Spaghetti and Meatballs
Spaghetti and meatballs is an Italian-American dish developed by Italian immigrants in the US during the early 20th century. In Italy, meatballs (polpette) and pasta exist separately; the combination is distinctly American... and it's delicious so we're making them.
I've used a 50/50 blend of beef and pork mince for the meatballs. The beef provides structure and flavour, while the pork’s higher fat content keeps the meatballs moist through browning and simmering. The panade (dried breadcrumbs soaked in milk) acts as a binder and moisture trap, so the meatballs stay tender even after 20 minutes cooking in the tomato sauce.
We're starting the sauce with a soffritto: grated onion, celery and carrot cooked down until soft, which gives a rounded sweetness that balances the acidity of the passata. Grating rather than chopping the vegetables means they cook faster and break down fully into the sauce. The meatballs are browned first to develop a crust, then returned to the sauce to finish cooking through, absorbing the tomato as the sauce simmers. Finishing with extra virgin olive oil and parmesan at the table adds richness at the point of serving, where neither gets lost in the heat.
Ingredient Notes
Beef and pork mince:
A 50/50 blend. Beef alone produces a denser, chewier meatball with a stronger flavour but less moisture. Pork alone is softer and fattier but milder. Combined, the pork fat keeps the meatball juicy while the beef carries the flavour. Use mince with at least 20% fat in both; extra lean mince will produce a dry, tight result.
Dried breadcrumbs:
Standard fine dried breadcrumbs work better here than panko. Panko has a coarser, more open crumb that suits fresh-cheese mixtures like ricotta. Fine dried breadcrumbs absorb the milk more fully and give a tighter, more uniform texture that holds together well when the meatball is browned and simmered.
Passata:
Passata is uncooked, strained tomatoes with no added seasoning. It forms the base of the sauce and cooks down further with the soffritto and meatballs. Don’t use a pre-seasoned jar of pasta sauce here; the added sugar, salt and herbs in commercial sauces can make the finished dish taste over-seasoned and sweet.
Ingredients
- 75g (¾ cup) dried breadcrumbs
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 80ml (⅓ cup) milk
- 2 tbsp flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
- sea salt and pepper, to season
- 40g (½ cup) Parmesan cheese, finely grated
- 500g beef mince
- 500g pork mince
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 brown onion, grated
- 1 celery stick, grated
- 1 carrot, grated
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 700g jar passata sauce
- pinch of chilli flakes
- 3 sprigs basil
- 500g spaghetti
- extra virgin olive oil and parmesan, for serving
Equipment
-
Chopping board
-
Box grater (for onion, celery and carrot)
-
Large mixing bowl
-
Large heavy-based frying pan with lid
-
Tongs
-
Large saucepan (for pasta)
-
Colander
Directions
PREP THE MEATBALLS
COOK THE MEATBALLS
COOK THE SAUCE
FINISH AND SERVE
Notes
Chef Tips
Rolling meatballs
You can roll the meatballs and add them straight to the pan as you go, but if you aren’t confident on your speed of this then prep them all ahead and then add to the heated pan.
Storage
Meatballs can be refrigerated for several days in their sauce in an airtight container. Toss some olive oil through the pasta before storing and refrigerating in an airtight container, to prevent it sticking together.
Serving ideas
You could mix it up with some other pasta shapes for this dish, but longer is better for this sauce, such as pappardelle, fettuccine, linguine.
FAQs
Can I make this dish ahead of time?
Is it spicy?
Can I make it gluten free?
Nutrition
Nutrition
- Serving Size
- 1 serving
- Calories
- per serving
- 1228
- Carbs
- 143 grams
- Protein
- 58 grams
- Fat
- 47 grams
- Saturated Fat
- 15 grams
- Fiber
- 10 grams
- Sugar
- 15 grams
- Sodium
- 1020 milligrams
- Cholesterol
- 112 milligrams
- Potassium
- 1320 milligrams
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