Homemade Italian Spaghetti Sauce with Meatballs
It’s important to stop and enjoy the simple pleasures of life: a glass of good wine, a homemade meal with family, an evening cooking with friends, a romantic candlelit dinner, fresh herbs from the garden, a girl’s night out. Sometimes our busy lives distract us from what matters most. A home-cooked meal is a great way to bring people together, and this homemade Italian spaghetti sauce with meatballs will do just that.
Spaghetti and meatballs is a classic comfort dish–even more so when everything is made from scratch! This recipe takes a few hours, but yields a truly remarkable meal, with robust meatballs and a delicious tomato sauce replete with garlic and herbs. You won’t be going back to the pre-prepared stuff any time soon.
Homemade Meatballs and Tomato Sauce over Fresh Pasta
The meatballs consist of ground beef, ground pork, and veal. The variety of meats gives these meatballs a complex flavor. Torn bread soaked in whole milk is used for added richness, along with freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Sautéed garlic and onion impart a sweet mellowness to the meatballs.
This recipe yields 6 to 8 servings, and the sauce and meatballs easily reheat, so there’s no reason not to double it and freeze the leftovers. This makes the time spent on this meal a worthy investment. If you’re looking for an appetizer to accompany it, consider this fried sage appetizer or this asparagus velvet soup–both Italian classics.
Serve your family and friends robust meatballs atop a piping-hot plate of spaghetti slathered in a delicious tomato sauce. They’ll love it!
Spaghetti and Meatballs with Italian Air Force-Issue Cruet Set and Parmesan Holder
Italians know how to eat, and they appreciate freshly made pasta, shaved Parmesan, high-quality olive oil, and a carafe of good wine. So much so, that they issue olive oil, cheese, and wine accoutrements to their military! The Parmesan container and cruet set in the picture above are Italian Air Force military surplus. If you look closely on the bottom of the Parmesan holder, you’ll see their insignia engraved in the metal.
Italian Military Surplus Olive Oil Canteen + My Messy Kitchen after Making Pasta
And for olive oil resupply closer to the front lines, there’s the canteen above (rightmost)–it holds up to 5 liters of olive oil.
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Homemade Italian Spaghetti Sauce with Meatballs
Print recipe| Serves | 6-8 |
| Region | Italian |
| From magazine | Slightly adapted from Gourmet January 2009 |
Ingredients
Spaghetti sauce
- 3 (28 oz) cans whole tomatoes in juice
- 1 tablespoon dried basil
- 1 medium onion (chopped)
- 3 garlic cloves (finely chopped)
Meatballs
- 1 medium onion (finely chopped)
- 1/8 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 5 garlic cloves (finely chopped)
- 1 1/2 Cups torn day-old Italian bread
- 1 1/2 Cups whole milk
- 3 Large eggs
- 1 cup grated Parmesan
- 1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 1/2 Teaspoons grated lemon zest
- 3/4 Pound ground veal
- 3/4 Pound ground pork
- 3/4 Pound ground beef (not lean)
- 1 cup olive or vegetable oil
pasta
- 1 Pound dried spaghetti
Accompaniment (Optional)
- grated Parmesan (for serving)
Note
* Meatballs can be made and simmered in sauce 5 days ahead and chilled (cover once cool).
* Meatballs with sauce can be frozen in an airtight container or heavy-duty sealable bags up to 3 months
Directions
| Spaghetti sauce | |
| Step 1 | |
| Drain tomatoes, reserving juice in large bowl. Crush tomatoes with your hands and add to juice. | |
| Step 2 | |
| Cook onion in oil in pot over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes with their juice, basil, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Simmer sauce, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Season with salt. | |
| Meatballs | |
| Step 3 | |
| While the sauce simmers, make the meatballs: Cook onion in olive oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl to cool. | |
| Step 4 | |
| Soak bread in milk in another bowl until soft, about 5 minutes. Firmly squeeze bread to remove excess milk, discarding milk. | |
| Step 5 | |
| Stir together cooled onion mixture, bread, eggs, parmesan, parsley, oregano, lemon zest, 2 3/4 teaspoons salt, 3/4 teaspoon pepper until combined. Add meats to bread mixture, gently mix with your hands until just combined (do not overmix). | |
| Step 6 | |
| Form meat mixture into about 35 (1 1/2 inch) balls with dampened hands, arranging meatballs on a large baking sheet or shallow baking dish. | |
| Step 7 | |
| Heat olive or vegetable oil (1 cup) in a large skillet or Dutch oven (the Dutch oven helps prevent oil from splattering) over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking, then brown meatballs in batches (without crowding), turning frequently, about 5 minutes per batch. Return to baking sheet. | |
| Sauce and Meatballs | |
| Step 8 | |
| Add meatballs to sauce and gently simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until cooked through , 20 to 30 minutes. | |
| Pasta | |
| Step 9 | |
| Cook spaghetti in boiling salted water until just al dente, drain. Toss pasta with some of the sauce in a large serving dish. | |
| Serve | |
| Step 10 | |
| Serve with meatballs, remaining sauce, and grated cheese. | |
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I love this recipe! It has ALL the ingredients I love to eat. Can’t wait to make it!!!
I’m glad you like it! You can’t go wrong with spaghetti and meatballs. It’s a perfect meal for winter. Let me know how it turns out.
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