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The best spaghetti and meatballs, featuring tender, juicy meatballs simmered in a rich marinara sauce. This is the one and only spaghetti sauce recipe you will need! Always a huge hit with the family and every guest!
This spaghetti and meatball recipe is so quick and easy to toss together! The meatballs and sauce are made in the same pan which means fewer dishes and an epically flavorful sauce.
Why I love this recipe:
- Family Favorite: This is one of the most requested meals in our home. Even the pickiest of eaters enjoys this dinner.
- Simple Ingredients: There’s no reason to pay an expensive price for quality marinara sauce when you can easily make one that tastes better at home with just a few basic ingredients.
- Feeds a Crowd: When we’re hosting, spaghetti is a great option! It goes a long way towards feeding a large group of people.
How to Make Spaghetti & Meatballs:
- Make Meatballs: Mix the ground beef, eggs, bread crumbs, salt, pepper, grated parmesan, minced onion and minced garlic together in medium sized mixing bowl. Slowly pour in the milk and mix using hands to ensure thoroughly mixed. Mixture will be wet.
- Heat oil in a large pan or dutch oven over medium heat. Using hands roll meatball mixture into small balls about 1 inch in diameter. Place in the pan coated with oil.
- Cook the meatballs over medium heat, turning while they cook, until browned on all sides. Cook in batches if needed to avoid over-crowding. Once all meatballs are seared remove from the skillet and set aside. (do not worry if the meatballs are cooked through, they will finish cooking in the sauce)Drain the grease from the pan, but leave all the blackened bits.
- Make the Sauce: Return the pan to the stove at a low heat. Add the onion and cook until softened. Add the garlic and cook for an additional 30 seconds. Stir in the tomato paste. Pour in the tomato sauce and crushed tomatoes. Add in the oregano, basil, salt, and black pepper. Stir to combine. Add in the light brown sugar and stir.
- Simmer with Meatballs: Return the meatballs to the pot. Gently mix into the sauce. Bring sauce to a simmer. Cover and cook for 30 minutes.
- While the sauce is simmering cook the spaghetti noodles according to their directions. Combine the sauce and noodles together in the sauce pan, or just pour the sauce directly over the noodles.
Serve: Plate the spaghetti and meatballs with additional grated parmesan on top and garnished with fresh herbs. Serve with a side salad and French or garlic bread.
More Easy Family dinner Recipes:
Spaghetti And Meatballs
Spaghetti and Meatballs. The PERFECT meatball, tender, juicy and loaded with flavor simmered in a rich tomato sauce. This is the one and only spaghetti sauce recipe you will need! Always a huge hit with the family and every guest!
Ingredients
Meatballs
Spaghetti Sauce
- ½ cup onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 (14 ounce cans) tomato sauce
- 2 (14 ounce cans) crushed tomatoes
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1½ tsp dried oregano
- 1½ tsp dried basil
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tsp salt more to taste
- 1 tbsp light brown sugar
- 1 lb spaghetti noodles
Topping
- parsley
- parmesan grated
Instructions
- Mix the ground beef, eggs, bread crumbs, salt, pepper, grated parmesan, minced onion and minced garlic together in medium sized mixing bowl. Slowly pour in the milk and mix using hands to ensure thoroughly mixed. Mixture will be wet.
- Heat oil in a large pan or dutch oven over medium heat.Using hands roll meatball mixture into small balls about 1 inch in diameter. Place in the pan coated with oil.
- Cook the meatballs over medium heat, turning while they cook, until browned on all sides. Cook in batches if needed to avoid over-crowding.
- Once all meatballs are seared remove from the skillet and set aside. (do not worry if the meatballs are cooked through, they will finish cooking in the sauce)Drain the grease from the pan, but leave all the blackened bits.
- Return the pan to the stove at a low heat. Add the onion and cook until softened. Add the garlic and cook for an additional 30 seconds.Stir in the tomato paste.
