For me, spaghetti and meatballs is the ultimate comfort food. I’ve been making it for a while now and over the years you would not believe how many recipes I’ve tried because I am literally on a quest to make the BEST meatballs ever. Everything I tried was very good (you can’t really go wrong with meatballs and tomato sauce right?) but not quite as perfect as I wanted it to be. When I got exactly the taste I wanted, the texture wasn’t right and when I got the texture right, something was missing with the taste. So I was really excited when I came across this article on Epicurious on all the testing they’ve done on how to develop the world’s greatest spaghetti and meatballs. They gave great tips and I just had to try it and…just like that…it’s the BEST one I have ever made! It’s not a weeknight recipe because the sauce needs to simmer for a while but it’s a perfect weekend recipe and you will have lots of leftovers to freeze. My little Chloé loves these so much that most of the time she will eat them on their own, without pasta, with a nice piece of crusty bread… just delicious!
- Tomato Sauce
- ½ cup olive oil
- 12 garlic cloves, peeled
- 4 (28-ounce) cans whole tomatoes
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 dried bay leaves
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1½ teaspoons dried oregano
- ½ teapoon freshly ground pepper
- ⅔ cup (packed) fresh basil leaves
- Meatballs
- 1½ cups panko
- ½ lb ground beef
- ½ lb ground pork
- ½ lb ground veal
- 2 large eggs, beaten to blend
- 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1¼ cups grated Parmesan, divided
- ½ cup coarsely chopped fresh parsley
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon ground fennel seeds
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 pound spaghetti
- Tomato Sauce
- Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-low and add garlic. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until garlic is golden on all sides, stirring occasionally, reduce heat if garlic starts to burn.
- While garlic cooks, pour all tomatoes in a large bowl and break them up in smaller pieces.
- Add red pepper flakes to garlic and stir for about about 30 seconds.
- Add tomatoes, bay leaves, salt, oregano, and pepper and stir until well combined.
- Increase heat slightly and gently simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce has thickened and flavors have concentrated, at least 2 hours and up to 3 hours.
- Meatballs
- Combine panko, beef, pork, veal, eggs, garlic, 1 cup parmesan, parsley, 1 tsp. salt, oregano, pepper, fennel, and red pepper flakes in a large bowl. Gently mix with your hands until all ingredients are evenly distributed (do not overmix).
- Roll meat mixture between wet palms into golf-ball-sized balls.
- Place meatballs on a rimmed baking sheet-you should have about 24-and chill until sauce is ready.
- Finish the dish
- Once sauce is ready, remove bay leaves and add basil. Use an immersion blender (or transfer sauce to a food processor or blender, working in batches, if necessary), and purée until desired texture (either slightly chunky or smooth).
- Add meatballs to tomato sauce. Increase heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until meatballs are cooked through, about 20-25 minutes.
- Meanwhile, cook spaghetti in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Drain.
- Divide pasta among plates and top with sauce. Sprinkle with remaining ¼ cup Parmesan.
If you love meatballs also try my Swedish Meatballs or my Meatball Tomato Soup with Pasta and Basil.
Experimenting with recipes is always exciting. It is good to have that quest because it will help to make the best every single time. That’s how you become the genius in cooking