amazon Affiliate Shop HERE.
This recipe for spaghetti and meatballs is the best ever! I cooked the sauce with meatballs all day, slow n low! Didn’t change a thing! Having meatball hoagies with leftovers tonight! I will be making this again!
So glad you found a favorite to add to your rotation, Joanne! 🙂
Hi Natasha! – LOVE your recipes! I use them all the time!
I have a question. Following the recipe exactly, can I make the meatballs ahead of time (in the morning), then brown and then simmer later in the afternoon? Will having them prepped in the fridge change the consistency? I’m worried the gluten from the bread mash with rest too much in the fridge and make them tough. Thanks again!
Hi Lindsay! I’m glad you love my recipes. That would be fine. You can prepare the meat and form the meatballs the next day before cooking them. You can also prepare them ahead and store them on parchment paper, covered in plastic, and refrigerate them until ready to use the next day. They also freeze very well.
I made this last night and it was absolutely delicious! My husband raved about it as well. We paired it with fresh bucatini pasta from the farmer’s market. Will definitely be on permanent rotation at our house and it’s just the two of us!
Hi Ashley! That’s wonderful. So glad you found a new favorite to add to the menu. Thank you for the review.
Out of this world! I made this recipe for my Mom’s birthday this weekend and everyone raved about how delicious the sauce and meatballs were. Best meatballs ever made and the sauce – perfection!!! This now in my regular rotation for spaghetti dinners – the one recipe I’ll ever use.
What a great review and feedback! Thank you so much for sharing that with us, Karen.
every receipt that I make is delish…especially the Italian meatball that I am making again today…thank u thank u
sandie
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Sandie!
Natashas,
New to your blog, but I am loving it so far. On this recipe I baked the meat balls due to limiting any oil. It still turned out great.
Hi Robert! Welcome. I hope you find recipes you’ll love. Thanks for sharing. 🙂
I will be making this as soon as weather cools down. It sounds so wonderful and my husband John love spaghetti and meatballs.
Sincerely Marjorie
Sounds great, Marjorie! I hope you both love this recipe as well. 🙂
So delicious! The meatballs were so moist and tasty. Thank you for this amazing recipe!
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Nadja!
Thank you for a great recipe! I made your meatballs and they were excellent! 😋 A definite keeper!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Laurie!
I only have ground beef, no pork or sausage. If I use just beef, any other adjustments you would recommend?
Hi Samanta, a substitute may work, keep in mind if it’s not sausage, you would likely need some more seasoning as Italian sausage is more flavorful than ground chicken. Our readers have mentioned trying ground beef, ground chicken. Etc.
We made it and loved it as we do with all your recipes. We always enjoy watching your videos and first discovered your channel from a friend in Germany! Since then, constantly use your recipes for every occasion. Thank you so much to you and your family.
That’s so heart warming for us, thank you for your support!
Hey Natasha,
I made your spaghetti and meatballs recipe. OMG!!!!!
So good. I have friend coming over to visit over the holidays , I will be making this for her. She loves spaghetti. Love your recipes.
Thanks 😊
Hi Peggy! Thank you. I hope your friend loves this recipe. 🙂
I am wondering if I can use frozen meatball? To shorten the cooking time. Thanks Natasha!
Hi Yelena, we prefer to make it fresh, but to shorten time what may work! I hope you love this recipe!
great meatballs but try adding tomato paste prior to tomatoes a richer will develop stir it in witht= those onions after they soften keep stirring until paste breaks down. just try it you will like it ” Good Eating “
Thanks for the tip, I”ll try that next time. We appreciate it!
The meatballs were the best I’ve ever had. I will always make them from now on.
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite, Elaine!
We made this tonight. They were the best meatballs we ever made. We followed the recipe to a T and will not change anything when making it again.
Hi Diane! So glad you enjoyed this recipe. Thank you for the review.
Wow, amazing recipe. My husband, teenager and 2 year old adored it and gobbled it up like candy.
The only difference is I forgot to buy parmesan so I substituted with colby Jack.
The recipe directions are so well explained. This was by far the best spaghetti and meatballs I have ever had. Thank you Natasha! 🙂
Hi Gisele! That is great. So glad your family loved it.
Delicious! My only change was using breadcrumbs (eyeballed, but probably ~3/4 cup) instead of bread cubes. Will definitely make again.
