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.
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.
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
Amazing utterly amazing and even better after a joint, absolutely ridiculous sex on the couch and ricotta cheese (not homemade this time) but yes it’s that good and simple as well for us foodies ❤️❤️❤️❤️
This recipe was AMAZING! It was literally perfect, and will be my staple going forward. I would say to add italian seasoning to the meatballs, and oregano. I would also add oregano, fresh thyme, and taco seasoning (trust me) to the spaghetti sauce so it isn’t too tomato-ey tasting. Otherwise, it was literally perfect. 10/10
I made these for my granddaughter’s birthday party. There were 13 of us and every person couldn’t stop saying how good they were. I made them gluten-free so, gluten-free bread and gluten-free flour and they were the best!! Thank you!!
That’s wonderful to hear, Susan!
Made a big batch of these meatballs, and froze half for later. My boyfriend and I loved them so much! Made spaghetti with the first batch and meatballs subs with the second. They were delicious. I will keep using this meatball recipe in the future!
Followed recipe really close. I did deglaze the pan with a splash of red wine. Also added a teaspoon of Italian seasoning. Meatballs were totally tender and flavorful. BTW Cento crushed tomatoes made the sauce. Awesome recipe.
Sounds wonderful! Thank you for sharing.
I didn’t change a thing but I did bake them on parchment. Paper for 30 minutes at 350. They came out so moist, best recipe !!! Thank you for all the.time you put in to share.
Very good base recipe for a mild flavored sauce and meat. Try adding a Tbs. of Italian seasoning to the meatball mix and a hot dry red pepper to the sauce. A little red wine sautéing with the onions will help build this into something special. 😀
Sounds delicious! Thank you for sharing.
After making this over 10 times, i felt it only right to actually leave a review. For the first time on any recipe really. This is absolutely delightful! A symphony of delectable flavors explode all at once upon first bite. No need to change anything. The fresh basil at the end is perfect. Meatballs are maybe the best I’ve ever tasted. Family loves it. Thank you for sharing.
I have made this several times and my family loves it. Cooking like this brings me joy, thank you for this wonderful recipe.
You’re very welcome, Laura! I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Made this for dinner. Everyone enjoyed this meatball & spaghetti. Excellent 😋
I’m so glad you all loved it, Kathleen!
I have made a recipe very similar to this for over 30 years. Only difference, I use milk in place of water and don’t use flour. A number of years ago I started baking on a baking rack.
I tried this recipe and it’s very very similar. I prefer milk to water. Thank you for your hard work.
Hi Cheryl, Thank you so much for trying my recipe and for sharing your feedback, I’m especially excited to read it resembles your own cherished version that you’ve been making for several decades! This is exactly why I love cooking, we can tailor recipes to our own taste, the substitution of milk for water and using a baking rack are excellent personal touches. I appreciate your kind review.
I made this an exactly as written, big hit with everyone!
I’m an engineer and self proclaimed home chef…I research a lot of recipes.
Your recipes are always at the top of the list!
Thank you!
Shawn
That’s lovely to hear, Shawn. Thank you for trusting my recipes and for trying them out exactly as written.
Hey Natasha, can I sub a different seasoning other than basil? They was other of basil on my Kroger delivery. I have oregano, Parsley or Italian seasoning. Will any of those three Work? Thank you
Hi Kay! That would be fine too. The taste will be a bit different but it will still work.
Thank you. I looked at the ingredients in my crushed tomatoes. Unfortunately, they do not have basil already in it, they actually don’t have any seasoning but salt. But, I got bay leaves and I know they will give flavor. So I am thinking about adding a small amount of oregano and thyme. Do you think it would be ok to add those 2? Or one or the other?
I bet that would work!
Hello, I made this tonight to make meatball hoagies and it was fabulous, first time I have ever on my 48yrs of life ever made homemade sauce usually I just dr up jarred sauce but I wanted to try something new! Thanks so much for a wonderful recipe my family loved it!!
You’re very welcome, Stephanie. Happy to know that you loved it so much!
Followed the meatball recipe to the t and just didn’t have a great flavor overall. I could taste the white bread. I think using breadcrumbs would’ve probably rendered a better result!
HI Tawana, usually soaking the bread crumbs would cause them to disintegrate enough that you can’t really tell they are there. I wonder if they needed a little more soaking or a little more liquid?
Very dry. Add more sauce. Meatballs very dry also. Disappointed.
Hi Mary! Did you make any substitutions to the recipe? I have never had these be too dry. Did you use leaner meat by chance, overwork the meat mixture, or overcook the meatballs? These are all common issues that can cause them to be dry and tough. You can add more sauce if you’d like. I have found this to be a personal preference.
Finally found your recipe that I used before. My husband usually doesn’t eat meatballs but he loves these. This time I mark down your recipe so I wouldn’t lose it. They taste wonderful
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite, Gail!
The meatballs had a great savory flavor. I ended up using store-bought marinara sauce but will try this recipe again with homemade sauce.
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, I’m so glad you enjoyed it, KJ!
what can i substitute the sausage and cheese with? I cant cook with port and cheese.
Hi Elena, 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. I have not tested this without parmesan cheese but feel free to do an experiment with a dairy free substitute. Please share with us how it goes if you give that a try!
Can I combine the meatballs and spaghetti fully cooked and freeze them in a plastic bag so I have a complete meal when I thaw them
Hi William. We prefer to make fresh noodles but generally it’s recommended to freeze spaghetti separate from the sauce for best texture.