Description
Spaghetti and meatballs is an easy and delicious Italian dish! Incredibly juicy and tender meatballs swimming in a flavorful homemade marinara sauce!
Ingredients
Scale
The Italian Meatballs ( 23-24 meatballs)
- 1/2 onion
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1/ 4 cup fresh parsley or basil
- 1 lb ( 500 grams) lean ground beef ( 7%-10 % fat)
- 1 lb ( 500 grams) hot or sweet ground Italian sausage, casings removed
- 1/2 cup marinara sauce
- 1 teaspoon salt or as needed
- 3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 large egg
- 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
- 3/4 cup Italian or regular bread crumbs
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, to dredge meatballs
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
Spaghetti and Sauce
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 ( 28 oz. ) cans crushed tomatoes or marinara sauce
- 1 lb ( 500 grams) spaghetti
- 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
Serving
- Parmesan cheese
- Fresh basil leaves
Instructions
- The meatballs. Add the onion, garlic and parsley to your food processor. Pulse until everything is finely minced, scraping down the sides if needed.
- Add the mixture to a large bowl along with ground beef, Italian sausage, egg, Parmesan, Dijon mustard, bread crumbs, marinara sauce, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Mix JUST until combined. Don't overmix otherwise the meatballs will be dense.
- Roll into 1 1/2-2-inch meatballs ( about 2 tablespoons). Dredge meatballs in flour, shaking off excess.
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the meatballs and saute until browned on all sides, about 5-6 minutes. You will need to saute them in batches not to overcrowd the pan. Transfer them to a plate. Set aside.
- The sauce. In the same skillet over medium heat, add the chopped onion and bay leaves and cook until the onion is translucent, about 4 minutes.
- Add the garlic and cook further until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Stir in the crushed tomatoes and bring to a gentle simmer.
- Add the meatballs, partially cover with the lid and allow to simmer for 25-30 minutes. The sauce will thicken slightly. Season with salt and pepper to your liking. Garnish with the chopped basil leaves.
- Meanwhile, cook spaghetti according to the package instructions. Drain.
- Ladle the sauce with meatballs over the spaghetti and toss gently using kitchen tongs.
- Garnish with fresh basil leaves and grated parmesan cheese. Enjoy!
- Prep Time: 20 min
- Cook Time: 30 min
- Category: Beef recipes
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Calories: 672kcal
- Sugar: 11g
- Sodium: 1170
- Fat: 27g
- Saturated Fat: 9g
- Carbohydrates: 63g
- Fiber: 5g
- Protein: 42g
- Cholesterol: 120mg