When I hear spaghetti and meatballs, I envision a lengthy (but rewarding) process of tending to both the meat and simmering sauce on the stovetop. But when a craving for this beloved Italian American classic hits on a weekday, I want it NOW, please and thank you. And thus, the creation of this weeknight-friendly version, entirely doable in just an hour. (Watch my development process—and all 65 attempts at nailing the meatballs—here.)
On its surface, spaghetti and meatballs seems like a pretty straightforward dish—and it largely is. You have three parts to contend with: the meatballs, the sauce, and the pasta. The real star, for me, is the meatball component, which requires some love and attention in order to avoid the dreaded dried-out-puck fate.
My ideal meatball is one that is fork—no, spoon!—tender. Many traditional meatball recipes include a trio of beef, pork, and veal to achieve this optimal texture; my aim was to pare this down to the more widely available (and affordable) beef and pork. A panade, a mixture of starch and liquid, is often added to meatballs for moisture; breadcrumbs (homemade or store-bought) or even Japanese panko can be used, but I opted for good old-fashioned Italian-style seasoned breadcrumbs, which produce a consistent texture and, of course, contribute built-in flavor. Additionally, I borrowed from the Korean playbook and include some grated onion and a touch of soy sauce for added umami. Whatever you do, use a light hand and DO NOT OVERMIX the mixture if you want tender meatballs. As for cooking the meatballs, I skipped the time-consuming oven and relied on the broiler to develop a bit of a crust, before finishing off the meatballs in the sauce.
The tomato sauce is a supporting cast member here. I kept it simple with a marinara made from tomato passata, which always tastes brighter and fresher to me than tinned, though you certainly can use your preferred canned tomato purée, crushed tomato product, or even your favorite prepared bottled marinara (I always keep a jar of Rao’s nearby for just this reason). Feel free to add aromatics like basil, oregano, or thyme if you desire. I opted to keep the marinara canvas minimal here.
Lastly, don’t forget to reserve some pasta cooking water (always!) to loosen the sauce. Unlike the emoji plate of spaghetti, it’s always nice to coat the noodles in a bit of the sauce before plating up; there’s plenty of sauce here to allow you to do this.
What you’ll need
Dutch Oven
$133 $80 At Amazon
Ice Cream Scoop
$15 At Amazon
Wooden Spoon
$7 At Amazon
Rubber Spatula
$13 At Amazon
Rimmed Baking Sheet
$32 At Amazon
Large Pot
$55 $48 At Amazon
Box Grater
$16 At Amazon
Recipe information
Total Time
1 hour
Yield
4–6 servings
Ingredients
¼
5
4
2
1
½
1
⅓
¼
2
¼
½
1
8
1
Need to make a substitution?
Preparation
Step 1
Heat ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil in a medium Dutch oven or heavy pot over medium. Add 5 garlic cloves, sliced; season with kosher salt. Cook, stirring, until fragrant (don’t let garlic brown), about 30 seconds. Add two 24.5-oz. bottles tomato passata. Add ½ cup water to one of the bottles, swirl around, and pour into pot. Give sauce a good stir and bring to a vigorous simmer. Reduce heat to low, partially cover, and simmer gently until sauce is slightly thickened, 15–20 minutes. Cover and keep warm.
Step 2
While the sauce is simmering, mix 1 cup whole milk and ½ cup seasoned Italian breadcrumbs in a medium bowl with a rubber spatula; let panade sit 10 minutes.
Step 3
Mix 1 large egg, ¹⁄3cup grated Parmesan, ¼ cup finely chopped parsley, 2 tsp. soy sauce, ½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt, and ¼ tsp. freshly ground pepper in another medium bowl. Working over a large plate, grate ½ medium onion on the large holes of a box grater (you should have a generous ¼ cup). Mix grated onion and any onion juice from plate into egg mixture. Add panade and mix well.
Step 4
Using a rubber spatula, gently mix 1 lb. ground beef, 8 oz. ground pork, and 1½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1 tsp. Morton kosher salt in a large bowl. Gently mix in egg mixture until incorporated; do not overwork. Using a #20 ice cream scoop (about 3 Tbsp.), portion out meatballs (you should have about 16) and place on an oiled rimmed baking sheet. Using oiled hands and working one at a time, pass meatballs back and forth between each hand (like a pitcher throwing a ball into his mitt, but lightly!) 5 or 6 times to remove excess air. The resulting balls should be smooth and shiny. Arrange meatballs in a 4x4 grid on baking sheet.
Step 5
Heat broiler. Broil meatballs just until golden brown on top, about 3 minutes (don’t be tempted to cook them longer; meatballs will finish cooking in sauce). Stir 2 tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt into tomato sauce. Transfer meatballs and any juices to sauce, making sure meatballs are mostly submerged. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook just until meatballs are cooked through, 7–9 minutes. Taste and season with more salt and/or pepper if needed.
Step 6
Meanwhile, cook 1 lb. spaghetti in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Drain, reserving 1 cup pasta cooking liquid. Return pasta to pot.
Step 7
Add a few ladlefuls of sauce to pasta; toss to combine. Tossing vigorously, add pasta cooking liquid a splash at a time until pasta is glossy and coated.
Step 8
Divide pasta among shallow bowls. Top with meatballs and sauce. Scatter more parsley and Parmesan over.