Make the best Spaghetti and Meatballs in homemade marinara sauce from scratch with this incredible recipe. These are amazing “WOW” factor MEATBALLS – so tasty and juicy and BIG. I’m sharing all of my secrets for incredibly tender and flavorful meatballs with an easy-to-follow video below.
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Helpful Reader Review
“If there is 10 stars, I would’ve given it. The meatballs is soooo unbelievably good. Moist, juicy, succulent. I cannot thank you enough for this recipe. xoxo” – Julina ★★★★★
Spaghetti and Meatballs Video
Watch me make Spaghetti and Meatballs from scratch with my easy recipe and timeless technique. Even beginners can master my easy recipe.
Best Spaghetti and Meatballs Recipe
This is seriously the best spaghetti meatball recipe I’ve ever tried. Store-bought meatballs can’t touch these (cue M.C. Hammer), and they are incredibly easy to make. Pair with a Caesar Salad and Garlic Bread, and dinner is made.
First, I mix together a super-flavorful meatball using the best kitchen tool–your hands (or your KitchenAid if your muscles need a break). Then, after I brown the meat, I finish these up by simmering them in the super yummy and easy homemade marinara sauce made in the very same pot as I cooked the meatballs–that means fewer dishes.
This recipe tastes authentic and complex, but it’s completely beginner-friendly! It is also great for meal prep and to-go lunches since it freezes and reheats really well.
Ingredients for Meatballs
The secret to getting uber tender meatballs is bread; yes, bread. And the secret to getting uber flavorful meatballs is using a combination of meats: lean ground beef with sweet Italian sausage. This combo gives such depth of flavor and the perfect texture. It makes 22-23 meatballs, depending on the size.
- Bread absorbs moisture, so the meatballs are super juicy and hold together nicely. White bread is best, but you can use whole wheat or other soft sliced bread. You can also use gluten-free bread.
- Lean ground beef – 7% to 15% fat content, which makes for the best texture, perfectly moist without being greasy.
- Italian sausage adds extra flavor to the meatballs. If you can’t find ground sausage, you can buy sausages and remove the casings.
- Parmesan cheese – Use freshly grated parmesan or finely shredded
- Egg – egg binds all the ingredients together so the meatballs don’t fall apart when cooking. You can omit the egg, but the meatballs will be more delicate.
- Flour – all-purpose flour works great to create a nice browned crust on the meatballs. You can substitute 1:1 gluten-free flour.
Ingredients for Easy Marinara Sauce
After browning the meatballs, you’ll make this easy marinara sauce right in the same pot. It only takes 5 ingredients, so opt for better-quality canned tomatoes for the best flavor.
- Onion and garlic – staple Italian ingredients! It seems like a lot of chopped onion, but they shrink considerably when cooked
- Crushed tomatoes – If you use “Crushed tomatoes with basil,” you can omit the fresh basil if desired
- Bay leaves – these are optional if you don’t have them on hand, but they lend a depth of flavor
- Basil – Fresh basil adds vibrant flavor. You can substitute with 1 1/2 tsp dry basil, but add it to the sauce at the beginning of simmering.
- Pasta – We use spaghetti for that classic bite, but you can substitute your favorite pasta, like homemade pasta, linguine, or angel hair pasta. You can also use Spaghetti Squash.
How to Make Italian Spaghetti and Meatballs
My spaghetti and meatballs recipe is so simple to make in about an hour! First, we’ll make the meatballs, then the sauce, and then we’ll simmer the two together while boiling pasta. Follow along below.
- Soak the cut bread in 2/3 cup water and then mash together with a fork.
- Mix – In a large mixing bowl (while I often use my hands, feel free to use a stand mixer to do the work), add all the remaining meatball ingredients except for the flour.
- Brown the meatballs – Use your hands or an ice cream scoop to roll 1 1/2″ meatballs, and then lightly coat in flour. In a deep, large skillet or a Dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat. When hot, cook meatballs in batches until each side is browned (2 minutes per side). Set aside browned meatballs to finish cooking in the sauce.
How to Make Marinara Sauce
Use the same pan for the sauce to sop up all the great flavor from browning the meatballs.
- Saute the chopped onion, stirring often until soft and golden (5 minutes). Add minced garlic and stir 1 minute until fragrant.
- Stir in tomatoes and bay leaves, and then bring to a light boil (stir periodically to keep the sauce from splattering).
- Add all of the meatballs back into the sauce, and lower the temperature to cook at a gentle simmer for 30 minutes. Stir basil, salt, and pepper into the sauce 5 minutes before it’s done. Remove the bay leaf before serving over al dente spaghetti noodles.