Hi Alyssa, I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Made the recipe, almost to a tee! I omitted the bread + egg because your meatballs should hold shape if they’ve been in the fridge long enough. Also, used 2 onions for the sauce and a whole garlic split between the meatballs and sauce (5-6 for the sauce, 5-6 for the meatballs).
Otherwise, the methodology remained the same. Fantastic base for a recipe which can you modify however you need!
Thanks for sharing your experience trying out this recipe, I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Made this for dinner yesterday and it was a hit! I used 1/2 cup of bread crumbs and a little bit of water and also added some minced onions to the meatball mix. I also cut up some mozzarella cheese sticks into small squares and placed them inside the meatballs to turn them into mozzarella stuffed meatballs. The recipe came out great!
So glad you enjoyed this recipe. Thank you for the feedback, Kayla.
I made the spaghetti and meatballs. It came out great. Thank you for the recipe!
You’re very welcome/ Thank you for sharing, Larry! I’m glad you enjoyed this recipe.
This was so good. I kind of changed the recipe a bit, because I did not have Italian sausage, but it was still really good! Thank you, Natasha!
Hi Zoe, good to hear that you enjoyed the recipe. Thanks for sharing that with us!
These are so yummy! I cooked half the meatballs, and froze the rest of the meatballs uncooked. I’ve been looking for guidelines on cooking the frozen meatballs, but don’t seeany right now. Can you please walk me through it? Do they need to be pre-thawed? What else do I need to know? For some reason using frozen homemade food makes me nervous 😬
Thank you!
Hi Jessica. I haven’t frozen these meatballs uncooked. Many of my other readers have frozen them cooked and reheated them just fine. I think you could bake the frozen meatballs without thawing, but I would do a google search for some advise on this.
Thank you for your speedy reply… I’ll research this more and proceed accordingly. Next time I’ll just cook them first, before freezing!
This recipe looks amazing. My nephew is graduating and I’d like to make this for him – but he is allergic to dairy. Can I do these meatballs without the parmesan cheese? TIA!
Hi Cynthia, I have not tested this without parmesan cheese but feel free to do an experiment. Please share with us how it goes if you give that a try!
Hi, would i be able to prepare the meatballs same as advised; only cook them in the oven, rather than on the stove top?
Hi Gina, I imagine that will work. However, I have not tested it to advise of the changes that you will have to make. If you do an experiment, please share with us how it goes.
Could I use Italian Bread Crumbs as a replacement for the cubed white bread? And if so, how much of the bread crumbs should I use in this recipe and how much water should I use in this recipe?
Hi Kayla, about 1/2 cup of bread crumbs would work. You might add the liquid based on the texture of the bread. It should be moist but not wet.
Natasha, out of all the cooking channels, you are my favorite. Everything I have made has been so good. I know I can depend on your recipes. Keep up the good work. I know it takes a lot of effort, and I appreciate it. Joyce
Aww, that’s the best! Thank you so much for sharing that with me. I’m all smiles!
Delicious! Made for my hubby’s birthday with good rigatoni. Thank you!
You’re welcome, Sue. I’m glad you liked this recipe!
I tried this recipe and the meatballs were so juicy and delicious! 🙂
P.S. I’m 10 years old.
Great job, Emma! Good to hear that the recipe was a hit.
I tried this recipe and it was so juicy and delicious!
P.S. I’m 10 years old.
Good job! Keep up the excellent work, I’m sure your family is enjoying the recipes that you’ve been trying.
Just finished supper and oh my gosh. This is delicious. Thank you so much
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Glenda!
So easy and so delicious. If you can follow a recipe, you can’t fail. Your friends will think you’re more than a cook, you’re a food artist. Thank Nat.
Thank you, I appreciate that!
Do you think I can prepare the meatballs (raw) the night before to cook the following day?
Hi Brenda, that would be fine. You can prepare the meat and form the meatballs the next day before cooking them. You can also prepare them ahead and store them on parchement paper, covered in plastic and refrigerate until ready to use the next day. They also freeze very well.
It was finally time to comment since I’ve made this dozens of times. It’s perfection, and my 3 & 5 y/o’s favorite. My brother in law said it was the best spaghetti and meatballs he’d ever had. I make it with fresh basil and dried depending on what I have and it’s great either way. Thank you for all your great recipes, I am so grateful for your site.
