Classic Spaghetti and Meatballs
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Sure, we can be all fancy with our pasta and our sauces. But when someone is looking for pure comfort food you can never, ever go wrong with a classic spaghetti and meatballs dish. Twirl your pasta around your fork then stab one of these perfect juicy meatballs with that same fork, and you’ve got a meal that will fill you up with the kind of yumminess only a nonna can share, even if you’re not Italian.
We use jarred or canned sauces so the work put into the meatballs is not a big deal.
Serves 6-8 (approx 30 1 1/2″ meatballs)
Classic Spaghetti & Meatballs Recipe:
You’ll Need
- 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 medium onions, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 lb ground turkey (or pork)
- 1 carrot, shredded
- 1 cup fresh spinach, very finely chopped
- ¾ cup whole-wheat breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 tsp Kosher salt
- ½ tsp freshly ground pepper
- 1 jar (700 ml) or 2 cans (398 ml) low sodium tomato or pasta sauce
- ½ tsp Kosher salt
- ½ tsp freshly ground pepper
- 450g (½ pkg) dried spaghetti
- Freshly grated parmesan cheese
Prep and Cook
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees
- Heat olive oil in a small skillet, add onions and garlic and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 10 minutes
- Remove from heat and let cool
- In a large mixing bowl, combine beef, turkey, carrot, spinach, bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, egg, salt, and pepper (use a fork or your hands to mix until combined)
- Stir in half of the cooked onions and garlic mixture (keeping the rest aside for the sauce).
- Using your (well washed) hands, form meat mixture into 1 1/2" balls and space equally on nonstick baking sheets
- Bake in the centre of the oven for approximately 15 minutes or until cooked through (break open a meatball to check)
- Use remaining cooked onion and garlic mixture and add to tomato sauce and season with salt and pepper
- Bring sauce to a boil, reduce heat and simmer while you cook the noodles in another pot
- In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook spaghetti until al dente
- Drain, rinse, and top with sauce and meatballs
- Serve immediately with freshly grated parmesan cheese