Classic Spaghetti and Meatballs
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Classic, simple, no fuss dinner here with the most tender and juicy homemade meatballs and spaghetti sauce!
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Sometimes you just need a feel good classic. Simple, no fuss no muss, and this is exactly that. Completely homemade comfort food for the entire family to enjoy.
reasons to make spaghetti and meatballs
- Everyone loves a classic. Spaghetti and meatballs is just one of those lovely comfort food dishes well loved by everyone of all ages and serves up a large crowd.
- Flexible recipe. The meatballs use a blend of ground beef and ground pork but you can also substitute ground turkey or use all beef or all pork, completely baked to perfection so you can prep your sauce without any added work.
- Short ingredient list. The sauce is incredibly simple with a short ingredient list, using both crushed and petite diced tomatoes, onion, garlic, Italian seasoning and fresh basil. If you’re really short on time, store-bought marinara sauce (such as Rao’s) can absolutely work for an even speedier dinner.
- Make-ahead and freezer friendly. The meatballs can be assembled and prepped ahead of time, and can also be frozen as needed for quicker meal prep down the road.
tips and tricks for success
- Use any kind of milk. The milk in the meatballs lends moisture so the meatballs do not dry out, yielding perfectly tender meatballs.
- Prep the meatballs ahead of time. The meatballs can be assembled up to 1 day in advance and placed in the fridge until ready to use. The uncooked meatballs can also be stored in the freezer for up to 1 month (once flash freezing), thawing overnight in the fridge.
- Choose a wine you will drink. It does not have to be anything fancy or overpriced. Just something you don’t mind sipping on since you will have an open bottle.
- Grab store-bought marinara. To cut down on prep time even more, use store-bought marinara sauce (such as Rao’s, our favorite).
- Add garnishes. Garnishes are always optional but a fresh sprinkle of basil or freshly grated Parmesan will certainly take your spaghetti and meatballs to the next level, adding more flavor, texture and contrast.
- Serve with crusty bread. Serve with all the homemade crusty bread for dipping, sopping and dunking!
- Freeze sans spaghetti. This will preserve the texture and prevent sogginess.
what to serve with spaghetti and meatballs
Classic Spaghetti and Meatballs: Frequently Asked Questions
Panko is a Japanese-style breadcrumb and can be found in the Asian section of your local grocery store. But you can also substitute breadcrumbs to serve as a binder for the meatballs.
You can substitute ground turkey for both.
Because spaghetti sauce is a bit acidic, you’ll want more of a moderate red wine such as Chianti to add some richness and robustness to your sauce.
Chicken, beef, or vegetable stock can be used for red wine as a non-alcoholic substitute. Stock will be less acidic and more mild in flavor than red wine.
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.
Place the uncooked meatballs on a baking sheet lined with wax paper or parchment paper, freezing for 1 hour until solid. Transfer the meatballs to an airtight, resealable freezer bag. Label, date and freeze up to 1 month.
Yes! The meatballs and sauce are very freezer-friendly. Let cool completely; portion into plastic freezer bags in individual servings, squeezing out any excess air before sealing. Lay the bags flat in a single layer in the freezer (this will help them freeze quickly). To reheat, thaw overnight in the fridge, reheating over low heat, stirring occasionally, until heated through, adding freshly cooked spaghetti when serving.
Classic Spaghetti and Meatballs
Ingredients
for the meatballs
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan
- ⅓ cup Panko*
- ⅓ cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
- ½ cup milk
- 1 large egg
- 1 small shallot, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 pound ground pork
for the sauce
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium sweet onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon fennel seeds
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- ⅓ cup dry red wine
- 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 1 (15-ounce) can petite diced tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- ½ cup chopped fresh basil leaves
- 1 pound spaghetti
Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly oil or coat with nonstick spray.
- In a large bowl, combine Parmesan, Panko, parsley, milk, egg, shallot and garlic; season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Let stand 10 minutes.
- Using a wooden spoon or clean hands, add ground beef and ground pork, stirring until well combined. Roll the mixture into 1-to-1-1/2-inch meatballs, forming about 36 meatballs.
- Place meatballs in a single layer onto the prepared baking sheet. Place into oven and bake until browned, about 12-15 minutes; set aside.
- Heat olive oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion, and cook, stirring frequently, until translucent, about 2-3 minutes. Stir in garlic, Italian seasoning, fennel seeds, and crushed red pepper flakes until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Stir in wine, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
- Stir in tomatoes and sugar; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until sauce has thickened, about 20 minutes.
- Stir in meatballs; cover and continue to simmer until flavors have blended, about 30 minutes. Stir in basil; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions; drain well.
- Serve immediately, topped with meatballs and sauce.
Video
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
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Admittedly, I only used the meatball portion of this recipe. But they were so delicious.
Your classic homemade meatballs and spaghetti sauce bring comfort to the table – a delicious, no-fuss dinner that’s sure to satisfy every craving!
This looks delicious!! So far the easiest recipe. Trying this Tonight:)
Made tonight for dinner. Prepared exactly as written, only omitted the red pepper flakes as we don’t care for spicy/hot. Excellent recipe!
so good. o_O
Super good recipe! We even had enough meatballs and sauce left we used it for meatball subs the next day!
Looks like a need to make recipe! Suggestion if your not aware: Sugar only covers over the acidity of tomatoes whereas a handful of grated carrots will neutralize it. Thank you for offering many wonderful recipes.
What could you use to substitute for the red wine without impacting flavour too much?
She clearly states:
“DO I HAVE TO USE RED WINE?
Chicken, beef, or vegetable stock can be used for red wine as a non-alcoholic substitute. Stock will be less acidic and more mild in flavor than red wine.”