I’m so happy you love the spaghetti and meatballs recipe. It sounds like it has become a favorite in your family – that is wonderful!
It was finally time to comment since I’ve made this dozens of times. It’s perfection, and my 3 & 5 y/o’s favorite. My brother in law said it was the best spaghetti and meatballs he’d ever had. I make it with fresh basil and dried depending on what I have and it’s great either way. Thank you for all your great recipes, I am so grateful for your site.
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us, Stefanie!
This was absolutely delicious. I divided everything by half and also used fresh tomatoes instead of canned, but the meatballs were so juicy and delicious. I’ll definitely make this again.
Sounds perfect, great to hear that you loved the result!
What brand name bread do you use for the crumbs ?
I don’t care for sausage should I put in pork or more hamburg ?
Please advise
Hi Joanne, we haven’t really been sticking to a specific brand of bread. I don’t recall what it was when I took these photos. You could put in ground pork, that should work.
After 24 years of being fairly indifferent to spaghetti, my wife tells me she “likes” spaghetti and meatballs. So I made this recipe tonight. After several minutes of yummy noises (no speaking) she smiled and said “This is great, the meatballs are so tender!” Nothing makes me happier than seeing my wife smile.
That is lovely feedback, Rick. I can’t imagine how happy you were when your wife smiled and enjoyed what you prepared for her. Thank you for sharing that with us.
Very sweet review especially that you like to see your wife smile!
Added a half teaspoon of oregano this is my first time making home made sauce…absolutely delicious.
Hello Scot, great to hear that you loved it!
I found the meatball recipe was too moist so they didn’t really form a ball and fell apart during cooking. I think 2/3 c. water was too much. next time I would try just bread crumbs…no water.
Hi Donna, sorry to hear that. They should stick together well. Did you omit or make any changes to the meatball recipe?
I also found that mine were way too moist! Something told me to “drain” the water that was still sitting around the bread but I did not. Next time that is what I will do. I think it also may come down to the size of the bread pieces.
Another stellar recipe! I’ve only made meatballs once before and it wasn’t very successful. This recipe is very easy to follow and made for a wonderful, tasty meal! My store didn’t have Italian sausage so I just used regular pork sausage and added some Italian seasoning. Followed the rest of the recipe as is and it was perfect! I wanted to step away from just opening a spaghetti sauce jar with noodles and this was an easy and very tasty way to do it.
I’m so glad you gave meatballs another try! This recipe is a treat and I’m so happy you loved it!
Today was a NatashaKitchen.com day in my house. First Chicken Pot Pie soup and biscuits for lunch and spaghetti and meatballs for dinner. Seriously these are amazing. I added the bay leaves to my marinara sauce along with a bit of sugar and a good splash of a full body red wine in addition to the rest of the ingredients in the recipe. While waiting for husband to get home I had to do a taste test of the meatballs. 10/10. They could be a meal by themselves they are that good. Now I have to figure out which recipe I’ll make tomorrow. So many to choose from. Thank you Natasha for taking the time to post videos and recipes.
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Heather! That sounds like a DELICIOUS day!
I just made this dinner tonight and it cabe out wonderful. I used fresh parsley and added 2 tbs of sugar. Besides this I followed it to the T. The meatballs came out better than I ever would have expected. Yummm!! Thank you so much. Will keep this on rotation.
I am so happy to hear that you enjoyed this recipe, Michi. Thank you for the review!
The meatballs have so much flavor! Thank you for this recipe, it was enjoyed by all!
You’re welcome, JB! Great to hear that the recipe was a hit.
We made this last night for Sunday dinner – best meatball recipe so far we have had. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you for the fantastic feedback, Joyce! Glad you loved this recipe.
I made a double batch of this tonight for Christmas Eve dinner tomorrow night. Of course, had to hubby ad I had to sample and it came out super yummy. Definitely will make again. Followed recipe as written. Used crushed tomatoes with basil and herbs and added can of tomato sauce to thin. I will definitely be making again. Thank you Natasha! I love your recipes and videos!!
Thank you for that wonderful compliment, Kelly! I’m so glad you’re enjoying my recipes!
