Ingredients Meat & Poultry Beef Recipes Ground Beef Recipes Easy Spaghetti and Meatballs 4.0 (453) 30 Reviews With our streamlined recipe, you can get this dish on the table in just 45 minutes. By Martha Stewart Martha Stewart Martha Stewart is a bestselling author, entrepreneur, and lifestyle expert who has taught millions of people through generations the joy of entertaining, cooking, gardening, collecting, crafting, and home renovating via her eponymous magazine, Martha Stewart Living, Emmy-winning television shows, and 99 books (and counting). Based in Katonah, N.Y., where she helms her 156-acre Bedford Farm, Martha is America's first self-made female billionaire. Editorial Guidelines Updated on June 11, 2024 Rate PRINT Share Prep Time: 25 mins Cook Time: 20 mins Total Time: 45 mins Servings: 4 Our spaghetti and meatballs recipe makes preparing this classic dish easier than ever. While a pot of water is coming to a boil, combine Parmesan, garlic, breadcrumbs, and an egg with ground beef and mix it gently until well combined. After forming the mixture into balls, you’ll brown them in a pot with a little oil, then add a whole can of crushed tomatoes—no laborious homemade sauce here. Let it simmer while the spaghetti cooks, then combine everything for a hearty, and delicious dinner in under 45 minutes. It doesn’t get easier than that! From Whole and Crushed to Diced and Paste, Consider This Your Ultimate Guide to Canned Tomatoes Brie Goldman 3 Tips for Making Tender Meatballs Don't Over-Mix: The key to making meatballs light and tender—not tough and dry—is to mix them just enough so the ingredients are well combined without over-mixing. For the best results, do this by hand and not in a food processor or mixer. Handle the meat gently and resist the urge to squeeze and squish it—when it's slightly sticky and no pockets of individual ingredients are visible, you're good to go. Use a Scoop for Perfect Portioning: Forming similarly sized meatballs will ensure they cook at the same rate. An easy way to achieve this is to use a cookie scoop to portion them out before rolling. Brown, Then Simmer: When browning the meatballs, you're aiming to sear them just long enough to gain some nice caramelization on the outsides (not to cook them all the way through). They'll finish cooking by simmering in the crushed tomatoes—it's a much more gentle approach that will help them retain moisture while also flavoring the sauce. Ground chuck contains between 15 and 20 percent fat, which is why we prefer it for moist and flavorful meatballs. If ground chuck isn't available, look for ground beef with a similar fat content, keeping it above 10 percent to ensure the meatballs stay juicy. Ingredient Swaps Fresh garlic: If you're sensitive to garlic, you can leave it out of the meatballs all together. Otherwise, you can swap in one-half teaspoon of garlic powder.Fresh parsley: If you don't have fresh parsley on hand, add one tablespoon plus one teaspoon dried parsley to the meatball mixture.Crushed tomatoes: Instead of crushed tomatoes, you can add 28 ounces of your favorite jarred tomato sauce. You can also use whole peeled tomatoes, just crushed them up with your hands before adding to the meatballs. Ingredients Coarse salt and ground pepper ¼ cup finely grated Parmesan, plus more for serving ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 large egg 1 pound ground beef chuck ¼ cup plain dried breadcrumbs 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes in puree ¾ pound spaghetti Directions Brie Goldman Boil water; combine all meatball ingredients except beef and breadcrumbs: Set a large pot of salted water to boil. In a bowl, combine Parmesan, parsley, garlic, egg, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Brie Goldman Mix in beef and breadcrumbs; form into balls: Add beef and breadcrumbs; mix gently. Form into 16 balls. Brie Goldman Brown meatballs: In a 5-quart Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat oil over medium. Add meatballs, and cook, turning occasionally, until browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Brie Goldman Add tomatoes, cover partially, and simmer: Add tomatoes; bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer; cover partially, and cook, stirring occasionally, until meatballs are cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes. Brie Goldman Cook pasta: Meanwhile, cook pasta until al dente. Brie Goldman Drain; toss with meatballs and sauce: Drain, and return to pot; add meatballs and sauce, and toss gently. Serve with Parmesan. Brie Goldman Storage and Reheating Leftover pasta and meatballs can be refrigerated in an airtight container for three to four days. Reheating To reheat, transfer spaghetti and meatballs to a oven-safe dish, cover with foil, and bake at 325 degrees Fahrenheit until heated through. You can also microwave the mixture, covered, until hot throughout. (Cutting the meatballs in half can help them warm through more quickly.) What to Serve With Spaghetti and Meatballs To round out the meal, consider serving spaghetti and meatballs alongside a crunchy salad with an easy homemade dressing. Italian bread, dinner rolls, or garlic bread would be a welcome addition to help mop up some of the delicious sauce. For an easy vegetable side dish, try these microwave-steamed green beans, zesty broccolini with peperoncini, or lemony sautéed spinach. 5 More Pasta Recipes to Try: One-Pot Pasta With Broccoli and Lemon Lasagna With Meat Sauce Chicken Fettuccini With Pesto Cream Sauce Creamy Baked Ziti One-Pan Orcchiette With Chickpeas and Olives Pasta With Prosciutto and Peas Originally appeared: Everyday Food, March 2009 Rate It PRINT Updated by Esther Reynolds Esther Reynolds Esther Reynolds is an experienced recipe developer, recipe tester, food editor, and freelance writer with over a decade of experience in the food and media industries.