The Best Spaghetti and Meatballs

We’re showing you just how easy it is to make everyone’s favorite spaghetti and meatballs from scratch.

If you’ve never made homemade spaghetti and meatballs because you thought it was too time consuming, wait ’til you see what I have in store for you. Making spaghetti and meatballs (not from a can or frozen) is in your future and I can’t wait for you to bring this dish to life. You might even give Copycat IKEA Swedish Meatballs a try once you see how easy it is.

Making the Best Spaghetti and Meatballs

First, be sure to make the BEST, most tender meatballs out there by following our tips on how to make the best meatballs. You’ll get perfect results every time. We guarantee it.

Once you form your meatballs, pan fry for about 5 minutes to get a crispy brown exterior. This part adds so much flavor and texture.

Then add the spaghetti sauce and let the meatballs cook through the rest of the way. This is a gentle cooking process which keeps the meatballs juicy and tender. Let them simmer for a while and stir occasionally so they don’t scorch to the bottom. Trust me, waiting will be the hardest part as you smell the delicious scent of meatballs and sauce waft through the house, but I promise it will be worth it.

Serve over your family’s favorite pasta and don’t forget to top your dish with grated Parmesan cheese! 

Best Spaghetti and Meatballs

Contributor: Jamie Silva

We’re showing you just how easy it is to make everyone’s favorite spaghetti and meatballs from scratch.

• Author: Jamie Silva
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 35 minutes
• Total Time: 45 minutes
• Yield: 15 meatballs 1x
• Category: Entrée
• Method: Stovetop
• Cuisine: American

Print Recipe

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• ½ lb. ground beef
• ½ lb. ground pork
• ½ cup dry breadcrumbs
• 1 large egg
• ½ cup finely chopped onion
• ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese plus more for garnish
• ¼ cup finely chopped Italian flat-leaf parsley
• 1 Tbsp. Italian seasoning
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. salt
• ¼ tsp. black pepper
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 jar (14 oz.) spaghetti sauce or make homemade sauce
• Cooked spaghetti

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

1. In bowl, combine ground beef and ground pork, breadcrumbs, egg, onion, Parmesan cheese, parsley, Italian seasoning, garlic, salt and pepper. Mix using your hands but don’t over mix or it will make the meat tough.
2. Shape the mixture into 1 inch or 1.5 inch balls.
3. In a skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Pan fry the meatballs until they are browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. Add spaghetti sauce to the meatballs. Simmer, uncovered, for 20-30 minutes or until meatballs are no longer pink inside.
4. Serve meatballs over cooked spaghetti and top with grated Parmesan cheese.

This post originally appeared in February 2018 and was revised and republished in February 2021.