Spaghetti and Meatballs with My Perfected Homemade Sauce

This isn’t your average spaghetti and meatballs – my homemade sauce is rich, bold, and perfected after years of tweaking.

Spaghetti and Meatballs has to be a favorite of mine to make. It’s loved by most everybody, and leftovers are usually better than the day its made! Serve it with crusty Italian bread to round it out.

I honestly can’t believe I haven’t shared this recipe with y’all, because it is, hands down, one of my very favorite things to make of all time.

There are a million spaghetti and meatballs recipes out there – but this one’s mine. And she’s been through it. I’ve tweaked, tasted, cursed at it a few times, and finally landed on a sauce that hits every note: garlicky, rich, and the kind of slow-simmered that makes your house smell like an Italian grandmother’s kitchen. The meatballs are tender, juicy, and built to soak up all that saucy goodness. This is my comfort zone on a plate.

What Makes This Sauce So Good

Everybody makes their sauce differently. To me, making pasta sauce is personal. For some, it’s a family recipe, maybe tweaked, maybe not. I’ve been making my sauce about the same way for the past 12 years or so. It’s all about balance. A mix of crushed and diced tomatoes for depth, a little red wine (because why not), and a just a little bit of balsamic vinegar to add some umami-richness.

I let mine simmer until it thickens into that glossy, cling-to-your-pasta perfection. It’s the kind of sauce you want to spoon over bread before dinner even hits the table.

And it’s straight up damn delicious.

Sometimes my list gets a little long, but I do have a tendency to get carried away sometimes. That’s how your recipes evolve!

There are several components of this seemingly easy dish that can make or break it. 

Keys to Good Spaghetti and Meatballs

1) Pasta. You can definitely over cook your pasta, and we don’t want that. Al dente is usually preferred, which means cooked firm to the bite. This method is achieved by cooking it usually no more than 10 minutes. You can also simmer the pasta until al dente.

I’ve never tried this, but I’m definitely curious.

2) Sauce. This is the biggest element, to me. I’ve worked on mine for years and continue to adjust. Good tomatoes is key here. I use a combination of crushed and petite size tomatoes in the can. I love Cento San Marzano and Tutorosso. I also like Alessi. Do not skimp on quality.

3) Flavor. Nobody likes a bland pasta sauce. I have a few key ingredients that will always, always go in my sauce – I know what works.

Taste, taste, and taste again while you’re cooking it. Adjust as needed; you know what tastes good. You can follow my recipe to the letter, or make it your very own if you wish.

4) Meatballs. Use a combo of beef and pork for that perfect tender bite. I like to use 1 high fat/1 lean ratio: Italian sausage/ground sirloin, or ground lean pork/ground chuck. It definitely won’t hurt to use both high fat, but I like to at least try to look out for my arteries. Don’t overmix the meat; treat it gently, like it’s a soufflé in disguise, or you’ll have tough, dry balls. Also, brown them first for a crust that locks in the flavor before they finish cooking in the sauce. 

Play around with it, have fun – you never know what crazy idea may catapult yours way over the top and you can keep it your very own secret if you want to. If you aren’t having fun in the kitchen, it’s time to take a break, but you definitely need to go easy on yourself and don’t overthink it. If it sucks, you’ll know what to do next time.

Oh, and don’t forget your vino!

Here’s your printable-

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Spaghetti and Meatballs

Yield: 6 servings

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

This isn’t your average spaghetti and meatballs - my homemade sauce is rich, bold, and perfected after years of tweaking.

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Ingredients

For the Meatballs:

• ½ lb. ground Italian sausage
• ½ lb. ground round
• 1 egg
• ¼ cup breadcrumbs
• 1 tbsp. seasoned salt
• 1 tbsp. dried oregano
• 1 tbsp. dried basil
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp. fennel seeds
• 1 tsp. onion powder
• Olive oil

For the spaghetti:

• This sauce
• 1 lb. spaghetti or vermicelli, cooked according to package directions
• Fresh mozzarella or cheese of your choice.
• Fresh chopped Italian leaf parsley

Instructions

For the Meatballs:

1. Combine all ingredients except olive oil and roll into golf ball sized meatballs (bigger or smaller, completely up to you).
2. Bring olive oil in a large flat pan over medium high heat, add meatballs and sear on each side, 1-2 minutes.
3. Add 1/4 cup water, reduce heat to low and cover.
4. Steam for about 10 minutes, turning once halfway through. Remove from heat.

For the Spaghetti:

1. Cooking pasta according to package directions, drain.
2. Top with cheese and parsley; serve with crusty bread and enjoy!
3. Make sauce, let simmer on low for at least 30 minutes, up to all day.
4. Serve over pasta and add cheese and fresh parsley to serve.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 476Total Fat: 23gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 94mgSodium: 1275mgCarbohydrates: 39gFiber: 3gSugar: 3gProtein: 27g

The provided nutrition calculated may not always be accurate.

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