Homemade Italian Spaghetti Sauce with Meatballs
Print recipe| Serves | 6-8 |
| Region | Italian |
| From magazine | Slightly adapted from Gourmet January 2009 |
Spaghetti and meatballs is a classic comfort dish--even more so when everything is made from scratch! Learn how to make homemade Italian spaghetti sauce with meatballs.
Ingredients
Spaghetti sauce
- 3 (28 oz) cans whole tomatoes in juice
- 1 tablespoon dried basil
- 1 medium onion (chopped)
- 3 garlic cloves (finely chopped)
Meatballs
- 1 medium onion (finely chopped)
- 1/8 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 5 garlic cloves (finely chopped)
- 1 1/2 Cups torn day-old Italian bread
- 1 1/2 Cups whole milk
- 3 Large eggs
- 1 cup grated Parmesan
- 1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 1/2 Teaspoons grated lemon zest
- 3/4 Pound ground veal
- 3/4 Pound ground pork
- 3/4 Pound ground beef (not lean)
- 1 cup olive or vegetable oil
pasta
- 1 Pound dried spaghetti
Accompaniment (Optional)
- grated Parmesan (for serving)
Note
* Meatballs can be made and simmered in sauce 5 days ahead and chilled (cover once cool).
* Meatballs with sauce can be frozen in an airtight container or heavy-duty sealable bags up to 3 months
Directions
| Spaghetti sauce | |
| Step 1 | |
| Drain tomatoes, reserving juice in large bowl. Crush tomatoes with your hands and add to juice. | |
| Step 2 | |
| Cook onion in oil in pot over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes with their juice, basil, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Simmer sauce, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Season with salt. | |
| Meatballs | |
| Step 3 | |
| While the sauce simmers, make the meatballs: Cook onion in olive oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl to cool. | |
| Step 4 | |
| Soak bread in milk in another bowl until soft, about 5 minutes. Firmly squeeze bread to remove excess milk, discarding milk. | |
| Step 5 | |
| Stir together cooled onion mixture, bread, eggs, parmesan, parsley, oregano, lemon zest, 2 3/4 teaspoons salt, 3/4 teaspoon pepper until combined. Add meats to bread mixture, gently mix with your hands until just combined (do not overmix). | |
| Step 6 | |
| Form meat mixture into about 35 (1 1/2 inch) balls with dampened hands, arranging meatballs on a large baking sheet or shallow baking dish. | |
| Step 7 | |
| Heat olive or vegetable oil (1 cup) in a large skillet or Dutch oven (the Dutch oven helps prevent oil from splattering) over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking, then brown meatballs in batches (without crowding), turning frequently, about 5 minutes per batch. Return to baking sheet. | |
| Sauce and Meatballs | |
| Step 8 | |
| Add meatballs to sauce and gently simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until cooked through , 20 to 30 minutes. | |
| Pasta | |
| Step 9 | |
| Cook spaghetti in boiling salted water until just al dente, drain. Toss pasta with some of the sauce in a large serving dish. | |
| Serve | |
| Step 10 | |
| Serve with meatballs, remaining sauce, and grated cheese. | |