- Pour in the tomato sauce and crushed tomatoes. Add in the oregano, basil, salt, and black pepper. Stir to combine. Add in the light brown sugar and stir.
- Return the meatballs to the pot. Gently mix into the sauce.
- Bring sauce to a simmer. Cover and cook for 30 minutes.
- While the sauce is simmering cook the spaghetti noodles according to their directions. Combine the sauce and noodles together in the sauce pan, or just pour the sauce directly over the noodles.
Notes
Recipe will make about 20 large meatballs.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 | Calories: 505kcal | Carbohydrates: 71g | Protein: 37g | Fat: 14g | Cholesterol: 86mg | Fiber: 8g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this? Leave a comment below!
Hi, What size of tomato sauce and diced tomato cans should I use?
Hi! I always use the 14 or 14.5 ounce size cans. Happy cooking! xo
I cannot say enough about this recipe!! SO easy and SO tasty! I made the traditional Sicilian Christmas dinner of Spaghetti and Meatballs yesterday (Christmas) and used your pasta sauce recipe.. I will never ever make it any other way!! My daughters a butter noodle eater but she tried a bite from my plate and couldn’t get enough sauce for herself. Even after everything was cleaned up and kids were in bed my husband had mentioned it again and again “man that spaghetti was good.” WIN!!!!! Thank you for sharing!!
Thanks so much Staci!! Your comment made my day! I’m so happy you enjoyed the spaghetti sauce recipe 🙂 It’s one of our favorites too!
That’ so funny you hated it as a kid! I thought every kid loved spaghetti. I really shouldn’t talk, since I hated donuts of all things. (yeah, a little weird. Not I love those too.) Pinned this gorgeous pasta!
Thanks so much Laura! And what was wrong with me?! All those years I missed out on that amazing meal! Thanks for the pin 🙂
Oh my goodness. That’s some incredible spaghetti!
This looks so amazing!! My fave meal of all time 🙂
Hi! Gonna try this recipe tonight, and I have a question (Warning: I only recently started teaching myself how to cook, so this might sound a little dumb). After you cook the meatballs and drain the oil, do you cook the sauce WITH the meatballs or do you remove the meatballs and make the sauce by itself? Thank you so much. 🙂
Hi Lydia!! First off no worries!! This is not a dumb question. I always drain the grease from the meatballs, leave the meatballs in the pan and make the sauce with the meatballs. I hope this turns out for you!! Let me know 🙂
This looks awesome! I’m planning on making it for my husband tonight. One question…how big (ounces) are the cans of diced tomatoes and tomato sauce? Thanks!
Thanks so much Katie!! I hope you guys enjoy 🙂 I used 14.5 ounce cans of diced tomatoes and 15 ounce cans of tomato sauce! Let me know how it turns out!
Thanks! I’ll let you know! 🙂
My husband and I absolutely loved it! I actually just made a meatball sub for lunch with the leftovers. Yummy! Thanks! 🙂
I’m so glad!! The meatballs are the best aren’t they?! I have another recipe for the sweet & spicy meatball sliders, same meatballs, different sauce. Sooo good!!
You already know I love this recipe. Besides the fact that is sounds delicious, I love how perfectly organized the noodles are in those closeup photos 🙂
Thanks so much Andi!! Taming noodles is not an easy task! Especially when moving them gets red sauce everywhere! Only another food photographer would understand 🙂
Serene, I am so in love with this sauce and meatballs! I love how much it makes … because, leftovers are the best. 🙂
Hi Serene,
When I saw your link over at Marvelous Mondays, I knew I had to come take a peek. I could eat spaghetti every night and yours looks fantastic! Your photography is beautiful as well. So glad I found your beautiful blog. I’m going to have a lot of fun exploring! Have a great day.
Thank you so much Robyn! I would totally be happy eating Spaghetti every day too!! Thanks for such wonderful compliments 🙂 Happy Monday! I hope you have a great week!