Spaghetti and Meatballs is a recipe I never think of making until John asks for it, and then when he does I think, why don’t I make this more often? Maybe it seems basic, old fashioned? But what does that matter when it’s so comforting and satisfying, combining so many flavors and textures with the chewy pasta in its tangy sauce, and the tender meatballs accented with garlic and herbs and dusted with salty Parmesan.
The meatballs are made with a combination of ground beef and sweet Italian sausage, carefully formed so they stay soft enough to almost melt in your mouth. They spend half their cooking time roasting in the oven to develop a nice brown crust, and the other half simmering in a bath of marinara to absorb all the flavors and moisture from the sauce.
The marinara sauce is the star of this show, with no mozzarella cheese or vegetables to distract from its flavor, so it has to be the best, and for me that means homemade. But if you really don’t want to make your own sauce, go ahead and use a standard-sized jar (24 or 26 ounces) of good-quality store-bought sauce, and I won’t tell.
Making this ahead and what to do with leftovers:
- The meatballs can easily be made ahead. In fact I always, always make a double batch and freeze the extras (see below for ingredient proportions for doubling). Freeze a quart of homemade marinara, too, and the next time you want spaghetti and meatballs, your work is almost all done. To make the meatballs ahead:
- Mix everything together and shape the meatballs on either a foil-lined baking sheet (if you plan to use them that day) or a waxed paper-lined baking sheet (if you plan to freeze them). Once the meatballs are formed they can be chilled on the foil-lined baking sheet, uncovered, for a few hours, then popped into the oven as stated in the recipe.
- To freeze them, put the waxed paper-lined baking sheet of uncooked meatballs into the freezer, uncovered, until the meatballs are frozen solid, several hours or overnight. Then pick the meatballs off the sheet and transfer them to a large freezer-safe zip-lock bag. Freeze for up to a couple of months. When you’re ready to use them, take out as many meatballs as you need and arrange them in a single layer on a plate or baking sheet and thaw them in the fridge for several hours or overnight, then roast them as in the recipe.
- Any leftover sauced pasta and cooked meatballs can be enjoyed as leftovers within a few days, reheated in the microwave. Add a little extra sauce if the mixture looks dry.
Spaghetti and Meatballs
May 2, 2020
: 4
: 1 hr
Ingredients
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- ¾ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt (or a heaping ¼ teaspoon Morton’s), divided, plus additional for the pasta water
- 1 large egg
- ½ a medium onion, grated on the large holes of a box grater
- ¼ cup finely grated Parmesan, plus additional for serving
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh basil
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¾ cup loosely packed fresh bread crumbs made from soft white sandwich bread with the crusts cut off, processed in the food processor
- ½ cup lukewarm water
- ¾ pound 85% lean ground beef
- ¼ pound sweet Italian sausage
- 12 ounces spaghetti
- 3 cups marinara sauce
Directions
- Step 1 Make the marinara sauce.
- Step 2 To make the meatballs: Mince the garlic. Sprinkle ¼ teaspoon of the kosher salt (either brand) onto the minced garlic and mince the garlic and salt together, then use the flat side of the knife to mash the garlic and salt into a paste. Transfer the garlic paste to a large bowl. Add the egg and beat with a whisk just to break up the egg and blend it. Add the onion and its juices, ¼ cup of Parmesan, the basil, parsley, oregano, black pepper and remaining kosher salt. Add the bread crumbs. Toss everything together. Gradually pour in the lukewarm water, stirring constantly. The mixture will look slushy. Set it aside for 15 minutes to allow the bread crumbs to absorb some of the liquid.
- Step 3 Meanwhile heat the oven to 400 degrees on the Roast setting with a rack in the upper third. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Place a colander in the sink with a liquid measuring cup sitting in it, to remind you to keep some of the pasta water before you pour it away. Line a baking sheet with foil.
- Step 4 After the 15-minute rest, add the ground beef and sausage to the bread crumb mixture and use your hands to squish the mixture until everything is thoroughly combined. Don’t overwork it or it will get tough, just mix until there are no obvious lumps of meat that haven’t been mixed with the other ingredients.
- Step 5 Divide the meat mixture into 12 equal-sized pieces and roll each one gently into a ball without compacting it. The meatballs will be very soft and sticky. Arrange the meatballs on the foil-lined baking sheet.
- Step 6 When the water is boiling, add a handful of kosher salt and the spaghetti. Cook the pasta for 2 minutes less than the shortest time on the package.
- Step 7 Meanwhile, heat the marinara sauce in another large pot over medium heat. Once the marinara starts to simmer, lower the heat, cover the pot, and keep the sauce warm over low heat.
- Step 8 While the pasta is cooking and the marinara is heating, roast the meatballs on the upper rack for 6 minutes. Then turn the oven to Broil and broil them for 2 minutes until they start to sizzle and brown. Remove the meatballs from the oven. Use tongs to transfer the meatballs one by one into the pot with the marinara sauce, being careful not to break them. Raise the heat under the marinara pot to medium, partially cover the pot, and simmer the meatballs in the sauce for 8 minutes.
- Step 9 When the pasta is done, use the measuring cup to scoop out some of the pasta water, then drain the pasta and set it aside while the meatballs simmer.
- Step 10 When the meatballs are done, use a slotted spoon to carefully lift them out of the sauce and transfer them to a plate. Dump the pasta into the marinara and add a small splash of the pasta water. Cook the pasta and sauce together for 2 minutes, stirring with the tongs, until the pasta is al dente and has absorbed some of the sauce. Add a little bit more pasta water if the sauce is too thick.
- Step 11 Use the tongs to transfer the pasta to four plates or pasta bowls. Spoon any remaining sauce in the pot over the pasta. Arrange 3 meatballs on top of each mound of pasta, and spoon over any sauce that collected under the meatballs. Sprinkle the tops of the meatballs and pasta with Parmesan cheese.
Ingredient amounts for a double batch of meatballs
May 2, 2020
: 8
Ingredients
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt (or ¾ teaspoon Morton’s), divided, plus additional for the pasta water
- 2 large eggs
- 1 medium onion, grated on the large holes of a box grater
- ½ cup finely grated Parmesan, plus additional for serving
- ¼ cup minced fresh basil
- ¼ cup minced fresh parsley
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1½ cups loosely packed fresh bread crumbs
- 1 cup lukewarm water
- 1½ pounds 85% lean ground beef
- ½ pound sweet Italian sausage
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