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Active Time
1 hour 30 minutes
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Total Time
2 hours 45 minutes
For the best texture, don't overwork the meat mixture and use Parmesan that's ground to a fine powder ( use the processor or the rasp side of a box grater). For more heat, add 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper to the sauce.
Ingredients
Makes 6 main-course servings
Sauce:
Meatballs:
For sauce:
Step 1
Combine tomatoes with juice, butter, onions, and salt in large wide pot. Bring to simmer over medium heat. Reduce heat; simmer uncovered 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Discard onions. Using immersion blender, process sauce briefly to break up any large pieces of tomato (texture should be even but not completely smooth). Season sauce with more salt and freshly ground black pepper. Remove from heat.
For meatballs:
Step 2
Combine breadcrumbs and milk in small bowl; stir until breadcrumbs are evenly moistened. Let stand 10 minutes.
Step 3
Place beef and pork in large bowl and break up into small chunks. Add 1 cup ground Parmesan, parsley, salt, and pepper.
Step 4
Whisk eggs to blend in small bowl; whisk in garlic. Add to meat mixture.
Step 5
Using hands, squeeze milk from breadcrumbs, reserving milk. Add breadcrumbs to meat mixture. Using hands, quickly and gently mix meat mixture just until all ingredients are evenly combined (do not overmix). Chill mixture at least 15 minutes and up to 1 hour.
Step 6
Moisten hands with some of reserved milk from breadcrumbs, then roll meat mixture between palms into golf-ball-size balls, occasionally moistening hands with milk as needed and arranging meatballs in single layer in sauce in pot. Bring to simmer.
Step 7
Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until meatballs are cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes. DO AHEAD:Can be made 2 days ahead. Cool slightly. Chill uncovered until cold, then cover and keep chilled. Rewarm before continuing.
Step 8
Cook spaghetti in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain.
Step 9
Using slotted spoon, transfer meatballs to platter. Add pasta to sauce in pot and toss to coat. Divide pasta among 6 plates. Top each serving with meatballs. Sprinkle meatballs with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and serve.
Leave a Review
Reviews (127)
Back to TopBy far, the best spaghetti and meatball recipe!!!
joy
Delaware
9/5/2022
I halved the recipe, added 2 cloves of garlic to the sauce with the onions. Blended up garlic and half the cooked onions once the sauce was done. Sauce needed a bit more brightness bc of the butter. Maybe just a squeeze of lemon. Meatballs were ok but a bit too bready. Think I would add carrots and celery next time.
Anonymous
Brussels
11/8/2021
Wow, this is our new favorite Meatball and Spaghetti Sauce recipe! I only changed a couple of items for personal taste. Added 3/4 cup of Half and Half to the sauce to mitigate some acid. I do this with all tomato sauces. I served it with Pecorino Romano cheese for the saltiness. This was a spectacular recipe and my husband agrees! Thank you for this simple, sophisticated, delicious recipe!
taosdreamin
Arizona
6/8/2020
My 6 year old daughter requests this meatball recipe EVERY week. I don't change a thing. It is super easy and very delicious. We make fresh pasta while the sauce simmers. PS I'm not making it for her weekly, but I do make it monthly. : )
lunettagirl
Colorado
1/2/2018
When I make this recipe, to thicken the sauce I add at least one cane of tomato paste as I prefer a nice thick sauce. I also simmer basil leaves in the recipe as I like a bit of a basil flavor! I too like adding a bit of the onion pureed or finely chopped back in at the end for extra flavor!
kdanders
12/19/2017
So far my favorite meatball recipe. I make it with just beef because I'm a monster and I don't like the way it tastes with pork
gillet_mischka
Florida
4/5/2017
This is my second review because I changed things a bit. :) I cut the parm cheese to 3/4 c., halved the butter, used french sourdough bread (w/o crusts), one onion only and San Marzano canned tomatoes (sweeter). This is my go-to recipe for spaghetti & meatballs now. So moist and tasty. Reheat in a pot slowly for leftovers. Still moist like that. Sprinkle with more cheese on top at the end. YUM! 3.5!
foofoodie
2/25/2017
Terrifically simple and easy. Can augment depth of sauce with leftover celery and a cup or more of good red wine. (remove celery before blending).
Anonymous
Boston, MA
2/19/2017
This is a go-to recipe. We make it with sauce from tomatoes we have roasted so it happens to be less acidic. Seasoned lightly and with the meatballs cooked in the sauce, it is a very good recipe to use
Hopsing
Oregon
12/19/2016
This is my favorite meatball recipe because of the flavor - the beef and pork combo is superior, I think, to just beef and to beef pork and veal. Just using beef and pork gives the meatballs the most flavor. The texture always comes out well too. Can't speak for the sauce - I use my own recipe.
jes912
9/6/2016
This is a delicious recipe! The meatballs are so tender and flavorful you will never want to eat any other meatball again. I also found the sauce to be very tasty. I am making it again doubled for the UVM men's varsity crew team - 12 hungry guys - to eat the night before a regatta! First time I used grass fed beef-fantastic and now I am using a combo of Grass fed beef and veal. I too, am making this 2 days ahead & just reheating before serving.
melcake09
Glastonbury, CT
4/14/2016
Delicious meatballs and subbed 1. cup of cooked quinoa (as another cooker suggested), and kept the milk too. Very moist!
foofoodie
2/4/2016
I have now made this over 10 times. It is a go to dish if I want to impress. The only changes I make are that I use San Marzano tomatoes and I chill the meatballs before I put them into the sauce. Last time I made this was for New Years Day for friends staying over. I made the meatballs the day before and put them in the fridge. They were amazing the next evening when I made the sauce and threw them in. I do it every time now. Even if you can only chill them for an hour prior to cooking.
dashfan
Sacramento CA
1/28/2016
I ended up using a different sauce recipe, but the meatballs came out great. I used store-bought breadcrumbs instead of making my own, but I would recommend the fresh breadcrumbs. The packaged ones got a little clumpy, and while the meatballs were super tender, I bet they would've been even more delicious with fresh bread. I also wasn't able to finely ground the Parmesan, but I didn't notice a huge difference. Definitely glad I tried this recipe and will continue using it for future meatball dinners!
anguyen1984
Chicago, IL
11/9/2015
绝对美味的肉丸配方!我从来没有been a fan because I've always ended up with dense, dry meatballs. But these were light and wonderfully seasoned with the inclusion of the cheese. I thought I had made enough for anither meal of leftovers. My company cleaned up the entire bowl! I didn't use the tomatoe sauce recipe. I make and preserve my own each Year. But a must keep meatball recipe for sure.
donnawillms
Kelowna, BC Canada
9/23/2015
