Spaghetti with Italian Meatballs

Name: Spaghetti with Italian Meatballs
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 1 h 15 min
Total time: 1 h 35 min
Yield: 10 servings.
Ingredients: 3/4 cup chopped onion; 1 tablespoon olive oil; 1 garlic clove, minced; 1 can (28 ounces) Italian crushed tomatoes, undrained; 1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste; 1 cup water; 1-1/2 teaspoons dried oregano; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/2 teaspoon pepper; MEATBALLS:; 4 slices white bread, torn; 1/2 cup water; 2 eggs, lightly beaten; 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese; 1 garlic clove, minced; 1 teaspoon dried basil; 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1 pound lean ground beef (90% lean); 2 teaspoons olive oil; 1 package (16 ounces) spaghetti

Sharon Crider sends this hearty spaghetti dinner from Junction City, Kansas. "It's one of my family's favorite recipes," she writes. "We enjoy servings of the sauce with a variety of pasta."

Ingredients

3/4 cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 can (28 ounces) Italian crushed tomatoes, undrained
1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste
1 cup water
1-1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
MEATBALLS:
4 slices white bread, torn
1/2 cup water
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pound lean ground beef (90% lean)
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 package (16 ounces) spaghetti

Directions

In a large saucepan, cook onion in oil until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in the tomatoes, tomato paste, water, oregano, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, soak bread in water for 5 minutes. Squeeze out excess liquid. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, cheese, garlic, basil, parsley, salt and bread. Crumble beef over mixture and mix well. Shape into 1-in. balls.
In a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray, brown meatballs in batches in oil over medium heat.
Add meatballs to sauce; return to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes or until meatballs are no longer pink.
Cook spaghetti according to package directions; drain. Serve with meatballs and sauce.

Nutrition Facts

1/2 cup sauce with 3 meatballs and 2/3 cup cooked spaghetti: 368 calories, 9g fat (3g saturated fat), 73mg cholesterol, 661mg sodium, 50g carbohydrate (9g sugars, 3g fiber), 20g protein.

Originally published as Spaghetti Sauce with Italian Meat Balls in Light & Tasty June/July 2006

Reviews

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Average Rating:

shannondobos

Jan 25, 2017

We really enjoyed these meatballs. I prefer using fresh basil, so next time I will switch that up. They were definitely moist and flavorful. The kids ate several too, which always means 5 stars to me!
alstonk111

Mar 24, 2016

My review is solely on the Meatballs. I've made these several times now for family and friends. It's a keeper for sure! Very tasty & tender. Everyone always wants the recipe after they've had them. I went with the others suggestions with baking them in the 400 degrees oven.
chefheidi18

Feb 16, 2016

The meatballs were great! Everyone loved it.
PrplMonky5

Feb 14, 2016

My review is based solely on the sauce. I had meatballs that I had already made in the freezer, so I just used those. I put them in the oven to thaw them out, then put them in the sauce for about 20 minutes. To add some chunkiness to the sauce I threw in some canned diced tomatoes w/ onion and garlic. Because garlic was already included with the diced tomatoes, I cut back a tad on the minced garlic. I thought the sauce was good, but not great. I would still make this again, maybe with some more tweaks to suit our tastes.
DeliciouslyResourceful_Gina

Jan 23, 2016

I just made the meatballs. They were fabulous! Tasty and tender. I used whole grain bread and baked in the oven at 400 degrees for 15 min as another reviewer suggested. This will become my go to meatball recipe.
chelseaspiegel

Apr 15, 2014

So delicious!
LadyNouvelleCuisine

Feb 24, 2014

Everyone in my family loved these meatballs. I added a small zucchini and caramelized onions to the sauce when I added the meatballs. They added a very fresh change to the dish! I will definitely will be making this again!
mwest2655

Nov 1, 2013

This was excellent, I used 1/2 lb. ground chuck and 1/2 lb. fresh ground Italian sausage, giving the meatballs great flavor. Also, I make extra meatballs, the leftovers make good meatball sandwiches.This recipe is a keeper has become a family favorite when dining with just the family or for dinners with guests.
Janet Burkhart

Feb 13, 2013

Made this for dinner this evening. My husband and son loved it. I also baked the meatballs @400 for 15 minutes. Will be making this again.
smartcookmaster

Jan 29, 2013

this recipes is amazing.I made it for my parents on Sunday and they loved it.i am so making this again!!!!!