Try this amazing spaghetti and meatballs dish in the comfort of your own home! This yummy pasta dish well have your family begging for more!
I adore spaghetti and meatballs, it was a childhood favorite of mine. I wanted to create a spaghetti dish that was more sophisticated then your traditional spaghetti. So, I decided to do a easy homemade sauce. I wanted the meatballs to be giant for this spaghetti dish, because what is better then giant meatballs sitting on top of a mountain of pasta? I also wanted some fresh roasted tomatoes and roasted garlic to top the pasta with.
My mom used to add mushrooms to her spaghetti, I loved her spaghetti, but I personally don’t believe that mushrooms have a place in this dish. I will later add a more traditional version of this dish, with a meat sauce. I also plan to do a vegan version.
Spaghetti and meatballs ingredients
For the sauce
- Crushed tomatoes
- Olive oil
- White onion
- Garlic cloves
- Rosemary
- Thyme
- Oregano
- Parsley
- Basil
- Bay leaves
- Salt
- Pepper
For the meat balls
- Ground beef
- Italian seasoning
- Panko bread crumbs
- Salt
- Pepper
- Garlic powder
- Egg beaten
- Olive oil
For pasta
- Spaghetti pasta
- Olive oil
Optional toppings
- Parmesan cheese
- Basil leaves
- Parsley leaves
You want to start with the sauce as it will need time cook down. Add all sauce ingredients into a deep sauce pan. Heat over medium high heat, cover and bring to a low boil. Remove lid and stir. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 1 hour. The longer the sauce simmers, the more flavor you will get. You also want to make sure you cook out that tin flavor from the can.
If you want smaller meatballs, use less meat and adjust the seasoning that goes into the meat mixture. It is very important to sear your meatballs! You want a nice sear on all sides before baking to lock in the juices. You do not want a dry meatball.
For the pasta
You want to add olive oil to the pasta to help keep it from sticking since you wont be using a ton of sauce to coat the pasta. It also helps to give it more flavor. You can use whatever toppings you would like, I personally prefer, fresh basil, parsley and parmesan cheese. To get the twirled look of the pasta, simply use a large fork, twirl your fork onto the pasta and use a large spoon to help pick it up and place it on the plate. Top with your garlic and roasted tomatoes, then meat balls. Pour some sauce on top of the meat balls, add your toppings and serve!
Most people put all dried herbs in their sauce. A thousand times over, I will always choose fresh herbs, unless I am unable to find fresh. Fresh is best! The depth of flavor it creates, is way more appealing to the palate. Its worth fishing out a few extra dollars for. If you are in a pinch, dry herbs will do just fine and it will still taste amazing! Want more pasta? Click here!
Spaghetti and meatballs
Ingredients
For the sauce
- 2 28oz crushed tomatoes canned
- 1 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
- 1 1/2 cup white onion chopped
- 5 garlic cloves divided
- 1 tbsp fresh rosemary finely chopped
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme finely chopped
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 1 tbsp fresh parsley chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh basil chopped
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 cup roasted tomatoes halved
- 2 tbsp roasted garlic chopped
- 1 tbsp olive oil
For the meat balls
- 2.75 pounds ground beef 80/20
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning ground
- 1 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 egg beaten
- 1 tbsp olive oil
For pasta
- 1 pound spaghetti pasta
- 1/4 cup olive oil
Optional toppings
- fresh parmesan cheese
- fresh basil leaves
- fresh parsley leaves
Instructions
For the sauce
- Heat oil in a large skillet on medium heat. Add onions and cook for 6 mins stirring often. Add the minced garlic, thyme, rosemary and oregano and cook until fragment. About 1 minute. Turn heat off. Add onions, garlic, crushed tomatoes, rosemary, thyme, oregano, parsley, salt and pepper to a blender or food processor and blend until completely smooth. Add sauce back into the skillet and heat over medium heat. Add in bay leaves. Bring sauce to a low boil stirring often to prevent burning. Once sauce reaches a low boil, turn heat down to low and place a lid over the skillet. Simmer for one hour, stirring occasionally.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place tomatoes and garlic on a baking sheet and pour olive oil over. Mix well coating every side. Roast for 20 mins or until tomatoes blister. Pull from oven and set aside.
For meatballs
- Using a grinder or a mortar and pestle, combine salt, pepper, garlic powder and Italian seasoning and grind to a very fine powder. Add all ingredients to a large bowl and mix together well. Using a kitchen scale roll meat balls into 3.75oz balls.
- Turn oven down to 350 degrees. Heat oil in a large cast iron. Brown each side of the meatballs until you get a nice brown crust. Place cast iron into the oven and bake for 30 mins or until internal temp reaches 160 degrees.
For pasta
- Boil one pound of spaghetti pasta according to the box directions. Drain pasta, pour olive oil over pasta and mix, coating all of the pasta in a thin layer of oil. Pour pasta back into the pot. Remove the by leaves from the sauce. Start pouring the sauce over the pasta very slowly. Stopping and stirring in between pours. You want a light coat of sauce over all the pasta. Reserve some sauce for the meat balls.
- Add your pasta to a dish, sprinkle the roasted tomatoes and roasted garlic all over the top of the pasta. Add your meatballs on top of the pasta, pour sauce over each meatball and top with your preferred toppings. Enjoy!
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