Delicious Spaghetti and Homemade Meatballs Recipe for Dinner
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When it comes to comfort food, Homemade Meatballs served over a bed of spaghetti is a family favorite.
There’s something special about making meatballs from scratch, combining flavorful ingredients, and creating a delicious dish perfect for any occasion.
Whether preparing a cozy dinner for your family or making a big batch for a gathering, this spaghetti and meatballs recipe will not disappoint. In just under an hour, you’ll have tender, juicy meatballs packed with flavor—making it the best meatball recipe you’ll ever try!
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Where is the Recipe Card?
To print the recipe card, scroll to the bottom of this post. For all the tips, keep reading!
Homemade Meatballs Recipe:
Number of Servings: 28-30 Meatballs
Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
While you may prefer to skip to the recipe card, we recommend reading through the blog post to avoid missing valuable tips and substitution suggestions and to ensure you have the necessary ingredients, equipment, and understanding of the steps and timings.
What’s So Special About Spaghetti & Homemade Meatballs?
Spaghetti and meatballs are an iconic Italian-American dish that has brought families together for generations.
While traditional Italian meatballs are usually served as a second course, snack, or in soups (try our Italian Meatball Soup recipe), the hearty combination of pasta and marinara sauce has become a beloved comfort food for many.
The best part about homemade meatballs is that you can make them to your taste. Our recipe combines ground beef, pork, onions, garlic, breadcrumbs, fresh herbs, and parmesan cheese.
Pair them with spaghetti and your favorite store-bought or homemade marinara sauce, and you will have the perfect weeknight meal.
Or serve alongside crusty bread to mop up all that delicious sauce, or add a simple green salad for a casual dinner party.
More Meatballs!
If your family loves meatballs, we have several other recipes for you to check out, including Turkey Meatballs, Cheese-Stuffed Taco Meatballs (an excellent appetizer!) and Air Fryer Mummy Meatballs with Marinara Sauce for Halloween.
We also have a lower-fat Italian Meatball Soup, a quick and easy Meatball Pasta Bake, and Cheese Stuffed Meatball Subs.
Ingredients for Homemade Meatballs
This recipe’s ingredients and tools are conveniently linked to online retailers like Amazon, Amazon Fresh, Instacart, and Walmart.
- Ground Beef (at least 80%)—Adds rich flavor and a hearty texture to the meatballs.
- Ground Pork—Provides extra tenderness and juiciness to the meat mixture.
- Eggs—Binds the ingredients together for better consistency.
- Italian Breadcrumbs—Gives structure and helps create the perfect meatball texture.
- An excellent substitute for Italian breadcrumbs is plain bread crumbs mixed with your own seasonings. To mimic the flavors of Italian breadcrumbs, you can add garlic powder, onion powder, dried parsley, Italian seasoning, and grated Parmesan cheese.
- Crushed gluten-free crackers or ground oats can also work well as a substitute for a gluten-free option.
- Parmesan Cheese—Freshly grated for a savory and nutty flavor.
- Onion—Finely minced for a subtle sweetness and depth of flavor.
- Garlic—Minced to enhance the overall savory taste of the meatballs.
- Whole Milk—Adds moisture to keep the meatballs tender.
- Salt and Pepper—To taste, bringing out all the flavors in the meat mixture.
- Fresh Rosemary—Finely chopped for an earthy, aromatic note.
- Fresh Parsley—Brightens the flavor with a fresh, herbal touch.
- Fresh Thyme—Adds a subtle, woodsy flavor to the meatballs.
- Spaghetti—Classic pasta pairing that perfectly complements the meatballs.
- Marinara Sauce—Rich tomato sauce that coats the meatballs for extra flavor. Use your favorite jar of sauce, o
- Fresh Basil—Used as a garnish, adding a fresh, fragrant finish.
The complete list of ingredients with measurements is on the recipe card at the end of this post. The Purple Pumpkin Blog uses both cups and weighted measurements in its recipes, making American cups and kitchen food scales valuable tools for trying all the recipes. We provide US customary, imperial, and metric measurements. Still, it’s important to note that while you can combine cup measurements with weighted measures, never mix US customary/imperial (pounds, ounces, pints, etc.) with metric (kilograms, grams, liters, etc.).
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Recipe Tips
Making Homemade Meatballs doesn’t have to be complicated! Here are some tips for nailing the recipe every time:
- Combine the ground meat mixture with your (clean) hands in a large bowl.
