Spaghetti With Meatballs Or Sausage Recipe

Prepare breadcrumb soak

Place the breadcrumbs in a medium bowl and pour the milk over them. Let sit 5 minutes until the crumbs absorb the milk.

Mix meatball mixture

In a large bowl combine ground beef and ground pork. Add the soaked breadcrumbs, egg, grated Parmesan, minced garlic, chopped parsley, dried oregano, salt, and black pepper. Mix gently with your hands or a fork until just combined; avoid overworking to keep meatballs tender.

Form meatballs

Portion the mixture into roughly 1 1/4- to 1 1/2-inch meatballs (about 1.5 tablespoons of mixture each) to yield about 18–22 meatballs. Place formed meatballs on a rimmed tray or plate.

Brown meatballs

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches to avoid crowding, brown the meatballs on all sides — about 6–8 minutes total per batch. They do not need to be fully cooked through. Transfer browned meatballs to a plate and set aside.

Alternative using sausage

If substituting Italian sausage, remove casings and brown sausage meat in the skillet, breaking it up into bite-sized pieces about 6–8 minutes. Drain excess fat if necessary and set aside to add to the sauce later.

Sauté aromatics

Using the same large skillet or a heavy-bottomed saucepan, add 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add the diced onion and cook until softened and translucent, about 5–7 minutes. Stir in the minced garlic and cook 30–60 seconds until fragrant.

Deglaze and add tomato base

If the pan has browned bits from the meatballs, add 1/4 cup water or broth to deglaze, scraping up the fond. Stir in the tomato paste and cook 1 minute to deepen the flavor. Add the crushed tomatoes, remaining 1/4 cup water or broth, dried basil, dried oregano, red pepper flakes (if using), sugar (if using), salt, and black pepper. Stir to combine.

Simmer sauce with meatballs

Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer then carefully nestle the browned meatballs (or cooked sausage pieces) into the sauce. Reduce heat to low, partially cover, and simmer gently for 20–25 minutes until meatballs are cooked through (internal temp 160–165°F/71–74°C for beef/pork) and flavors meld. Stir occasionally, spooning sauce over the meatballs.

Finish sauce

Taste and adjust seasoning with salt, pepper, or a pinch more sugar if tomatoes are too acidic. Stir in torn fresh basil, if using, in the last 2 minutes of simmering.

Cook spaghetti

Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add 1 tablespoon salt. Add the spaghetti and cook according to package instructions until al dente (usually 8–10 minutes). Reserve 1/2 cup pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta.

Combine pasta and sauce

Add the drained spaghetti to the sauce with meatballs (or return sauce and meatballs to the pasta pot). Toss gently to coat, adding reserved pasta water a few tablespoons at a time to loosen the sauce and help it cling to the pasta until you reach desired consistency.

Serve

Portion spaghetti onto plates, top with meatballs and extra sauce. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan and chopped parsley or basil. Serve immediately.