Alice’s Spaghetti and Meatballs

Alice’s Spaghetti and Meatballs are a beloved recipe in our household! These hearty beef and Italian sausage meatballs sear up beautifully and then cook in the most luscious tomato sauce. Perfect for Sunday dinner, this spaghetti and meatballs recipe brings the flavor, texture and nostalgia.

The day before Hurricane Katrina made landfall, I stood in my friend’s boyfriend’s kitchen making my mom’s spaghetti and meatballs.

As a college student who’d never experienced a hurricane (hello, I’m a native Tennessean), I had no idea what was coming. However, I knew cooking would calm my nerves.

I made a massive pot to feed our friends that Sunday evening, and we continued to enjoy these as the hurricane came and went, leaving destruction in its wake and changing all of us in the process.

Now, every time I make these meatballs, I think about that afternoon of channeling fear into something nourishing and feeding the people I loved when none of us knew what the future held.

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Why I love this recipe:

Not only did I make this before Katrina, but these spaghetti and meatballs — lovingly referred to as “spag ‘n balls” in my family — are the comfort food I turn to anytime something is wrong because they’re my mom’s recipe.

Fun fact: this beef and pork sausage meatballs recipe was taught to her by one of her friend’s grandmothers, who was an Italian immigrant.

Another fun fact: I followed her around my kitchen with a kitchen scale and measuring spoons and cups because I desperately wanted to get the measurements on her recipe right.

Please know that this recipe is not one that’s meant to be rushed, and it takes some time to assemble and cook. Which means it’s the perfect lazy Sunday night dinner recipe as opposed to a random weeknight.

The meatballs are juicy and meaty. The sauce is rich. And the combination of them over pasta is just pure comfort.

More pasta recipes to enjoy: Lemon Shrimp Pasta | Cajun Shrimp Fettuccine Alfredo | Baked Gnocchi with Chicken | Chicken Pesto Pasta

What you need to make this recipe:

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• Sharp knife and cutting board
• Round Dutch oven (7.5 qt.)
• Large mixing bowl
• Measuring spoons
• Kitchen scale
• Cookie scoop (1.5-tablespoon)

Here is what you need to gather from the grocery store, your pantry and fridge to make spaghetti and meatballs:

• Ground beef — this is the base for our meatballs. We like to use 85% lean for some extra fat in the meatballs. (Remember, fat = flavor.)
• Mild Italian sausage — this is combined with the beef to make up the meatballs. There is less sausage than there is beef, and it adds awesome flavor and texture. You could swap this with spicy Italian sausage if you prefer. Just make sure the sausage is fresh!
• Onion — yellow or white onion is what you want for this recipe. You’ll need some for the meatballs themselves, as well as the sauce. We typically use one large onion for this recipe.
• Garlic — freshly minced, please and thank you. Like the onion, this is used in both the meatballs and the sauce.
• Dried oregano — or fresh, if you’re feeling fancy. This is the only herb used in the meatballs and sauce for good reason. (My mom wants you to know that basil is never used in this recipe.)
• Kosher salt — medium grain kosher salt is my go-to. (Diamond Crystal is my favorite brand.) You can use a similarly sized sea salt if you prefer.
• Black pepper — we like to grind our own, but you can use the pre-ground pepper if necessary. That tends to be more finely ground, so you can use less of it.
• Egg — a large egg from the store will do. This acts as a binder for the meatballs. Do not skip it.
• Fresh breadcrumbs — my mom swears by this because fresh breadcrumbs are fluffier and lighter than the jarred kind. These also help the meatballs come together and have that dreamy texture.
• Extra virgin olive oil — or another oil of your choosing. This is what we sear the meatballs in.
• Red wine — whatever drinkable wine you like will work here! We personally like a cabernet or something with a bit more body because the flavor trasfers to the sauce. If you don’t drink or don’t have alcohol, you can use a little bit of water to deglaze the pot before adding the tomato.
• Tomato puree — this is the base of our sauce. You want it to be unseasoned because we add our own seasoning and let the meatballs add flavor, too.
• Whole peeled tomatoes — these add texture and flavor to the sauce. Like the puree, we don’t need any seasonings to be in these. (Looking at the cans that have fresh basil in them… that’s a no here.) San Marzano tomatoes are awesome, but you can use any kind. You could use crushed tomatoes in the place of these if necessary.
• Water — this will thin out the sauce the perfect amount. We like to use the tomato puree can as the measuring cup for this. It also does double duty by ensure all the puree makes it into the pot.
• Tomato paste — a full can of this goodness, please and thank you. It will help thicken the sauce, as well as give a deeper, richer tomato flavor.

How to make Alice’s Beef and Sausage Meatballs

Mise en place. Remove the fresh sausage from its casing. Chop the onion and garlic. Make the breadcrumbs. Get the egg out of the fridge. And get out all your measuring cups or your scale.

Put it in a large bowl. Measure in the beef, sausage, onion, garlic, bread crumbs, oregano, salt, pepper, egg and breadcrumbs into the bowl.

Mix ’em up. Use your hands to gently knead the ingredients together, mixing to combine all the ingredients as best you can so that they are evenly dispersed.

Scoop and shape the meatball mixture. Measure the ingredients out into a kitchen scoop and then form the meatballs in the palm of your hands to roll them into shape. Place on a plate.

We like to make 1.5-tablespoon meatballs, but you can make them larger or smaller. The size will impact how long they take to cook.

Prepare to fry. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onion to saute for a minute or two.

Fry the meatballs in batches. Add about half of the meatballs to the pot, and brown on all sides. About halfway through the process, add the garlic so that it can cook. Remove the browned meatballs from the pot, then add the rest of the meatballs and repeat.

Sop up the extra oil and fat. We like to do this with a paper towel, but you can gently scoop it out of the pot into another vessel, if preferred.

Pour in the wine and deglaze the pan, scraping the bottom to remove any browned bits.

Make the homemade marinara sauce. Add the tomato puree, whole peeled tomatoes, water and tomato paste to the pot, stirring to combine. Season with salt and oregano.

Simmer. Cover the pot, lower the heat and simmer for at least an hour… the sauce has thickened into a beautiful gravy. Taste it and add additional salt, if necessary.

Alternately, you can transfer the meatballs and sauce to a slow cooker, and let it cook on LOW for the duration of a day, if you prefer. To us, this provides the best flavor.

Before serving, bring salted water to a boil in a large pot and cook the pasta, then drain when al dente. We use spaghetti noodles, but honestly, you can use whatever shape of pasta you’d like.

Serve the meatballs and sauce over the al dente pasta. Garnish with freshly grated parmesan cheese and fresh parsley. Serve alongside your favorite garlic bread and a caesar salad.

Frequently Asked Questions

Quick tips and tricks to the best beef and sausage meatballs:

• Don’t rush the process! This recipe takes time. Plan accordingly.
• Purchase the right meat. You need to have a certain amount of fat in the meatballs for them to be as juicy as they are here.
• Utilize the slow cooker. If you’re able to make the meatballs and sauce in the morning hours, transfer them to a 7 qt. slow cooker and simmer for the rest of the day. Not only will they be the perfect temperature, but the tender meatballs and cooked down sauce are a dream.

Here’s how you can make these at home…