My meatballs kept falling apart when cooking them. What did I do wrong?
Hi Lisa, I haven’t had that experience to advise. I’m curious if anything was altered in the recipe? The egg helps hold it all together, be sure that step wasn’t missed.
Hi Natasha,
I like to cook, and sometimes it’s touch and go with different recipes, but I have to say every one that I tried of yours came out great, and these meatballs are the best I made from a recipe. I have though added diced tomatoes and tomato juice to this one to make the sauce not so thick. Love your recipes, keep up the great work!
Aww, that’s the best! Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Stephen. I’m all smiles
These look delicious! BUT, recently, my MIL, who lived with us for 12 yrs, passed away here at home. Thus, I now just cook for the two of us, and having a hard time adjusting recipes so I don’t have 4 nights of leftovers. I have resorted to buying pre-made frozen meatballs (NOT the best) so, I’m wondering if I make all these meatballs, can I freeze them? Freeze raw or cooked? I can easily half the sauce and pasta, but even when I use 8 oz of pasta, I still end up with major leftovers! (I don’t mind…spaghetti is SO GOOD for breakfast! Lol)
Please help!
Hi Karen, you can do both, this recipe can be frozen both ways.
Fantastic. I had a go to crockpot sauce I’d used for years, but was looking for something more. This was it! Soooo much better. The only changes (absolutely not necessary) I made was to sauté some mushrooms ahead of time to add in, and a few sprigs of thyme. Just glorious.
Hi Joe, happy to hear that you found your new favorite! Thank you for the review.
OUTSTANDING!!! Both me and my wife agree that theses are by far the best meatballs we’ve ever had. I followed the recipe exactly and everything was fabulous. Next time, I’m going to sub Hot Italian Sausage for the Sweet. We like spice in my household. Great easy recipe, thank you so much.
Aaaw that is amazing feedback. Thank you for sharing that with us and I hope you’ll both love all the recipes that you will try!
Love this recipe! It is now my go-to for spaghetti and meatballs. It is definitely a crowd pleaser. Making it tonight and cannot wait!
Great to hear! Enjoy and hope you’ll love all the recipes that you will try, Cori.
My family and I really enjoyed this recipe. I modified it a bit bc I’m lazy, haha. I used chicken italian sausage bc I dont love pork. I baked my meatballs on parchment lined sheets (I tripled the meatball recipe & froze 1\3 of them for later use) at 425 for 20 mins. I doubled the sauce to use with the remaining 2/3 meatballs. So happy I did! I have a wonderful dinner waiting for me tonight! I will definitely make this again!
That sounds so yummy, so glad your family enjoyed the recipe.
This was the best recipe ever. For those that said the meatballs had no taste or were too dry. I’m sorry but they don’t know what they are talking about. I followed the meatball recipe to the T & it was absolutely amazing the BEST MEATBALLS I ever made. I didn’t have crushed tomatoes so I used tomato sauce and had to add a little sugar & more spices. I am so happy that I found your meatball recipe and my hubby couldn’t stop telling me how great dinner was. Thank you Natasha.
That makes me so happy to hear how much your family enjoyed the meatball recipe.
I did not like it .. the meat balls turned out very pretty but had no taste with just salt & pepper. The sauce was not very seasoned as well with just salt and pepper . I even added garlic powder to it at the end but it didn’t help much with the flavors.
Hi Christina, we are big on flavor and this normally has rich flavor between the garlic, parmesan, and ground Italian sausage. The list of ingredients is pretty short and sweet here so if you omitted anything, it would deifnitely affect the recipe, but between the sausage, salt and parmesan, there should be plenty of flavor in the dish.
Tasted fantastic and was so easy!
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Marlize!
Is there a way to substitute the sausage meat/sausage with something if I don’t have those on hand?
Hi Muns, a substitute may work, keep in mind if it’s not sausage, you would likely need some more seasoning as Italian sausage is more flavorful than ground chicken. Our readers have mentioned trying ground beef, ground chicken. Etc.
Recipes are very helpful and good even great. May God continue to bless you with this gift !!
Thank you, Abigail.
Natasha, A couple of questions for you. Do you think it is alright if you don’t sear the meatballs and just put them directly in the sauce? I know that you have not personally tried this, but, I just wanted to know what your thinking is on that. Also, you mentioned in one of your previous responses that the person may have used bread that was too soft and for that, it was not able to absorb all of the water. What type of bread do you recommend, please? Thank you so much again!!
