Spaghetti & Meatballs with Classic Marinara
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Spaghetti and Meatballs Recipe
This spaghetti and meatballs recipe is perfect for entertaining. You’ll love the succulent marinara sauce and those ultra flavourful meatballs. These meatballs are pan-fried to get a lovely brown char which I absolutely love! This recipe is a favourite of mine. It’s not too complicated and it screams comfort food! Topped with basil to add freshness, this recipe will become at the top of your list for when you’re looking for a simple meal to satisfy the whole family!
This recipe for spaghetti and meatballs is so easy, and the results are absolutely fantastic. I’ve made this for my girlfriend’s family and it was a hit! Her parents even saved meatballs for later, so I can officially confirm that they do last in the fridge! In fact, when I prepared this recipe, I had leftovers, and they were awesome the next day! If you follow me on Instagram, then you’ve seen me prepare this heavenly meal for, well, me! Yay! They were divine!
I guarantee this is the only meatball recipe you’ll ever need! This Spaghetti and Meatballs recipe will show how to make the most juicy and flavourful meatballs with an amazing sear on the outside but tender and soft inside. I’ll also show you how to manage your time best so the entire dish with comes together seamlessly and you’re not spending too much time in the kitchen to make this elegant meal! Don’t forget to watch the video at the bottom of this post so you can see the steps being implemented in real time, and please subscribe to me on YouTube if you haven’t already! Don’t forget to hit the bell icon so you receive the notification when the video recipes go live! I love to share the videos so that you can watch all the steps and be confident when creating the dish! Let’s get cooking!
Ingredients for Spaghetti and Meatballs
This is a pretty authentic version of spaghetti and meatballs. Everything you’ll need is pretty standard, but the magic really happens in the Panko breadcrumbs added to the meatballs.
Here are the ingredients you’ll need for the best Spaghetti and Meatballs:
Ground beef, pork, veal, turkey or chicken - or a combination of your favourites! To keep things simple, I’m just using equal parts beef and veal.
Parmesan cheese
Parsley
Egg yolk
Milk
Onion
Garlic cloves
Basil
How to Get Ultra Juicy Meatballs
Let’s not make this complicated, there is no secret sauce to make them juicy. Just follow two simple steps and you will never look back into making the juiciest meatballs that are so flavourful and have an excellent colour!
1. Give the meatballs a nice sear.
There is nothing worse than grey, anemic meatballs, boiled to a mush in sauce. The best way to cook the meatballs is to first sear them with some olive oil in medium heat until golden brown and crispy. Don’t worry about cooking it all the way at this step.
If you are cooking a large number of meatballs, cook them in batches. If the meatballs are overcrowded, they will bring the temperature of the pan down will start boiling instead.
Repeat the same on the other side and then move on to step 2.
2. Finish cooking gently on low heat.
There are two ways to finish cooking the inside and they are both delicious. Try both ways, pick your favourite and enjoy.
You can cover the pan, turn the heat to low and cook, while flipping every so often until cooked all the way through.
Or, in sauce pan, start heating the marinara sauce and add the meatballs. Give the pan a gentle shake to coat the meatballs lightly in sauce. Once the sauce starts to simmer, turn the heat down to low and simmer until cooked all the way through.
The meat should read a minimum internal temperature of 160 F in the thickest part by an instant read thermometer according to Health Canada.
How to Make Spaghetti and Meatballs
1. In a small bowl, add the breadcrumbs. Pour in the milk and mix well. Allow the breadcrumbs to rest until they completely absorb the milk, about 10 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, add the beef, pork, onion, garlic, parmesan, and fresh parsley. Season with salt and pepper. Add the soaked breadcrumbs into the mince, discarding any excess milk and combine well.
4. Divide the meatball mince into 6-8 equal portions. Using the palms of your hands, form the mince into round, even balls and place them on a plate or baking sheet.
5. Heat a pan on medium heat and add the olive oil. Cook the meatballs until evenly browned on the top and bottom.
6. While the meatballs are cooking, heat a large pot of water to cook the spaghetti. Once the water comes up to a boil, season generously with salt and cook spaghetti for about 7 minutes, just under al dente.
7. Heat marinara sauce in a large sauce pan and once the meatballs have been seared, add the meatballs to the sauce. Give the pan a gently shake to lightly coat the meatballs with the sauce.
8. Once the sauce comes up to a simmer, lower heat and gently cook for 7-10 minutes. You can check the internal temperature of the meatballs using an instant read thermometer, the temperature should be 160 F.
9. Once the pasta is cooked, add the pasta into the pan and toss to combine. Reserve some of the pasta water for use later. Add the butter and simmer pasta with the sauce and meatballs for 1-2 minutes (or until spaghetti is cooked to al dente). If the sauce is too thick, use the reserved pasta water to adjust the consistency.
10. Top the pasta with fresh basil and finely grated parmesan cheese. Serve hot and enjoy.
What to Serve with Spaghetti and Meatballs
Of course you can enjoy Spaghetti and Meatballs on its own as it sure is a fabulous dish! However, you may wanna have some nice baguette to scoop up that leftover marinara - not a drop left behind! If you’ve got extra marinara sauce laying around, you could dip some Cheesy Mozzarella Sticks as an appetizer! If you’re looking for some greens to pair with your Spaghetti and Meatballs, then my Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad is perfect for you!
OTHER DELICIOUS PASTA RECIPES!
Indian Chicken Bolognese Pasta: An exciting fusion of your classic Bolognese sauce but the sauce is made with Indian spices and a different set of veggies!
White Sauce Chicken & Chorizo Pasta: A 20-minute pasta dinner featuring a béchamel sauce with juicy chicken and spicy chorizo.
Shrimp & Bacon Fettuccine Alfredo: Your favourite Alfredo sauce combined with tender jumbo shrimp and crispy bacon!
Quick & Creamy Spaghetti alla Carbonara: Paired with pancetta and peas, this carbonara is so fast and loaded with deliciousness!
Watch How to Make Spaghetti & Meatballs with Classic Marinara Here:
Let me know what you think of this recipe in the comments! If you’ve tried this recipe, be sure to post it on social media and tag it with #cookingwithanadi and mention me @cookingwithanadi. Thank you!