The Best Spaghetti and Meatballs Recipe
These meatballs are so good, they'll have your taste buds doing the mambo! Made with a flavorful blend of meats, fresh herbs, and a secret ingredient - a panade made from bread crumbs and milk - these meatballs are tender and moist, like a warm embrace from your Italian nonna. And the sauce? Let's just say it's so good, you'll want to spoon it straight from the pot! So grab a plate, twirl some spaghetti, and get ready to enjoy a meal.
Equipment
- Pestle & Mortar
Ingredients
Tomato Sauce
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 6 cloves garlic thinly sliced
- 2 sprigs basil
- 2 800g canned whole peeled tomato
- kosher salt
- freshly ground pepper
Panade
- 1½ cup fresh bread crumbs 2-3 slices of thick white sandwich bread
- ½ cup milk
- ⅓ cup parmesan cheese grated
- 1 clove garlic minced
- ⅓ cup whole milk ricotta
- ¼ cup prosciutto finely chopped
- 1 tbsp fresh parsley finely chopped
- 2 large eggs
Meatballs
- ¾ tsp fennel seeds
- ¾ tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- ½ tsp finely ground black pepper
- ¼ tsp crushed red chili flakes
- 1¼ tsp kosher salt
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 450 g ground beef 20% fat content
Other
- 340 g spaghetti
- 2 sprigs torn basil for serving (optional)
Instructions
Tomato Sauce
- Heat oil in a large heavy pot over medium-low. Cook garlic, stirring occasionally, until a few pieces are golden brown around the edges, about 5 minutes. Add basil sprigs and stir to wilt. Add tomatoes, crushing with your hands as you go, and their juices; season with salt and pepper. Increase heat to medium-high; bring mixture to a simmer, then reduce heat to maintain a very gentle simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce is thickened and flavors have concentrated, 60–75 minutes.The sauce can be made ahead, let cool, cover and chill. Freezing it for later is also an option!
Panade
- In a small bowl, combine the fresh bread crumbs and milk. Mix well and let sit for 5-10 minutes, until the bread crumbs have absorbed the liquid and become soft.
- Mix in a large bowl with eggs, garlic, ricotta, prosciutto, parsley, and ⅓ cup Parmesan
- Finely grind fennel seeds in spice mill or with mortar and pestle; add to bread mixture along with oregano, nutmeg, black pepper, red pepper flakes, and 1¼ tsp. salt. Mix well (it should resemble a coarse, wet paste).
Meatballs & Assembly
- Add beef and break up into small pieces (a couple of forks work well). Mix gently with your hands until smooth and ingredients are evenly incorporated; be careful not to overmix.
- Lightly oil your hands. Working one at a time, scoop out portions of meat mixture with a ¼-cup measuring cup; roll gently between your hands into balls. Arrange on a rimmed baking sheet.
- This is the point where you should get the sauce reheating, if needed, so it’s warm by the time you add the meatballs.
- Heat 1 Tbsp. oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium. Add half of the meatballs and cook, turning and rolling occasionally, until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes total. Add meatballs to warm sauce. Repeat with remaining 1 Tbsp. oil and remaining meatballs.
- Cook meatballs in sauce (they should be mostly submerged) at a gentle simmer, carefully scraping bottom of pot and adding a splash of water if sauce begins to stick, until meatballs are cooked through and tender and sauce tastes rich and meaty, 40–50 minutes.
- Transfer meatballs to a clean baking sheet; cover with foil to keep warm. Pluck out and discard basil from sauce. Use a potato masher or immersion blender to break up any large pieces of tomato and smooth out sauce. Transfer 2 cups sauce to a small bowl; set aside for serving.
- Cook spaghetti in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Using tongs, transfer to pot with sauce. Gently stir, adding pasta cooking liquid by the tablespoonful as needed, until sauce coats pasta.
- Transfer spaghetti to a serving dish and top with meatballs and 1 cup reserved sauce. Sprinkle with more Parmesan and serve with some basil (if using) and remaining sauce alongside for topping.