Spaghetti and Meatballs in Marinara Sauce

Why this recipe works

Spaghetti and meatballs served with fresh baked Italian bread are a favorite in this house, and pretty much a family tradition. It’s of those very personal meals. Some recipes have been handed down from generation to generation, sometimes changing along the way, sometimes remaining true to the ancestor’s original.

I always start with the marinara, so that it can simmer a bit while I’m forming meatballs. The herbs in my sauce often depend on what’s growing in my garden at the time. Here I have Italian parsley, thyme, oregano, and basil. Combine the herbs, onion and garlic, tomatoes, and wine. Season with some freshly ground black pepper and a little garlic salt, then let it simmer. This marinara sauce is so flavorful!

RELATED: you might also like this recipe – Cheesy Garlic Bread

Ingredients you will need

Get all measurements, ingredients, and instructions in the printable version at the end of this post.

Ingredient Info and Substitution Suggestions

MEATBALLS – I love to mix ground pork, ground beef, and breadcrumbs for my meatballs. This combination is flavorful and creates juicy, tender meatballs. You can substitute the ground pork for Italian sausage if you’d like and it’ll still taste amazing.

SAUCE – A mixture of diced tomatoes, tomato paste, garlic, onion, red wine, and fresh herbs. You can certainly use a flavored can of diced tomatoes like the garlic, basil, and oregano or the fire-roasted kind. If doing so, you can cut back a bit on the herbs you add or omit some altogether. Port wine works great for this sauce, but so does a simple Shiraz. If you have a favorite, by all means, use it!

How to Make Spaghetti & Meatballs in Marinara

These step by step photos and instructions are here to help you visualize how to make this recipe. You can Jump to Recipe to get the printable version of this recipe, complete with measurements and instructions at the bottom.

1. In a medium saucepan, combine all sauce ingredients and mix well. Bring to a gentle boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

   

2. In a large bowl using a fork, combine all of the meatball ingredients. Gently mix with your fork so as not to smash the ingredients together. Too much working of the mixture can cause your meatballs to turn out tough.

   

3. Once everything is mixed, use your hands to be sure everything is combined well. Work with hands for no longer than one minute. Just long enough for everything to come together.
4. Use a cookie scoop to create meatballs. I don’t roll mine, just place them straight from the cookie scoop into the pan. You can roll them in your palms first, but again, only for a moment, don’t overwork the meat!

   

5. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat in a large saute pan or skillet. Brown meatballs on both sides, creating a nice crust. Remove meatballs and drain fat. Don’t scrape out any bits of meat from the pan!

   

6. Deglaze the pan with 2 tablespoons of wine. Return meatballs to the pan, pour marinara over the meatballs and bring to a gentle boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for a minimum of 30 minutes.
   
   EXPERT TIP: You can simmer the meatballs for up to 2 hours if you like, but you may need to add a little water throughout the process to keep the marinara from thickening too much.
   
   

   

7. Serve over cooked spaghetti noodles.

This marinara sauce can be made ahead of time and kept in a jar in the refrigerator. I like to serve the marinara over the top of the individually plated noodles to keep it separate in case there are leftovers.

Frequently Asked Questions & Expert Tips

Serving Suggestions

Spaghetti and meatballs go hand in hand with homemade Italian bread, but we also love serving it with homemade pull apart dinner rolls, garlic cheese rolls, and garlic parmesan rolls. For a lighter side option, serve with a tossed salad. I’ve even made a batch of these meatballs to eat on their own before, they can easily be paired with some sauteed veggies to make a complete meal. Last but not least, top your spaghetti with grated parmesan and fresh basil.

More Pasta Recipes

• Ravioli Lasagna
• Italian Lasagna
• Pasta Primavera
• Sun Dried Tomato Pesto
• Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meat Sauce
• Chicken Alfredo

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Spaghetti and Meatballs in Marinara Sauce

A tried and true spaghetti and meatballs recipe that's been in the family for years. The smell of the sauce and meatballs alone is enough to make you want to make it over and over again!

5 from 6 votes

IMPORTANT – There are often Frequently Asked Questions within the blog post that you may find helpful. Simply scroll back up to read them!