Hi Bonnie, searing adds flavor and also caramelizes the outside so they don’t get mushy or break up in the sauce. I just used plain sliced white bread.
This was amazing but I used milk instead of water
Thank you for the recipe
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Theresa!
Hi Natasha,
I love following the recipes you have. The meatballs were so soft. I followed the steps to the T but my meatballs went loose when I incorporated them to the sauce. Perhaps I didn’t roll them too tightly? Otherwise it was delicious something my son enjoyed.
Hi Meg, it’s hard to say without being there, but that may be the culprit! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe otherwise!
I made for lunch today. We enjoyed it! Thank you!
You’re welcome, Natalya. I’m happy to know that you enjoyed it!
What size scoop do you use for your meatballs? They look like the perfect size! I tried free-hand rolling them and it didn’t go well!
Hi Norma, please see this note in the recipe: “Form into 1 1/2″ meatballs (about a flat ice cream scoop’s worth of meat).” Click on the scoop link to see the one we used. I hope this helps.
Excellent! For a family of 2, this made a lot of food. No problem though. The large meatballs were delicious and moist. I did use milk instead of water for the moistened bread. I baked them, as was suggested by another. I adjusted the wonderful scale Natasha provided for a serving of 6. We like leftovers. I was able to freeze 2-6 pack of meatballs for a later date. The sauce was great. I did add some chili flakes. I made Natasha’s garlic cheese bread… oh wow. Thank you Natasha, you’re rocking my cooking world!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Cherie! Thank you for the wonderful review!
Can i use bread crumbs instead of bread and how much?
Hi Georgiann, about 1/2 cup of bread crumbs would work to substitute the 3 slices of bread? You might add the liquid based on the texture of the bread. It should be moist but not wet.
Hi Natasha,
My mom has always used a mixture of soft white bread & milk in her meatballs and everyone has always commented on tender they are. But we have never fried them but after forming them we just add them to the simmering sauce to cook. Would it be ok to do the same with these?
I haven’t tested that but I think it could work. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
Can I use ground chuck by chance? 80/20
Hi Bonnie, ground chuck should work well for meatballs! If you test it out, I’d love to know how you like it!
Natasha, I have a couple of questions for you? First, what is the purpose of the flour? Can this be done for your juicy meatballs as well? Second, I made them and followed your recipe to the “T” and still the meatballs were dry. What do you think went wrong. I did notice that when I added 2/3 cup of water to the bread and I mashed it, there was still water in the bottom of the bowl. So I drained the excess water. Please let me know what you think. Thank you so much!!
Hi Bonnie, if the meat mixture seemed dry when you were mixing it together, it may just have needed that extra water at the bottom of the bowl. Also, make sure not to overwork the meat mixture which can cause the meatballs to become tough. Flouring the meatballs adds strength and flavor to the meatball while searing.
the meatballs were great. Could live without the sauce.
Wow! This was amazing!🙌 I’m so happy I made this my family loved this meal so much! It was my first time making meatballs it was easy thanks to you, thank you for your yummy recipes😊
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Lulu! Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
Fine recipe, but I suggest BAKING the meatballs instead of browning them in a frying pan. Much neater (no spattering) and they stay round nicer–and less grease. Choose a baking pan that fits (a jelly roll pan is perfect), line it with foil, spray with cooking spray, arranged the meatballs and bake at 400 F. about 30 minutes. I prefer to make them smaller so the baking is more like 25 minutes.
Thanks for your feedback and suggestion, James. I’m glad you liked it, please share with us how it goes if you try baking this instead.
Hey Natasha, I was just wondering is it ok to use milk in place of the water? I absolutely love all of your recipes. Do you by chance have any for oven-baked chicken wings that are not spicy???
Hi Bonnie, I haven’t tried using milk yet to advise. If you do an experiment, please share with us how it goes. You may use this Baked Chicken Legs recipe instead.
Good simple recipe. However, we added 2 tablespoons of sugar and we thought it set off the acidity of the tomatoes and made the sauce even better.
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Rezeda! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
This is an absolute ripper of a meal. A classic and SO tasty. Great recipe.