Pro Tip:
While the meatballs and sauce simmer in step 3, use another pot to cook the pasta according to package directions. It should be ready just in time! See my quick directions below.
Combine with Pasta and Serve
While some Italians eat meatballs as a side dish, Americans love a heaping plate of saucy pasta and meatballs served together. Here’s how I serve spaghetti and meatballs.
- Cook the pasta in salted, boiling water until al dente or softer if your family loves it that way! Truth be told, I love slightly overcooked pasta. Drain pasta and return it to the empty pot.
- Pour the saucy meatballs over the spaghetti and toss gently until covered in sauce. Plate in a large bowl and garnish with basil and parmesan. Serve with Garlic Bread and Roasted Broccoli.
Make-Ahead and Storage
Spaghetti and Meatballs keep well in the fridge to serve later or for meal planning. Let everything come to room temperature, and then store in an airtight container.
- Make Ahead: Meatballs in sauce can be made ahead and refrigerated for 3-4 days. When ready to serve, reheat gently on the stove and toss with pasta.
- Refrigerate Leftovers: Store in the fridge for up to 4 days
- Freezing: For meal prep, it’s best to freeze the meatballs in sauce separately from the pasta for up to 3 months. You can also freeze leftover combined spaghetti and meatballs for 2-3 months.
- To Reheat: Thaw in the fridge overnight. Heat in the microwave or pan on the stove, stirring gently until heated through. Add a splash of water to re-moisten.
Traditional Spaghetti and Meatballs is the best family-style, crowd-pleasing meal to serve, and this recipe makes it easier than ever to make the whole meal from scratch in just an hour! Impress your family with this timeless Italian comfort food.
Spaghetti and Meatballs Recipe
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, plus more to garnish
Other Ingredients:
- 1 lb spaghetti
Instructions
How to Make the Best Italian Meatballs:
- Soak – Combine bread pieces with 2/3 cup water and set aside for 5 minutes, then mash with a fork.
- Mix – In a large mixing bowl or a stand mixer with paddle attachment, 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 breadcrumbs. Mix until well combined.
- Brown the meatballs – 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 Marinara Sauce:
- Saute onion – 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 minutes until fragrant.
- Stir in 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).
- Add meatballs back into the pan with tomato sauce, partially cover and cook at a gentle simmer for 30 minutes, turning the meatballs occasionally. Meatballs will be tender, and the sauce will be thickened. A few minutes before the sauce is done, stir in chopped fresh basil and season with salt and pepper to taste. While meatballs simmer, make the pasta.
How to Make Spaghetti and Meatballs:
- Cook pasta according to package instructions in salted water until al dente (or to desired doneness), drain, and return to the empty pot.
- Toss together – 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.
Notes
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
More Family-Favorite Pasta Recipes
- Homemade Lasagna
- Creamy Shrimp Pasta
- Chicken Fettuccini Alfredo
- Penne Alla Vodka
- Chicken Tetrazzini
- Chicken Florentine Pasta
- Baked Feta Pasta
- Chicken Orzo Bake
this recipe is delicious, thanks for sharing. I’m always looking for new recipes to try 🙂
Simon
Hi Simon! I hope you love it! 🙂
Great recipe, I wont to try making it right now!!!! How does it reheats???
It reheats really well either over low heat on the stove-top or in the microwave. We enjoyed it for a couple of days before it disappeared 🙂
I just made this using lamb and it came out delicious. Can’t go wrong with meatballs!
Thank you for the recipe!!
Thank you for the great review Dasha, reading your comment is making me hungry :).
I made this last weekend with my 6 year old daughter, and we LOVED it! The meatballs were fantastic, and the sauce was outstanding. Thank you for another great recipe!
Thank you for the great review, I’m so happy to hear that your daughter loved it, music to my ears :D.
Made these earlier this week and this is the best spaghetti and meatballs ever! Definitely tops anything bought in a restaurant.
Thank you Shayla for the awesome review! I’m so happy you loved the recipe! 🙂
We have ALWAYS soaked bread for meatballs but we always soaked bread in cold milk instead of water. Not sure if there’s a difference, just thought I’d mention it:) Trying this recipe tonight!!
I’ve made chicken katleti with bread and milk. I guess this version is a little more “kosher” – although we don’t really follow kosher standards 🙂
Comfort food at its best! Love them!
Thanks Shinee, I totally agree :).
The recipe looks great! I am from the UK and have just searched for Sweet Ground Italian sausage but have had no luck in our online supermarket stores. Is there an alternative you would recommend? Could I use plain pork with certain spices?
Best wishes.
Helen
You could use ground pork and season it to make it a sweet Italian “sausage.” I don’t currently have a recipe for that as I usually just buy it but a google search will probably be the best option to find a recipe for sweet Italian Sausage. I hope that helps 🙂
Great recipe natasha. I need to try it.
