The best spaghetti and meatballs recipe comes straight from my Italian grandma. This flavorful recipe is made by simmering beef and pork meatballs in an easy homemade marinara sauce until they’re perfectly tender and juicy. Serve them over a bed of pasta for a comforting, authentic Italian dinner your family will love!

spaghetti and meatballs served with garlic and bread and topped with fresh basil

There just really isn’t much better in life than a big bowl of spaghetti and meatballs.

My grandma was 100% Italian and my favorite meal that she made us was this delicious recipe. It’s a crowd favorite and I’ve never made it for anyone that didn’t just absolutely LOVE it!

This recipe is so special and one that gets made again and again in my family. I’m super excited to share with all of you too! I know your family will love it just as much as mine does. We make this for every special meal. It’s our go-to for Christmas Eve dinner, birthday parties and when my brother comes in from out of town.

Not only does this spaghetti and meatballs recipe taste amazing, I have really special childhood memories of helping my grandma and mom roll meatballs. Ha! Now, if I could only get my own kids to help out!

This was the best spaghetti and meatballs I’ve ever made!! Sooo good and so easy too… I followed the recipe to the letter and it came out fantastic! Thanks for a great meal.

— Kacey
spaghetti and meatballs in a white bowl topped with parmesan cheese and fresh basil

Ingredients needed

This is one of those recipes that gets passed down from generation to generation and there are small changes along the way. Sometimes I make substitutions when I make this. Let’s chat about the details:

  • Sauce. The marinara sauce recipe is a simple mix of sautéed onion & garlic, store-bought tomato sauce, tomato paste and seasonings. It’s very basic, but believe me, when it cooks up with the meatballs, it tastes incredible.
  • Meatballs. My grandma’s original meatball recipe uses a 50/50 mix of pork and beef, but you can also make all-beef or all-pork meatballs, if you prefer. I’ve also had success using part ground bison or lean ground beef for a lower fat meatball. If you would prefer turkey meatballs, check out my turkey meatball recipe.
  • Spaghetti. Feel free to enjoy these flavorful meatballs and tomato sauce over any pasta you have on hand. Other long pasta noodles like bucatini, pappardelle, capellini, or linguine work great. Even short pasta noodles, like fusilli, rotini, macaroni, or penne would be a fun way to mix things up. If you want a low-carb meal, try serving the meatballs with roasted broccoli or a fresh Italian salad instead of pasta.
spaghetti and meatballs twirled around a gold fork and served with garlic bread

How to make this recipe

For best results, the sauce needs to simmer for approximately 3 hours, so this recipe starts by making the sauce. While the sauce is simmering, you can make the meatballs.

How to make tomato sauce

Whereas my tasty, no sugar added marinara sauce, uses crushed tomatoes, this tomato sauce uses a combination of tomato sauce and tomato paste. It’s super easy to make and the flavor is enhanced by the addition of sautéed onion & garlic and the meatballs that are cooked right in the sauce.

  1. Prep. Dice the onion and garlic and get all of the other sauce ingredients ready-to-go!
  2. Sauté. In a large pot, heat olive oil and sauté the onions and garlic until softened and fragrant.
  3. Simmer. Add the tomato sauce, tomato paste, water, salt, ground black pepper, sugar, dried basil, and dried oregano. Cover with a loose lid, and simmer on low for 3 hours, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon.

How easy was that?! After the sauce has simmered for about 1 1/2 hours, it’s time to start prepping the meatballs!

How to make meatballs

Making homemade meatballs can be done in 3 simple steps. Here’s the simple process:

  1. Prep. Combine the ground pork, ground beef, breadcrumbs, grated parmesan cheese, eggs, onion, salt, garlic powder and black pepper in a large bowl. It’s a little messy, but I find the easiest way to get all of the ingredients fully incorporated is to use my hands to mix them up. Roll the meat mixture into meatballs.
  2. Simmer. Brown meatballs (on all sides) in a frying pan over medium heat with olive oil. You do not want them to be completely cooked through, just browned around the outside. Now, add them to the simmering marinara sauce for the last hour of sauce cooking time.
  3. Boil pasta. When everything is close to being done, get that pasta cooking. If you’re like me and always seem to have sticky pasta, give this video from Gordon Ramsey a watch. It’s a total game changer!
  4. Serve. Top a big bed of spaghetti with meatballs and sauce. And don’t forget to sprinkle on some extra Parmesan cheese and pair with some buttery garlic bread. You can also garnish with fresh herbs, like fresh basil leaves or fresh parsley.
meatballs cooking in tomato sauce

Expert tips

  • Be sure to finely dice the onion. This will make the meatballs easier to form and picky kids won’t notice the onion.
  • Double the recipe to feed a crowd or to have enough for another meal later. This recipe freezes really well.
  • When making the meatballs, don’t over-mix the ingredients, or they will be tough. Work the ingredients just enough so that the mixture comes together.
  • Use freshly grated parmesan cheese for the best flavor. And be sure it is very finely grated or shredded.
  • A combination of ground beef and ground pork is recommended for the best depth of flavor. However, you can substitute ground bison or turkey for the ground beef, if you prefer.

Frequently asked questions

What to eat with spaghetti and meatballs?