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us, Ro!
Tried the meatballs and marinara. Loved it!
Aren’t they the best! I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Julie!
This recipe is AMAZING! I’m just 12 years old and I love making this perfect spaghetti and meatball recipe for my siblings and parents. It’s just so delicious. The only thing I change is the amount of crushed tomatoes used. Instead of two 28oz cans I like to use one. Thanks for the recipe!
I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe, Timi! Thank you for sharing that with us!
I grew up in the NYC area with a lot of Italian friends from Catholic school, who had mothers who cooked some of the best Italian food that I ever had, and this recipe was for me was a trip back into childhood. This is an outstanding spaghetti and meatball recipe. I made earlier this week and the wife and kids loved so much I am making it again tonight. Thanks Natasha.
Aww, that’s the best! Thank you so much for sharing that with me. I’m all smiles
I don’t have crushed tomatoes. Would I be able to use tomato sauce?
Hi Sarah, that would work too but it won’t be a chunky sauce anymore.
I enjoy following your recipes , they are easy and inspiring encourages me to cook. Simple and easy. Thank you got your demonstrations! Have made a few of them and they come out well.
Thank you.
Esther.
I’m so happy you love our recipes! Thank you so much for the fantastic review and your encouraging words. I am smiling big reading your comment
Super easy and delicious. I followed the recipe as closely as I could. I wouldn’t change anything.
Thank you for your wonderful comments and feedback, Jessica!
Really good! My 2 boys and niece help me make the meatballs. It was a blast and they were delicious!
So great to hear that you had a wonderful time making this recipe, I’m happy that you enjoyed it!
I made this yesterday for my sister’s birthday dinner. The 2/3 cup water added to the bread was way too much. My meatball mixture was almost like a meat milkshake! I started to panic but remembered that I had a container of breadcrumbs. I added about a half cup of breadcrumbs and the mixture firmed up enough to form meatballs. Everything went fine after that and everyone loved the dinner! Maybe just add water until the bread is saturated and no more. I think 1/3 cup water would be enough…
HI Pete, thanks for sharing that. I wonder if it has to do with using super soft bread (like wonder bread), or using less bread which would require less water since it wouldn’t be able to soak up that quantity of water.
Wonderful dish!!!!! I just made it for dinner and I can’t stop nibbling on it Trying to wait until my husband gets home from work for dinner. Great Job👍
Hi Gail! I’m so glad you gave this a try! I hope he loves it also!
Great and very professional done. Love the RECEIPE!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us!
Hi Natasha,
I’m running out of bread but do have breadcrumbs … do you know about how many cups of breadcrumbs to substitute the 3 slice of bread? Thanks
Hi Danielle, about 1/2 cup of bread crumbs would work. You might add the liquid based on the texture of the bread. It should be moist but not wet.
So I came home early from work and had a craving for meatballs. So I thought I would give your recipe a try. I followed your recipe for the meatballs almost to the letter except that I added 1 tsp of Italian seasoning and 1 tsp of dried parsley. I then added milk to the bread instead of water. They smelled delicious cooking. Now, my husband liked them but said needed to cut back on the pepper to maybe 1/4 tsp. Although, they were good I felt the sweet Italian sausage was a bit overwhelming. I think I will make this recipe again but I will use pork veal and beef mixture of meat. Thank you for sharing your recipes with us 🌸
Hi Monica, sounds great! Thank you for sharing your experience making this recipe, glad you enjoyed it!
Can I use wheat bread instead of white???
Hi Victoria, white bread is best but you can use whole wheat or other soft sliced bread.
I am loving your recipes , I made your chicken noodle soup this morning. It is delish ,I will make this recipe on Sunday . Your cheeseburger sliders are a HUGE Hit
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite!
“Truth be told, I love slightly overcooked pasta. ”
That’s… disturbing. I mean, I like it about as Al Dente as it gets without a crunch, and I realize that isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but mushy overcooked pasta.. ugh
I would recommend not overcooking your pasta then. It’s actually quite simple.
I also enjoy overcooked pasta. To each his/her own. What is disturbing is your comment. If you can’t say something nice…
Wow!! Amazing. Thank you for sharing! I enjoy all your videos!
You’re welcome, Sarah! Thanks for your great review and feedback.
