Spaghetti and Meatballs
Last updated on January 23rd, 2026
Spaghetti and Meatballs are a classic! Requested by my 3-year-old, this was the perfect dinner after a long day! The juicy meatballs with the onion and garlic in there, paired with the homemade marinara sauce that was slowly cooked and simmered, to really build that flavor! It was SO flavorful! I feel like there’s not many who don’t like this dish, it will always be a family favorite for us! Even with everything but the pasta from scratch, this dish was easy to make and didn’t take too long either!
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Did you know?
Spaghetti and meatballs were born in the 1900’s in New York! So, it’s not actually a recipe from Italy. It was made by Italian immigrants though, who created this dish once they had access to canned tomatoes, factory made pasta, and cheaper meat!
What ingredients do I need to make spaghetti and meatballs?
For the meatballs:
Ground Beef
Egg
Onion
Panko Breadcrumbs
Garlic
Worcestershire
Parsley
Salt
Black Pepper
Cooking Spray
For the marinara:
Crushed Tomatoes
Diced Tomatoes
Onion
Green Pepper
Garlic
Butter
Italian Seasoning
Salt
Onion Powder
Garlic Powder
Crushed Red Pepper
For serving:
Spaghetti Noodles
Parsley
Parmesan
How do I make this?
To make the meatballs:
Add all meatball ingredients to a large bowl and mix with your hands until combined. Don’t overmix! Roll mixture into about 14 meatballs.
Preheat oven to 375 F and line a large baking sheet with foil for easy cleanup. Spray the baking sheet and line the balls out in rows, not touching.
Bake turning halfway through with a tong. Be careful not to squish them when you flip, they are delicate! While the meatballs are baking, let’s start making our sauce!
To make the marinara sauce:
In a large deep skillet, melt butter on medium. Add the onion and green pepper to the pan and cook a few minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender. Add the garlic and cook, until fragrant. Stir in all other ingredients, bring to a simmer, then turn heat to low.
Cover and cook a while longer, stirring occasionally. Cooking the sauce low and slow like this helps to build that delicious flavor profile we all know and love! While the meatballs and sauce cook, cook spaghetti noodles to package instructions, drain, and set aside until ready to use.
To serve the spaghetti and meatballs:
Gently fold cooked pasta into the marinara sauce, tossing to coat. Scoop spaghetti and marinara onto a plate, top with meatballs, parsley, and parmesan cheese! Serve with a breadstick, baguette, garlic bread, whatever you want! Enjoy!
How else could I use these meatballs and marinara sauce?
You can make any pasta with these two ingredients! It doesn’t have to be Spaghetti and Meatballs. You could make meatball subs! The Marinara serves as a great dipping sauce for breadsticks! You could make a pizza, lasagna, I mean really anything Italian inspired! That’s what’s so great about these ingredients and this dish, the opportunities are endless! Add mushrooms if you want, make it spicy, use a different pasta! Whatever your heart desires.
Loved this recipe? Check out some more of my pasta recipes!
Spaghetti and Meatballs
Equipment
Ingredients
For the meatballs:
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 egg
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- ⅓ cup yellow onion minced
- ¼ cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire
- 1 tbsp fresh parsley minced
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- cooking spray
For the marinara:
- 1 – 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
- 1 – 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 yellow onion chopped
- ½ cup green pepper diced
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp crushed red pepper
For serving:
- 1 lb spaghetti noodles
- parsley minced
- parmesan freshly shredded
Instructions
To make the meatballs:
- Add all meatball ingredients to a large bowl and mix with your hands until combined. Don't overmix!
- Roll into about 14 meatballs, about 1 1/2-inches thick.
- Preheat oven to 375 ℉ and line a large baking sheet with foil for easy cleanup.
- Spray the baking sheet and line the balls out in rows, not touching.
- Bake 20-25 minutes, turning halfway through with a tong. Be careful not to squish them when you flip, they are delicate! Mine were perfect after 22 minutes. While the meatballs are cooking, let’s start making our sauce!
To make the marinara sauce:
- In a large deep skillet, melt butter on medium. Add the onion and green pepper to the pan and cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender.
- Add the garlic and cook one minute, until fragrant.
- Stir in all other ingredients, bring to a simmer, then turn heat to low.
- Cover and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cooking the sauce low and slow like this helps to build that delicious flavor profile we all know and love!
- While the meatballs and sauce cook, cook spaghetti noodles to package instructions, drain, and set aside until ready to use.
To serve Spaghetti and Meatballs:
- Gently fold cooked pasta into the marinara sauce, tossing to coat. Scoop spaghetti and marinara onto a plate, top with meatballs, parsley, and parmesean cheese!
- Serve with a breadstick, baguette, garlic bread, whatever you want!
Nutrition
Please be aware that nutritional values are approximate and intended as a helpful guide
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Yum! I love how easy to follow this spaghetti and meatballs recipe is! I love the tip to make some meatball subs, too!
So happy to hear this Debbie! Thank you 🩷
That sounds so delicious. Spaghetti is definitely on my grocery. I’d better put meatballs on it before I forget. Happy eating. 🍝
Thank you so much!
I love spaghetti and meatballs, but have never considered adding Worcestershire sauce. I don’t usually keep that on hand… any substitute ideas? Thanks!
Soy sauce could work! I would use about half of the amount though! 🙂