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Easy Spaghetti and Meatballs Recipe

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4.9 from 526 reviews

This Easy Spaghetti and Meatballs recipe features juicy homemade meatballs simmered in flavorful marinara sauce paired perfectly with tender spaghetti. It’s a classic Italian-American dish that is simple to prepare on the stovetop and perfect for a comforting family meal.

Ingredients

Scale

Meatballs

  • 2 and 1/2 tsp salt, divided
  • 1/2 lb ground beef
  • 1/2 lb Italian sausage meat

Sauce and Pasta

  • 1 large jar (24 oz) marinara sauce
  • 12 oz spaghetti

Instructions

  1. Boil Water: Fill a large pot with water and add 2 teaspoons of salt. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat to prepare for cooking the spaghetti.
  2. Mix Meat: In a large bowl, combine the ground beef and Italian sausage meat. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt over the meat and mix gently with your hands until just combined to avoid tough meatballs.
  3. Shape Meatballs: Form the meat mixture into 16 evenly sized golf-ball sized meatballs for uniform cooking.
  4. Brown Meatballs: Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs and cook without stirring for about 3 minutes to brown the bottoms. Flip and brown the other side similarly.
  5. Simmer Meatballs in Sauce: Pour the marinara sauce over the browned meatballs in the skillet. Bring the sauce to a simmer, stirring occasionally, then reduce heat to low and continue cooking gently for 4-5 minutes until meatballs are cooked through and no longer pink inside. Turn off heat and cover skillet to keep warm.
  6. Cook Spaghetti: When the meatballs begin simmering, add the spaghetti to the boiling salted water. Cook according to package instructions or until al dente. Drain the pasta thoroughly.
  7. Plate and Serve: Divide the drained spaghetti evenly among four dinner plates. Remove the lid from the meatballs, stir the sauce, then spoon the meatballs and sauce over the pasta. Serve immediately.

Notes

  • Use Italian sausage meat with casings removed for easy mixing and cooking.
  • Do not overmix the meat mixture to keep the meatballs tender.
  • Brown the meatballs well to develop flavor before simmering in sauce.
  • Simmering in sauce finishes cooking the meatballs gently and infuses flavor.
  • Salt the pasta water generously to enhance pasta flavor.
  • Adjust sauce simmer time slightly if meatballs are larger or smaller.
  • Leftover meatballs and sauce can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.

Keywords: spaghetti and meatballs, Italian meatballs, easy pasta recipe, marinara sauce, ground beef recipe

Find it online: https://zestywithzane.com/easy-spaghetti-and-meatballs-recipe/