OMG! The sauce is to die for! I am going to double the sauce recipe and freeze it! No more jar spaghetti sauce!
Perfect! I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe, Andrew!
My husband has never been a fan of spaghetti unless it was baked. This recipe changed that! We loved it, thank you so much!
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Courtney!
Hi Natasha i love your recipes and videos and have made many.
Could i freeze half of the raw meatballs for another meal or should i cook all and freeze them cooked for a reheat.
Im just one person eating.
Thanks!!.
Hi Grant, thank you and I’m glad you’re enjoying my recipes! You can do both, this recipe can be frozen both ways.
We made this using a few modifications. First, we used 3 lbs ground beef to 2 lbs hot Italian Sausage. We adjusted all ingredients accordingly. We yielded 34 total meatballs from 5 lbs of meat. These meatballs are about 1/4 cup size. Each would be about 2.35 ounces. I love the simplicity of the ingredients. I had my doubts on the tomato sauce. How can you not put oregano or marjoram in? She only uses basil. I must say, she is right…AGAIN!!!. Her simple basil recipe is all that is necessary. I have once again been Natashized. The sauce also stuck to the noodle, which is the sign of a good sauce. She continues to astound me with her videos and recipes.
Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
Very very disappointing with the sauce
I added a little sugar and fresh basil but the flavor was not there. I have been to Italy 4 times, my last name is Giuliani and I will NEVER make that sauce again. The meatballs are good but not much flavor.
Hi Liz, make sure to season to taste with salt and pepper – maybe it was shy on seasoning? Also, let the meatballs simmer in the sauce for the recommended time – it can make all the difference in developing the flavor.
Can I use regular sausage as I don’t have sweet ground Itallian sausage
I imagine that should work too.
Hi Natasha – we made this yesterday for the second time and my kids (ages 13, 8, 2) all love it. The 8 year old loves meatballs and the 2 year old loves pasta so they enjoy doing some trades also once they’ve been served. It tastes fantastic and with the cold recent weather, it hit the spot yesterday!
That is the best when kids love what we moms make. That’s so great!
I don’t have a dutch oven, so what can I use instead?
Hi Talia, if you don’t have a dutch oven, you can also use a deep skillet (9 to 11-inch).
I used spicy Italian meat and wheat bread. I finally made my own sauce and made sure to let it cook for a long time. This was so good. The onion garlic and bay leaf are key. Very good recipe.
Sounds wonderful! I’m happy that you loved this recipe, Molly. Thank you for sharing!
Hi Natasha, my sister and I made this recipe many times including today. Our family loved it! The sausage in the meatballs definitely adds a lot of flavor to the meatballs. We didn’t have bread on hand today, so instead for today we used 1/2 cup of breadcrumbs. It was still good! Thanks for the recipe Natasha!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us!
hi CHEF. have made your sauce recipe Bay leaf does add a nice twist. I have not tried sausage in my meat balls and use milk instead of water but tomorrow I will try it flour is of interest will try on some to see difference. So creative you are “Good Eating “
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for the wonderful review!
I started to cook again and now love it because of you. I am 100% Italian. I have been making/eating my moms meatballs for 59 years and your recipe is almost the same except we use 2 eggs per pound of meat, and 2 wet slices of bread per pound. One thing I never saw was the flouring of the meatballs before frying. What’s the purpose of that?
So great to hear that, Barbara. I actually rolled the meatballs in flour before cooking them. I would recommend going through the recipe again for the instructions. I hope you like it!
got to much Basil. you can freeze it. we use cleaned ricotta container. grow a lot all summer just wash leaves to clean of dust to start crush paper towel place in bottom add hand full leaves crush another towel push down on top and so on leaf will turn black but the oils in leaf is preserved break up some leaf add to sauce. will disintegrate into sauce with great flavor. also tomato paste can be added for a rich tomato flavor. ” Good Eating “
I have been craving spaghetti and meatballs for awhile so decided to make this recipe. It was delicious and very satisfying. Definitely on par with some of the best spaghetti and meatballs I’ve had at restaurants. This will get added to the family recipe box for sure. One small note: it took quite a bit longer to make the recipe than the time listed. The prep (chopping, mixing, forming/dredging meatballs) was definitely closer to 1 hour and the actual cooking, between browning the meatballs, heating up the sauce before adding them in, and cooking everything after adding meatballs was closer to 1.5 hours. Maybe second time around I can figure out ways to be faster 🤷🏻♀️
Thank you so much for sharing that feedback with us! I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe.
