Spaghetti and Meatballs Recipe (2024)

Meatballs can also be simmered unbrowned in the sauce until cooked, which preserves their moistness and adds flavor both to sauce and meat. Saves time and fuss, too.

Kiom has made assumptions about cooking meat that are not supported. Many reputable sources exist to help us cook food safely, such as www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/index.html and www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/food-safety-education/get-answe.... Cooking meat in sauce or other liquids is delicious and has has been done safely for many years. Imagine cooking a holiday brisket without sauce...

@Kiom
Meatballs can absolutely be cooked in the sauce as per Jessica. Comment to Jessica seems to imply " raw meat" should not be cooked in sauce for safety reasons. When making a meat sauce, the meat used is not completely cooked before putting into sauce - it is cooked in the sauce.

For generations, after browning the meatballs, we have simmered the meatballs in the sauce for about 1/2 hour. I have never heard of boiling them! It would wash out much of the flavor!

Adding locatelli romano or similar cheese to the meatball recipe adds richness. Finishing them in tomato sauce rather than water is far better and more flavorful. Completing them to that point and refrigerating in the sauce overnite vastly improves flavor-which is why I never serve a lasagna or mousaka the day it is made. The flavors marry overnite and gently reheating leads to a far improved product. Learned much of above from first generation Italian mother of college friend.

Bad idea. Cooking raw meat in a sauce is a no-no, but the recipe itself isn't very good either. Meat is not cooked in a marinara sauce. That would make it a ragu--a meat sauce. And the bacon? Another error and one that does not sit well with the oregano.

I made this twice, once with the bacon and once without, and I preferred the latter. I think the bacon actually detracts from the taste of the meatballs and doesn't quite work here.

I agree with Anreia -- no veal for all the reasons she stated.

These are the best meatballs I’ve made. Added an egg and whisper of Pecorino, poached them in sauce; used fresh marjoram bc no oregano at the store

Why add the 2 cups of water to pan with the meatballs? Are you steaming....boiling in the oven? The meatballs will have no flavors from the sauce nor would they have flavored the sauce since you did not cook them for a bit in the sauce. This is a very strange recipe....however, I will try it out of curiosity.

I brown my meatballs and then reduce heat to add marinara and extra onion/garlic to the pan surrounding the meatballs. Cover and simmer. Yum!

This is a keeper! I followed the meatball ingredients exactly and they were delicious! I sautéed half an onion, plus 4 whole garlic cloves, and a bay leaf for about 10 min. I added my favorite jarred marinara sauce. Rather than boiling the meatballs, after browning I added them to the sauce to finish cooking. I also drained off all fo the fat from the saute pan and added a cup of red to get all of the fond and flavor and added to sauce. Fresh oregano made all of the difference and is a must!

This recipe is bizarre. The idea of pouring two cups of water in with the meatballs seemed odd to me, but I thought maybe something magical would happen. Instead, what happened was exactly what you would expect: the previously browned and intact meatballs turned to absolute and unsalvageable mush. Says my daughter: “It was the worst!”

I always add ricotta to the meatball mixture. Really helps with moistness and makes meatballs less heavy. Instead of bacon in the mixture I microwave a small bowl of bacon fat and roll each meatball in it (then shake off excess) before oven roasting at 375 for 15-20 mins. The bacon fat might sound too rich or disgusting to some, but it adds flavour and a bit of a crust to the meatballs.

If I may add to the meatballs, a small onion, a tablespoon of fresh ground parsley, 1/2 a green pepper pulverized and 1/2 cup grated imported Romano cheese.

I just roll the raw meatballs in a little olive oil in a sheet pan, and roast them until they are done. Very easy.

These are the best meatballs I’ve made. Added an egg and whisper of Pecorino, poached them in sauce; used fresh marjoram bc no oregano at the store

For generations, after browning the meatballs, we have simmered the meatballs in the sauce for about 1/2 hour. I have never heard of boiling them! It would wash out much of the flavor!

Or you could brown the balls in the bacon fat and then cook em in the sauce :)

Thanks for the info about cooking the meatballs in the sauce. I was researching this because a friend gave me an old Sicilian family recipe where it calls from this. The other thing is that the sauce has no tomatoes, just a lot of tomato paste!?

I cook the meatballs in my oven moving them around a few times. Super yum.

Great recipe, loved the addition bacon. I also added an egg and garlic.

These are like Swedish meatballs

Adding locatelli romano or similar cheese to the meatball recipe adds richness. Finishing them in tomato sauce rather than water is far better and more flavorful. Completing them to that point and refrigerating in the sauce overnite vastly improves flavor-which is why I never serve a lasagna or mousaka the day it is made. The flavors marry overnite and gently reheating leads to a far improved product. Learned much of above from first generation Italian mother of college friend.

This is a keeper! I followed the meatball ingredients exactly and they were delicious! I sautéed half an onion, plus 4 whole garlic cloves, and a bay leaf for about 10 min. I added my favorite jarred marinara sauce. Rather than boiling the meatballs, after browning I added them to the sauce to finish cooking. I also drained off all fo the fat from the saute pan and added a cup of red to get all of the fond and flavor and added to sauce. Fresh oregano made all of the difference and is a must!

I made this twice, once with the bacon and once without, and I preferred the latter. I think the bacon actually detracts from the taste of the meatballs and doesn't quite work here.

I brown my meatballs and then reduce heat to add marinara and extra onion/garlic to the pan surrounding the meatballs. Cover and simmer. Yum!