I love how you have picture for each step. So much easier to go along with. Theres couple other food blogs websites i look at too but some dont do the pictures with steps and it sucks. So good job again that u try so hard and include pictures.
Thank you Lilya for the feedback, I know that I’m heading in the right direction :).
Your top photo is the best picture I’ve ever seen for spaghetti and meatballs! Beautiful! You’ve got me craving these now. Job well done :)!
Thank you so much Jaclyn! 🙂 That’s quite a compliment 🙂
Wow! These pictures are GORGEOUS!! Soooo drool-worthy. I’m not a huge meatball fan… but after reading your post I think I just might give them another try. Pinned! 🙂
Thank you so much and I sure appreciate that you pinned the recipe. You should also try these meatballs in a hoagie roll and eat it as a sandwich. So good!
You can never go wrong with a classic spaghetti and meatballs. Can’t remember the last time I made this though – so thanks for the inspiration and recipe!
You are welcome Thalia and I totally agree with you :).
Meatballs and spaghetti is one of our kids favorite meal. You are right about home made. My kids won’t touch schools meatballs and spaghetti after eating home made for long time. Home made is di best!
Your kids are blessed to have you for a mama. I guess that’s what happens when you spoil them with the best home made food ;).
This photo is incredible. Very impressive. You have so many great pasta recipes and you look so tiny. Well, the watermelon that you carry around should be there, I am sure it’s not because of past 😉
You’re so sweet. Thank you! 🙂 It definitely feels like a watermelon; particularly at the end of the day. 🙂
Beautiful pot of spaghetti! Totally agree on using combination of sausage with ground meat. I do it all the time for quick potsticker (manti) type of dinner.
Oh that’s brilliant for manti! Do you use a steamer to make your manti?
I just love spaghetti and meatballs! It’s one of my favorite dinners. Your pictures just make me want to dig right in:).
I completely agree with you that bread is the secret to juicy meatballs!
Thank you so much Olga. What kind of foods are you craving the most right now or in pregnancy in general? My last pregnancy all I wanted was plain foods and cereal. Now I want everything!
Well, that’s kind of a hard one. I still feel sick most of the time, so definitely soups and toast would be #1. I don’t think I could have survived without them. Whenever I feel good, I crave veggies (roasted or sautéed), with rice or pasta. I’m crazy about veggies. Also seafood. No chicken or meat usually, and not really into sweets either. I was craving chocolate and sweets with my first pregnancy, so this is different.
New Subscriber here! I just found your blog through Pinterest and spent an hour going over so many recipes. This Spaghetti and Meatballs recipe looks divine. Definitely a must try 🙂
Welcome to the blog! Im so happy you’re here :-). Enjoy the spaghetti and I hope you find many more new favorite recipes!
You just redesigned spaghetti and meatballs! How is that even possible?! This is such a gorgeous plate! Can’t wait to try it myself. 🙂
Thank you Loraine, you’re so nice 🙂 Good things happen when a prego gets to craving spaghetti and meatballs 😉
Would you recommend to stick with beef for the meatballs? Or would turkey be okay as a substitute?
You could probably make them with turkey and still have a tasty and juicy meatball, but I do like the depth of flavor from the beef and Italian meatballs are traditionally made with beef. Let me know if you do try it with turkey.
I know it’s late but a few questions
1. Can I divide this recipe and how do I do it (with the white bread and sauce) it just seemed to little sauce when I did it in half. And the bread didn’t seem to soak all the water which kinda made them slightly fall apart
2. How can I measure my beat all so without a scooper?
3. Can I used cooked/frozen Italian sausage for this recipe?
It was good but there were a few fails when I tried to divide it. Thank you
Hi Judy, this recipe would work well cut in half, just cut all of the ingredients in half and follow the same assembly and cooking instructions, just with half the amount of ingredient. If you don’t have a scooper find a tablespoon or a spoon to scoop and make the balls all the same size. You can use frozen, just make sure they are fully thawed in the refrigerator before sauteeing them – I have found that if you cook frozen ground meats, they let off weird white stuff (sorry I don’t know the technical term). I hope this helps
Are you kidding me!! These are the beautiful-est ( yes, I am willing to break Grammar for them) meatballs ever! Totally agree on the meat combination, it produces the best flavour and wait for it…tenderness!
Thanks so much Julia and thank you for pinning (I saw that!) and I always appreciate it! I break grammar all the time to describe food. It’s perfectly acceptable when you just can’t put it into normal words otherwise ;). For example, in a recent text message I sent to my sister to invite her over for this dish, I described the meatballs as “so juicy and bomzilla.” lol.