The Best Italian Spaghetti and Meatball Marinara Recipe-Restaurant Quality
If you've been looking for the best spaghetti and meatballs recipe with homemade marinara sauce that tastes like your favorite Italian restaurant, then you've found it! That is all :).
This is a labor of love family friendly recipe! Made from scratch meatballs and marinara sauce paired with perfectly cooked spaghetti.
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Ingredients
- Spaghetti
Marinara Sauce
- canned crushed tomatoes
- basil, fresh
- thyme, fresh
- oregano, fresh
- flat leaf parsley, fresh
- extra virgin olive oil
- onion, grated or finely chopped
- garlic, grated/minced
- broth of choice (chicken, vegetable, or beef)
- cooking oil
- salt (I do not add black pepper but you are welcome to)
Meatballs
- celery leaves, finely chopped
- small onion, grated (white or yellow)
- garlic, grated/minced
- fresh parmigiano reggiano or parmesan, grated
- flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
- egg
- ground beef, 80/20 (see substitutions in recipe card)
- olive oil
- butter (salted or unsalted)
- white bread, crust removed (see substitutions in recipe card)
- black pepper
- salt
- cooking oil
see recipe card for measurements
Instructions for Meatballs
Combine the grated onion with sliced bread until the bread has completely dissolved with the onion. Set it aside.
Chop the fresh herbs very finely and set them aside.
Mix together the beef, egg, herbs, loads of cheese, and spices.
Can marinate the mixture for about 30 minutes.
Make golf size balls with the meatball mix and pan fry them until golden brown on each side. Tip: shake the pan towards the end of the cooking process to help them roll better.
Now, make the marinara sauce in a different pan and place the cooked meatballs in the marinara sauce. Let the meatballs cook on low heat with the marinara sauce before serving with spaghetti.
Substitutions
- Beef-Can substitute with ground turkey, but additional fats will need to be added such as butter and oil
- Fresh Herbs- Can substitute with dry herbs, but it is not recommended.
Variations
- Vegetarian- Use soy grounds instead of beef/turkey
- Spicy- Add spicy homemade crushed red peppers by grinding spicy dry chillies.
- Saucy- Double the marinara sauce recipe
Top Tips
- Mix the marinara sauce with the meatballs and let them simmer on low together for tender meatballs.
- Add a little bit of ground pork to make even tastier meatballs!
- A small pinch of baking soda in the ground meat mixture help tenderize the meatballs.
Love Pasta? Try these favorites!
📖 Recipe
The Best Spaghetti and Meatballs Recipe, Restaurant Quality
Ingredients
Marinara
- 28 oz canned crushed tomatoes (I use Cento brand)
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped basil
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped thyme
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped oregano
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped flat leaf parsley
- 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium onion, grated or finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, grated/minced
- ½-1 cup broth of choice (chicken, vegetable, or beef)
- cooking oil
- salt (I do not add black pepper but you are welcome to)
Meatballs
- 2 tablespoon celery leaves, finely chopped
- 1 small onion, grated (white or yellow)
- 2 cloves garlic, grated/minced
- ¼ cup fresh parmigiano reggiano or parmesan, grated (I like to add a little extra sometimes)
- ¼ cup fresh flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
- 1 large egg
- 1 lb ground beef, 80/20 (see substitutions below)
- ¼ cup ground pork (optional)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter (salted or unsalted)
- 2 slices of sliced white bread, crust removed (see substitutions below)
- black pepper
- salt
- cooking oil
Pasta
- 12 oz dried spaghetti (or equivalent fresh pasta), packages come in 16oz usually but I recommend using only 12oz of spaghetti
Instructions
Pasta
- Boil a large pot of water to cook the pasta adding only salt to the water.
- Once the water comes to a boil, add the pasta and cook according to the packaged directions. I prefer to keep the spaghetti a bit al dente since it will be resting for a while until it gets mixed with the sauce and meatballs.
Marinara Sauce
- Heat some cooking oil in a pan on medium heat (try not to get the oil too hot). Add the garlic and herbs to the oil and cook until fragrant but not browned.
- Add the onions and continue to cook until the onions are translucent on low heat.
- Gently pour in the canned crushed tomatoes and mix well.
- Pour the broth into the pot and let it simmer for about 15 minutes on medium heat.
- In the mean time you can cook the meatballs.
Meatballs
- Start by grating the onion and place it in a small bowl.
- Take the sliced bread and combine it with the grated onion. The bread will dissolve and mix into the juices of the onion. Set this aside.
- Combine all of the other meatball ingredients in a bowl (except the cooking oil).
- Mix in the onion+bread mixture and combine it all well.
- Make small/golf ball sized meatballs (you can make them larger if you prefer) and lay them on a plate. Set them aside and continue to make the marinara sauce if you haven't already.
- Heat a pan on medium/high heat with some cooking oil.
- Cook the meatballs until all sides have fully browned.
- As they finish cooking place them on a plate and set them aside until all meatballs are cooked.
- Discard the oil/juices from the pan. I do not like to use these juices, but you are more than welcome to pour it into the marinara sauce with the meatballs.
- Add the meatballs, which have been placed on a plate, to the hot marinara sauce. Coat them evenly with the sauce so they are covered with marinara. This is a key step for tender meatballs.
- Let the meatball marinara simmer on low heat for about 25-30 minutes (the sauce will thicken).
- Turn off the heat.
- Mix the spaghetti with the meatball marinara.
- Top with extra virgin olive oil and mix again.
- Serve hot with additional parmesan cheese and red chili flakes.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- Turkey Meatballs- Combine 1 pound of ground turkey with 2 tablespoon butter, 1 tablespoon oil, and a pinch of baking soda. The additional fats may seem like a lot, but I have tried to substitute less in the past and it has not came out the same in texture. So please do not compromise on the fat content if you prefer soft and tender meatballs. Continue with the recipe as listed.
- Vegetarian Meatballs- Purchase vegetarian meatballs from your local grocery store and continue with the marinara sauce recipe listed. Add 1 extra cup of broth and simmer for an additional 10 minutes on low to help the fluids absorb into the meatballs.
- Pork- If you want even better tasting meatballs, then substitute ¼ of the ground beef with ground pork. The additional fat adds a great deal of flavor to the recipe.
FAQ
Yes! This recipe came straight from my friend's Italian grandmother and I am beyond thankful for her help not just for this recipe but for sending extra portions of pasta for me
What makes it the best is the fact that it is homemade, cooked with love, enjoyed by family and friends, and satisfying enough to leave everyone with a belly full of yummy food.
Basil, Oregano, and Celery Leaves are a must have!
Marzano tomatoes really do taste best. Try Cento Brand.
How this recipe came about
It's no secret that my husband and I love a classic spaghetti and meatball dish from our favorite Italian restaurants. There is something so comforting about a thick marinara sauce with tender cooked meatballs. We realized, that every time we eat Italian food we always order spaghetti and meatballs and now it's double the quantity because our daughters love it just as much.
I gave my friend from high school a call who has an Italian grandmother. We got into a conversation about spaghetti and meatballs while her grandmother was with her at the given moment. So, I got the rough recipe right from the source. Her secret, use fresh ingredients (including the pasta). I tried to make it just like she said with a few changes and life has never been the same! Let me just say, this dish is a 100 times better when cooked at home and my value for it has increased greatly. We hope you love it just as much as we do!
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