Go Back
+ servings
a white bowl full of spaghetti and meatballs garnished with parmesan cheese.
Print Recipe Add to Collection
4.66 from 80 votes

Classic Spaghetti and Meatballs

This easy Classic Spaghetti and Meatballs is the ultimate Italian-American comfort food with tender meatballs and perfectly cooked noodles all covered in a flavorful tomato sauce! It’s a well-loved tried and true family favorite that can be made with simple ingredients in less than 90 minutes!
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time1 hour
Total Time1 hour 20 minutes
Course: Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine: American, Italian
Keyword: italian food, meatballs, spaghetti and meatballs
Servings: 8
Calories: 637kcal

Ingredients

For Meatballs

  • 3 slices white bread
  • ½ cup milk
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1 pound ground pork
  • 2 large eggs
  • ¼ cup fresh parsley chopped
  • 2 tablespoons fresh basil chopped
  • 1 tablespoon oregano dried or fresh
  • 1 medium onion chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper

For Sauce and Everything else

Instructions

  • Break the bread slices into pieces and place in a large bowl. Pour the milk over them and let the bread soak for about 10 minutes.
    process shots showing how to make spaghetti and meatballs.
  • To the same bowl add the remaining meatball ingredients. Mix well using your clean hands. Shape the meatball mixture into balls around the size of a golf ball. 
    process shots showing how to make spaghetti and meatballs.
  • Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the meatballs and sauté until brown and cooked through. Turn them often so they hold their shape. You might also need to do this in a couple batches, depends on how big or small your meatballs are and the size of your skillet. It should take about 10 to 15 minutes per batch.
    process shots showing how to make spaghetti and meatballs.
  • Transfer the meatballs to a plate and set aside. If there's too much oil in your skillet, drain some of it out. You need about 1 tbsp of fat remaining in skillet. 
  • Add the onion and garlic to the skillet and cook for about 3 to 5 minutes until onion is soft and becomes translucent. Deglaze the pan with the chicken broth and scrape all the brown bits from the meatballs, this will add flavor to the sauce.
    process shots showing how to make spaghetti and meatballs.
  • Add the crushed tomatoes, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper and basil springs. Stir and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover the skillet with a lid and simmer for about 20 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. The sauce should reduce a bit.
    process shots showing how to make spaghetti and meatballs.
  • While the sauce is simmering cook the spaghetti according to package instructions. Reserve about 1 cup of the pasta water. 
  • If your sauce is too thick, add some of the pasta water to thin it out a bit until desired consistency is achieved.
  • Place pasta in a large bowl and add about 1 to 2 cups of the sauce to the pasta and toss well. Add the meatballs to the remaining sauce in the skillet and toss. Serve the meatballs over spaghetti, sprinkled with Parmesan cheese and garnished with parsley or basil.
    process shots showing how to make spaghetti and meatballs.

Video

Notes

  1. Chill the meatballs. Put the meatballs in the fridge to firm up a bit before frying them. This can help them hold their shape while they are cooking. You can even make them the night before if you like.
  2. Deglaze properly. After adding the chicken broth, do a good job scraping up all those brown bits on the bottom of your pan. This is the secret to making any sauce really flavorful. 
  3. Reserve cooking water. Make sure to reserve 1 cup of pasta cooking water to thin out the sauce. The salt in the water helps to add flavor while the starch in the water helps to add moisture without making the dish watery.
  4. If you feel like the amount this recipe yields is too much, you can hover your cursor over the number of servings in the recipe card. A slider will appear, and you can change the number of servings. The recipe will change accordingly.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 637kcal | Carbohydrates: 66g | Protein: 35g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 125mg | Sodium: 703mg | Potassium: 1177mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 728IU | Vitamin C: 24mg | Calcium: 162mg | Iron: 6mg