- Don’t overwork the meat mixture, which can lead to tough meatballs.
- Use an ice cream or cookie scoop to ensure all meatballs are uniform in size and cook evenly.
- If you like a finer texture, use a mini food processor to mince the onion and garlic.
- Use an instant-read thermometer to ensure your meatballs reach 165°F/75°C for safe consumption.
- The meatballs will continue to cook while resting and simmering in the sauce. Remove them from the oven at 160°F/70°C so they do not overcook.
- You can swap out the ground beef for ground turkey or even try ground veal for a lighter option.
Storing Leftovers & Freezing
If you’re lucky enough to have leftovers (or if you’re making a double batch), here’s how to store them:
- Storing Leftovers:
- Store meatballs and spaghetti in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- Freezing Instructions:
- You can freeze raw and cooked meatballs.
- Place the meatballs on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (also known as baking paper or greaseproof paper) in a single layer.
- Flash freeze for 2-4 hours or until frozen solid, then transfer to a freezer bag or container.
- Flash-freezing them before storing them will prevent them from sticking to each other, enabling you to easily take out as many meatballs as needed.
- To keep track of your food storage, label each dish with its name, date, thawing instructions, and reheating instructions.
- Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Thaw in the refrigerator overnight (or at least 12 hours).
- If meatballs are raw, cook as instructed in the recipe.
- If meatballs are cooked, gently reheat in sauce.
- Safe Minimum Internal Temperature Chart for Cooking
- With all leftovers, ensure the food looks and smells okay before consuming.
- You should always consult the Food Standards Agency in your country for the most up-to-date advice on storing and freezing foods: Food Standards Agency (UK) | Food Safety (USA).
Dinner Party Menu Suggestions
You’ve made the main dish, but what about the rest of the courses?
Here are additional recipes to create a menu for a dinner party or special meal:
- Appetizer: Grilled Prosciutto-Wrapped Asparagus Spears
- Soup: Minestrone Soup
- Salad: Caesar Salad with Homemade Dressing & Croutons
- Side Dish: Cheesy Garlic Bread
- Beverage: Italian Margarita Recipe with Limoncello
- Dessert: Limoncello Tiramisu
Printable Homemade Meatballs Recipe Card
The printable recipe card is below—please leave a star rating and quick review to share your experience with others!
Spaghetti and Homemade Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef 80% fat or greater
- 1 lb ground pork
- ¼ large white or yellow onion finely minced
- 4 large cloves garlic finely minced
- ½ cup Italian breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese freshly grated (+ additional for serving)
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup whole milk
- Salt & black pepper to taste
- 1 Tbsp fresh rosemary leaves finely chopped
- 1 Tbsp fresh parsley finely chopped
- 1 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves woody stems removed
- 16 oz box of spaghetti
- 24 oz jar of marinara sauce
- Sprigs fresh basil for garnish
Instructions
- Adjust oven racks so that the oven is divided into thirds. Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C/Gas 6
- Add the beef, pork, onion, garlic, breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, eggs, and whole milk to a large mixing bowl. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
- Add fresh chopped herbs to the bowl and combine all ingredients with clean hands until well blended. Do not overwork.
- Use an ice cream scoop to divide the meat mixture into equal-sized portions on two rimmed baking sheets. Roll each portion into a compact round ball and arrange them on the baking sheets without overcrowding, as shown.
- Place both baking sheets in the oven for 8 minutes. remove from oven and carefully turn each meatball with a spatula.
- Return to the oven, placing each baking sheet on a different rack from where it was originally. Bake for another 8-10 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer reads 160°F/70°C when inserted into the thickest part of several of the meatballs*. Remove from heat and set aside.
- While the meatballs are baking, prepare spaghetti according to package directions. Drain and rinse to prevent sticking and set aside.
- Pour marinara sauce in a large skillet set over medium-low heat. Carefully add the meatballs to prevent splattering. (If necessary, pat any excess fat off the meatballs with paper towels before adding to the skillet). As the marinara sauce warms, carefully turn the meatballs to coat in the sauce.
- Transfer the cooked spaghetti to a large serving platter and top with the marinara sauce and meatballs. Garnish with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and a few sprigs of fresh basil immediately before serving. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is always approximate and will depend on the quality of ingredients used and serving sizes. If you need exact calories and macros, please do your own calculations.