Homemade Spaghetti and Meatballs

Spaghetti is one of my favorite meals! This recipe is from Dylan’s grandmother, and it is amazing! It has come to be one of our family’s meals for special occasions—birthdays, Valentine’s Day, as well as Christmas Eve. I love to set a fancy Christmas Eve or Valentine’s Day table and dig into a plate of scrumptious spaghetti with homemade meatballs. There is nothing better!

Homemade Spaghetti & Meatballs

Sauce Ingredients

• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 2 – 16 ounce cans of tomato sauce
• 1 – 16 ounce can of tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon oregano
• 1 tablespoon basil
• 1 tablespoon parsley
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 – 2 bay leaves
• Dash of Tabasco sauce
• salt and pepper
• 1 cup water

Meatball Ingredients

• 3 slices of old bread soaked in 3/4 cup of water
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon parsley
• 1.5 pounds of ground beef
• 3 tablespoons of Parmesan Cheese, shredded
• 1 egg
• Salt and Pepper

For Serving

• Thin Spaghetti Noodles
• Parmesan Cheese
• Salad and French Bread

Sauce & Meatball Directions

• Before you start the sauce:
  • Put the bread slices into the bowl of your stand mixer (or a large mixing bowl) and cover with the 3/4 cup of water.
• Make the sauce:
  • In a large pot, saute the onion and garlic in 1/4 cup of olive oil.
  • Add the rest of the sauce ingredients, stir to combine, cover the pot, and simmer for 30 minutes.
• As the sauce is simmering, make the meatballs:
  • Give the bread a good stir, now that it is softened, to break it up.
  • Add all of the remaining meatball ingredients into your bowl with the bread. Gently mix until just combined.
  • Form into large meatballs. Set them on a cutting board or tray as you work.
• After the sauce has simmered for 30 minutes:
  • Gently add the meatballs to the sauce. Just plop them in and put the lid back on.
  • Continue to simmer for 90 minutes to 2 hours, stirring every 30 minutes or so to make sure it isn’t sticking to the bottom of your pan/burning. (If it doesn’t seem to be bubbling enough, turn it up just slightly. If it seems to be sticking on the bottom, turn the burner down slightly. Be very gentle as you stir the meatballs. You don’t want to break them.)
• When you are ready to eat:
  • Boil the thin spaghetti noodles according to package directions, drain, and divide into bowls.
  • Serve with sauce and meatballs on top.
  • Sprinkle with parmesan cheese to your heart’s content.

We love to make a fancy meal of this, so we usually have salad and warm french bread for a delicious meal!

This photo is from Valentine’s Day a few years ago, but I just love Penelope’s face here. 🙂

I hope you love these Spaghetti and Meatballs as much as we do!