This was so good I added a little bit more basil and a little bit of fresh rosemary and oregano in the onions…and my family is in love with Bucatini noodles so we used those instead but man the meatball where so juicy and tender….great recipe thank you so much!!!!
You’re welcome, Allie! I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe.
Really nice recipe – I had to find a recipe to compare with our favourite Italian Restaurant in Perth, Western Australia; and this did.
4 out of 4 family members really liked this. Have eaten it fresh, the next day reheated and after freezing and “Frozen Reheat”ing in my Panasonic Microwave later. All 3 ways are beautiful. If making for later though, I may be tempted to add a little more liquid to the sauce, as it is absorbed into the spaghetti a bit more when reheated next day, or frozen as above. Thank you very much. This will become a staple family favourite dish !!
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite!
I really love this recipe, I have made it twice now. This second time, I used my air fryer for the meatballs, way less grease, and they came out perfectly!
So nice to know that you’ve already tried it both ways. Glad you loved this recipe, Rae!
Natasha can I make the sauce and meatballs in a slowcooker and if so for how long?
Hi Karen, I have not tested this in a slow cooker to advise. I’ve seen it done before, but it may be possible. If you happen to experiment, I would love to know how you like this recipe!
Made this for dinner tonight.
It was delicious 😋.
Hubby love it.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
I made this exactly as directed but the meatballs kind of fell apart. They were delicious as is the sauce but they fell apart after cooking. Any ideas about what to do differently? They were very moist!
Hi Jennifer, sorry to hear that. They should stick together well. Did you omit or make any changes to the meatball recipe?
I live in Zimbabwe and when planning my meals your blog is the first place I go to and I am never disappointed. Made these meatballs and WOW!!!!! utterly devine.
Thank you for that wonderful compliment! I’m happy our site is your go-to.
Hi Natasha. How many people does this serve? Thank you!
Hi Cat, we have the serving size listed in the highlighted recipe card towards the bottom of the post.
I made your meatball recipe and marinara sauce. It was the best meatballs I’ve made and the marinara sauce was better than store bought which is what I usually buy. My husband ate 2 helpings of everything.
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite!
My bread looks a lot smaller than yours … about how many cups would you think I should use?
Hi Norma, I haven’t measured it that way. We used three regular white bread slices.
Thank you for your reply.
Hi Natasha, can I just say that I love all of your recipes…and my family loves it when I make this Spaguetti and meatballs recipe!!
Thank you for sharing that with me.
Hi Natasha,
Could i sub the italian sausage with minced chicken…?
Hi Ava, that could work, but you would need some more seasoning as Italian sausage is more flavorful than ground chicken.
Thanks for your reply! I made this yesterday but I had to add more salt and pepper. The result was 👌😋
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Could I sub the italian sausage with minced chicken and still use beef…?
Hi Ava, that could work, but you would need some more seasoning as Italian sausage is more flavorful than ground chicken.
I made the meatloaf last night & just like the chicken parmesan it was SO JUICY & SO TASTY YUM😋
Hello Sandy, thank you so much for your great comments and feedback. I’m glad you enjoyed it!
This is a delicious recipe and we make this at least once a month.
FYI, by accident i bought sweet chicken sausage instead of regular sweet sausage. Did not realize this until the meatballs were already simmering in the sauce. Turned out just fine. Few of us thought it was even better than with regular sweet sausage
It looks like you found a great substitution! Thank you for sharing that with us!
This came out amazing! I added a tsp of oregano to the sauce, and it cane out perfect. Definitely will make again!
That sounds perfect! Thanks for sharing that with us, Sarah.
My son is severely autistic and will not eat most things I make. He actually ate the meatballs! I love all of your recipes but, this is probably a new staple for us!
Wow! I’m so inspired reading this! Thank you for that amazing review, Natasha!
Spaghetti is my husband’s favorite. I made this last night and he loved it so much, claiming that he made it. Every single recipe looks so delicious that I want to cook something new!
I’m so glad you (and YOU) enjoyed it! Thank you for the wonderful review!