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.

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 1 30

Total Time 1 45

Servings servings

Calories 679kcal

Ingredients

Meatballs

2 lbs. ground beef 85% lean
1 lb. mild Italian sausage
1 medium yellow onion finely chopped (about ½ cup)
1 tablespoons minced garlic (from about 6-7 smaller cloves)
2 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 egg
1 ½ cups fresh breadcrumbs

Sauce

1 ½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
½ cup chopped yellow onion
1 tablespoon minced garlic
½ cup red wine
28 oz. tomato puree
28 oz. whole peeled tomatoes
2 ½ cups water *
6 oz. tomato paste
2 pinches kosher salt
2 teaspoons dried oregano
Kosher salt to taste

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Make the meatballs

Mise en place. Take the sausage out of its casings. Chop the onion and garlic. Make the breadcrumbs. Crack the egg into a small bowl.
Measure in the beef, sausage , onion, garlic, breadcrumbs, oregano, salt, pepper, egg and breadcrumbs into a large mixing bowl.
Use your hands to gently knead the ingredients together until they are well combined and evenly dispersed.
Use a 1.5-tablespoon scoop to measure out the ingredients. (You can also eyeball it OR use a larger scoop, if desired.) Form into meatballs in the palms of your hand and gently roll them into shape.

Fry the meatballs

Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onion to the oil as it heats so that they can cook down some.
Add the rolled meatballs to the Dutch oven when the oil is warm, and brown on all sides. About halfway through the process, add the garlic so that it can cook.
Once completely browned (not necessarily cooked through), remove the meatballs from the pan. Repeat until all meatballs are browned.

Make the sauce

When the meatballs are all browned, sop up the extra oil and fat from the bottom of the Dutch oven before proceeding.
Pour in the wine, and let that cook down.
Turn down the heat to medium, then pour in the tomato puree, whole peeled tomatoes, water and tomato paste. Use the can that the tomato puree comes in and fill that up with the water. This way, you'll be able to get all the tomato goodness out of the can while also using it as a measuring cup.
Add the salt and oregano, then stir until combined.
Cover the Dutch oven. Lower the heat and simmer for at least an hour, or until the sauce has thickened into a beautiful gravy**. Give it a taste and add additional salt, if necessary.
Serve warm over spaghetti (or the pasta of your choice) with freshly grated parmesan cheese.

Notes

Makes 44 (1.5 tablespoon) meatballs. Nutrition calculated does not include pasta.

* Use the tomato puree can to measure the water after you pour the puree into the pot.

** We have found that transferring everything to the slow cooker and letting it cook all day long really enhances the flavor of the meatballs and their sauce.

Nutrition