Italian Cuisine
Spaghetti and Meatballs
By Marcus Caldwell
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Spaghetti and meatballs is an Italian-American invention, born when immigrants found meat cheap and plentiful in their new country and piled it onto pasta in a way the old country rarely did. That history is its charm, and the meatball is where the love goes. The secret to a tender meatball is restraint: mix the beef, breadcrumbs, egg, and Parmesan just until combined, because overworking the meat packs it dense and tough. I brown the meatballs first for flavor, then let them finish cooking gently in the marinara, where they stay juicy and infuse the sauce with savory depth. Salt the pasta water until it tastes like the sea, and pull the spaghetti a minute shy of the package time so it finishes in the sauce, drinking up flavor and emerging perfectly al dente. A shower of Parmesan and torn basil at the end ties it together. This is the Sunday dinner that makes everyone feel like part of a big, loud, happy family.
Ingredients
Serves 4Instructions
- 1
Gather and prepare all ingredients as specified in the ingredient list.
- 2
In a bowl, mix ground beef, breadcrumbs, egg, and Parmesan.
- 3
Form into balls.
- 4
Brown meatballs in a skillet or bake at 400°F (200°C) for 20 minutes.
- 5
Simmer meatballs in marinara sauce for 15-20 minutes.
- 6
Cook spaghetti according to package directions.
- 7
Serve meatballs and sauce over pasta.
Chef's Tips
- ✦ Mix the meatball ingredients just until combined; overmixing makes them dense and tough.
- ✦ Brown the meatballs for flavor, then finish them in the simmering sauce so they stay juicy and season the marinara.
- ✦ Salt the pasta water generously, until it tastes like the sea, since this is your only chance to season the pasta itself.
- ✦ Pull the spaghetti a minute early and finish it in the sauce so it absorbs flavor and stays al dente.
Ingredient Substitutions
-
ground beef → a beef, pork, and veal blend, or ground turkey
The three-meat blend is the classic Italian-American meatball; turkey is a lighter option.
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breadcrumbs → fresh bread soaked in milk, or panko
Milk-soaked fresh bread (a panade) makes the most tender meatballs; gluten-free crumbs also work.
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marinara sauce → homemade tomato sauce or a good jarred arrabbiata
Homemade is best, but a quality jar simmered with the meatballs tastes nearly homemade.
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spaghetti → any long pasta, or gluten-free spaghetti
Bucatini, linguine, or fettuccine all work; cook GF pasta carefully as it softens fast.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How do I make tender meatballs that do not fall apart? ▼
Use a binder of breadcrumbs and egg, mix gently just until combined, and do not skip browning, which forms a crust that helps them hold together. Finishing them in simmering sauce keeps them moist. Overmixing or too little binder are the usual causes of tough or crumbly meatballs.
Should I cook meatballs in the sauce or separately? ▼
Both: brown them first in a skillet for color and flavor, then transfer them to the sauce to finish cooking through. Browning builds a savory crust, while simmering in the marinara keeps them tender and lets them flavor the sauce. Cooking only in sauce skips that flavorful crust.
Can I bake the meatballs instead of frying? ▼
Yes. Bake them on a lined sheet at 400°F (200°C) for about 20 minutes until browned, then finish in the sauce. Baking is hands-off and less messy than pan-frying, and the meatballs brown nicely before simmering in the marinara.
What internal temperature should meatballs reach? ▼
Cook beef meatballs to an internal temperature of 160°F (71°C), or 165°F (74°C) if you use poultry. Since they finish in simmering sauce, they cook gently and stay juicy; a thermometer in the center of a meatball confirms they are done.