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Course: Dinner

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: 8 servings

1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Calories: 775

Author: Amanda Davis

Ingredients

Marinara Sauce

• ▢ 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ▢ ¼ cup onion minced
• ▢ 2 cloves garlic large cloves, minced
• ▢ 28 oz diced tomatoes 2 (14-oz) cans
• ▢ 6 oz tomato paste 1 small can
• ▢ 1 cup water
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
• ▢ ½ teaspoon dried thyme
• ▢ ½ teaspoon dried basil
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ▢ ½ cup red wine
• ▢ garlic salt to taste

Meatballs

• ▢ 2 lbs ground beef 85/15
• ▢ 1 lb ground pork
• ▢ 2 cloves garlic medium cloves, minced
• ▢ 1 tablespoon onion minced
• ▢ ¼ cup bread crumbs
• ▢ 1 large egg
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon dried thyme leaves
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon dried parsley chopped
• ▢ ¼ cup grated parmesan
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Other

• ▢ 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ▢ 2 tablespoons red wine
• ▢ 1 pound dry spaghetti noodles

Things You’ll Need

• ▢
  Saucepan
• ▢
  Large skillet

Before You Begin

The meatball recipe makes 65 large or about 45 medium meatballs. I usually make the meatballs then split them into 3 batches. I freeze several batches for another day. Feel free to cut the meatball ingredients in half to reduce the amount of meatballs.

You can freeze the meatballs raw or you can brown them first. You can freeze the sauce in jars as well.

To Thaw:

If you froze the meatballs raw, be sure to brown them in a skillet first. If meatballs are browned first:

1. Thaw sauce in jar at room temp.
2. Thaw meatballs at room temperature.
3. Meatballs are partially cooked (browned). Submerge meatballs in sauce in a saucepan and bing to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 15-20 minutes.
4. Serve with spaghetti and garlic bread.

 

Instructions

For the marinara sauce

• In a Dutch oven or large pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and saute for a few minutes until softened and fragrant. Add garlic and saute another minute.
  1/4 cup onion, 2 cloves garlic, 1 tablespoon olive oil
• In a medium saucepan, combine all sauce ingredients and mix well.

  CHEF'S TIP: For chunky sauce, add all sauce ingredients to the onion and garlic. If you prefer smooth sauce, place all ingredients PLUS the garlic and onion mixture into a blender and process until smooth. Return mixture to the pan.

  Bring to a gentle boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season to taste with garlic salt.
  28 oz diced tomatoes, 6 oz tomato paste, 1 cup water, 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano, 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, 1/2 teaspoon dried basil, 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, 1/2 cup red wine, garlic salt

For the meatballs

• In a large bowl using a fork, combine all of the meatball ingredients. Gently mix with your fork so as not to smash the ingredients together. Too much working of the mixture can cause your meatballs to turn out tough.
  2 lbs ground beef, 1 lb ground pork, 2 cloves garlic, 1 tablespoon onion, 1/4 cup bread crumbs, 1 large egg, 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves, 1/4 teaspoon dried parsley, 1/4 cup grated parmesan, 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Once everything is mixed, use your hands to be sure everything is combined well. Work with hands for no longer than one minute. Just long enough for everything to come together.
• Use a cookie scoop to create meatballs. I don’t roll mine, just place them straight from the cookie scoop into the pan. You can roll them in your palms first, but again, only for a moment, don’t overwork the meat!
• Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat in large saute pan or skillet. Brown meatballs on both sides, creating a nice crust. Remove meatballs and drain fat. Don’t scrape out any bits of meat from the pan!

  CHEF'S TIP: This makes a lot of meatballs. I usually only cook about 10-12 in the marinara, and freeze the rest of the browned meatballs.
  2 tablespoons olive oil
• Deglaze the pan with 2 tablespoons of wine. Return meatballs to the pan, pour marinara over the meatballs and bring to a gentle boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for a minimum of 30 minutes. You can simmer the meatballs for up to 2 hours if you like, but you may need to add a little water throughout the process to keep the marinara from thickening too much.
  2 tablespoons red wine
• Serve over cooked spaghetti noodles.
  1 pound dry spaghetti noodles

Expert Tips & FAQs

• If you prefer to use fresh herbs instead of dried, double the measurements.
• You can substitute broth or non-alcoholic wine for the red wine.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 775cal | Carbohydrates: 55g | Protein: 40g | Fat: 42g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 20g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 131mg | Sodium: 374mg | Potassium: 1050mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 488IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 124mg | Iron: 6mg

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This post originally appeared here on June 15, 2012 and has since been updated with new photos and expert tips.