Spaghetti With Italian Meatballs Recipe
Noodles with our very own seasoned meat sauce with green peppers, onions, and celery, topped with Italian meatballs and flakes of fresh Parmesan cheese.
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Ingredients
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Meatballs
Sauce & Vegetables
Pasta & Finishing
Method
Meatballs
- 1
Soak breadcrumbs
Combine the breadcrumbs and whole milk in a small bowl; let sit for 5 minutes until milk is absorbed.
- 2
Make meatball mixture
In a large bowl, add ground beef, ground pork, soaked breadcrumbs, egg, grated Parmesan, minced garlic, chopped parsley, dried oregano, kosher salt, and black pepper. Gently mix with your hands or a fork until just combined; avoid overworking to keep meatballs tender.
- 3
Form meatballs
Shape the mixture into 1 1/4-inch (about 1.5 oz) meatballs — you should get roughly 18–20. Place on a baking sheet or plate lined with parchment.
- 4
Brown meatballs
Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches to avoid crowding, brown meatballs on all sides (about 6–8 minutes total), turning gently with tongs. They do not need to be cooked through — just nicely browned. Transfer browned meatballs to a plate and set aside.
Sauce & Vegetables
- 5
Sweat vegetables
In the same large skillet (wipe out any burnt bits but keep browned fond), add 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil and heat over medium. Add diced onion, green pepper, and celery. Season with a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 6–8 minutes.
- 6
Add garlic and tomato paste
Add minced garlic and cook 30 seconds until fragrant. Stir in tomato paste and cook 1–2 minutes, stirring constantly, until the paste darkens slightly — this deepens flavor.
- 7
Deglaze and simmer
Pour in 1/2 cup stock to deglaze the pan, scraping up browned bits. Add crushed tomatoes, dried basil, dried oregano, sugar (if using), 1 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp black pepper. Stir to combine and bring to a gentle simmer.
- 8
Finish cooking with meatballs
Carefully nestle the browned meatballs into the simmering sauce. Reduce heat to low, cover partially, and simmer gently for 18–22 minutes until meatballs are cooked through (internal temp 160°F/71°C) and sauce has thickened slightly. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Pasta & Finishing
- 9
Cook spaghetti
Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and add 1 tbsp salt. Cook 12 oz spaghetti according to package instructions until al dente (usually 9–11 minutes). Reserve 1/2 cup pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta.
- 10
- 11
Finish and serve
Stir in 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan and chopped parsley. Taste and add red pepper flakes if desired. Transfer to serving plates or a family-style bowl and sprinkle additional Parmesan flakes on top. Serve immediately.