We love this dish served with a fresh Italian salad or a Caesar salad. You could also whip up a simple green salad. Simply, toss mixed greens with lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. You can also add some extra toppings, like red onion, cherry tomatoes and croutons. We also always serve some crusty garlic bread on the side!

Do you cook meatballs in sauce or brown first?

There are some recipe that poach the Italian meatballs directly in the sauce without browning them. However, we find that browning just the outside of the meatball before adding them to the sauce really brings out extra delicious flavor.

Is it better to bake or fry meatballs before putting in sauce?

We like to fry the meatballs just so the outside is browned before dropping them into the sauce. If you would prefer to bake the meatballs, you will only want to cook them for a short time, since they will finish cooking in the sauce.

spaghetti and meatballs served with a gold fork

Make ahead

Because this meal does take some simmering time, it’s one of those recipes we often like to make ahead of time. Plus, making the meatballs and sauce in advance gives the flavors time to deepen and become even more delicious.

You can make the meatballs and sauce 1 to 2 days ahead of time. Store them in the fridge in a covered container. When you’re ready to enjoy, simply reheat in a large pot on the stove.

Spaghetti and meatballs will keep for about 5 to 7 days, covered and in the fridge. We store the sauce and meatballs separately from the noodles, so the pasta doesn’t become too soggy.

Storage & freezing

The meatballs and sauce will freeze fabulously! Let the dish cool completely, then ladle into freezer-safe containers, leaving about an inch of room for expansion. I like to double this recipe and freeze half for a quick dinner on a busy weeknight.

It will keep well in the freezer for up to about 4 months. When you’re ready to enjoy, defrost in the fridge overnight and reheat over medium-low heat on the stovetop.

While meatballs are heating, boil up some fresh spaghetti for an easy meal ready to go!

meatball cut in half served over pasta

More favorite Italian recipes:

If you try this spaghetti and meatballs recipe, let me know! Leave a comment and if your family loves it as much as mine does, be sure to give it a five star ⭐️ rating! Also, tag @kimscravings on Instagram with a picture of your creation. Be sure to subscribe to our mailing list to receive more healthy delicious recipes straight to your inbox.

spaghetti and meatballs served with garlic and bread and topped with fresh basil
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Best Ever Spaghetti and Meatballs Recipe

Yield: 10 servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 3 hours
Total Time: 3 hours 20 minutes
An authentic Italian family spaghetti and meatballs recipe that’s huge on flavor!
Author: Kim

Ingredients

FOR THE SAUCE:

  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 cup finely diced onion
  • 2-3 minced garlic cloves
  • 4 1/2 cups tomato sauce (I bought one 33.5 ounce carton and one 8 ounce can)
  • 2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
  • 4 (6 ounce) cans water (use the tomato paste cans to measure out your water)
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 4 tablespoons sugar (coconut sugar works)
  • 1.5 teaspoons dried basil
  • 1.5 teaspoons dried oregano

FOR THE MEATBALLS:

  • 1 lb. ground pork
  • 1 lb. ground beef or ground bison or another pound of ground pork
  • 1 1/2 cups soft bread crumbs (4 slices of bread ground in food processor)
  • 1/2 cup very finely grated Parmesan cheese
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 1-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil for pan frying meatballs

FOR SERVING

  • 1 box pasta, garlic bread, Parmesan cheese, fresh basil and a fresh green side salad

Instructions 

  • Heat olive oil in a very large pot or dutch oven. Sauté onion for about 5 minutes and until soft. Add garlic and sauté an additional 2 minutes.
  • Add tomato sauce, tomato paste, water, salt, pepper, sugar, basil and oregano. Simmer 3 hours with loose lid and stir occasionally.
  • While sauce is simmering; combine all meatball ingredients in a large bowl. I used my hands to thoroughly combine ingredients together.
  • Roll meat mixture into meatballs and pan fry in a large skillet with olive oil. You will most likely have to do this in several batches, depending on the size of your skillet. You will not want meatballs to be completely cooked, just browned around the outside.
  • Add meatballs to simmering sauce for the last hour of sauce cooking time.
  • Enjoy sauce and meatballs served over your favorite pasta.

Notes

Nutritional information includes meatballs and sauce (not pasta). I made each meatball weigh about 30 grams, which made 39 meatballs. Nutritional information is based off of each person getting about 4 medium meatballs and an equal amount of sauce. 
Freezing meatballs: Let the sauce and meatballs cool completely, then ladle into freezer-safe containers, leaving about an inch of room for expansion. I like to double this recipe and freeze half for a quick dinner on a busy weeknight.
Meatballs and sauce will keep well in the freezer for up to about four months. When you’re ready to enjoy, defrost in the fridge overnight and reheat over medium-low heat on the stovetop.
While meatballs are heating, boil up some fresh spaghetti for an easy meal ready to go!
Photos by Molly at Yes to Yolks
Author: Kim
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American, Italian
Serving: 4meatballs w/ sauce, Calories: 296kcal, Carbohydrates: 23.5g, Protein: 22.4g, Fat: 12.8g, Saturated Fat: 5.1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g, Cholesterol: 70.3mg, Potassium: 706.4mg, Fiber: 4.8g, Sugar: 13.6g, Vitamin A: 1100IU, Vitamin C: 12.1mg, Calcium: 159mg, Iron: 3.7mg

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