Description
A classic and easy-to-make spaghetti and meatballs recipe featuring juicy meatballs simmered in rich marinara sauce paired perfectly with tender spaghetti noodles.
Ingredients
Scale
Meatballs
- 1/2 lb. ground beef
- 1/2 lb. Italian sausage meat
- 2 and 1/2 tsp. salt, divided
Sauce
- 1 large jar (24 oz) marinara sauce
Pasta
- 12 oz. spaghetti
Instructions
- Boil Water: Fill a large pot with water and add 2 teaspoons of salt. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat.
- Prepare Meat Mixture: In a large bowl, combine ground beef and Italian sausage. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and mix gently by hand until just combined, being careful not to overmix.
- Shape Meatballs: Form the meat mixture into 16 golf-ball sized meatballs for even cooking.
- Brown Meatballs: Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs and cook until browned on the bottom, about 3 minutes. Flip and brown another side.
- Simmer in Sauce: Pour marinara sauce over the browned meatballs, bring to a simmer while stirring. Reduce heat to low and cook at a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally, until meatballs are no longer pink inside, about 4-5 minutes. Turn off heat and cover skillet to keep warm.
- Cook Pasta: As the meatballs begin simmering, add spaghetti to the boiling salted water. Cook according to package instructions or until desired doneness, then drain well.
- Serve: Divide spaghetti among four plates, uncover meatballs, stir sauce, and distribute meatballs and sauce evenly over the pasta.
Notes
- Do not overmix the meat mixture to keep meatballs tender.
- You can substitute Italian sausage with all ground beef if preferred.
- Use high-quality marinara sauce for best flavor.
- Make sure the meatballs are cooked through to avoid any raw center.
- Leftover meatballs and sauce can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Keywords: spaghetti and meatballs, Italian dinner, easy pasta recipe, meatball recipe, marinara sauce
