Ingredients (~6 servings)
- 1 1/2 Tbsp neutral oil (like canola, vegetable, or avocado oil)
- 3/4 cup Italian bread crumbs
- 1/3 cup whole milk
- ~4 oz grated Parmesan Reggiano (3/4 cup grated)
- 3/4 of a yellow onion, peeled and roughly chopped
- ~8 garlic cloves, peeled
- 1/2 cup Italian parsley leaves
- 1 large egg
- 1 1/2 tsp crushed red peppers
- 1 Tbsp kosher salt
- 1 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
- 1 1/2 lbs ground pork
- 1 1/2 lbs ground beef
- 2 (28 oz) jars tomato sauce (one for braising meatballs, one for pasta)
- 1 1/2 lbs spaghetti or pasta of choice
Preparing Meatball Mixture
Preheat your oven to 425°F and brush a half sheet pan with the neutral oil.
In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs and milk; let stand for about 5 minutes, allowing the bread crumbs to absorb the liquid.
Add the Parmesan to a food processor and pulse until it’s in small bits. Then add the chopped onion, garlic, parsley, egg, crushed red pepper, salt, pepper, and the bread crumb mixture.
Pulse until everything is cohesive, scraping down the sides as needed.
If a food processor isn’t available, grate the Parmesan and mince the onion, garlic, and parsley with a knife. Mixing everything together vigorously in a bowl will create the same effect.
Form and Cook Meatballs
Add both ground meats to a large bowl and pour in the onion mixture. Mix gently but thoroughly — I like to squeeze the meat between my fingers to get everything well combined.
Divide into 2-ounce portions and roll each into a ball; place on your prepared sheet pan. A 2-ounce cookie scoop makes this easier, then just smooth each meatball out with your palms.
Roast for 15 minutes — they’ll brown slightly and render some fat, which is exactly what you want.
Braise Meatballs in Sauce
While the meatballs are cooking, pour one jar of tomato sauce into a large pot and warm over low heat. Keep it covered so it’s ready.
When the meatballs come out of the oven, transfer them one by one into the warm sauce. Bring to a gentle simmer, then lower the heat and cover.
Braise for an additional 10 minutes — this step keeps the meatballs more tender than if they were simply added to the sauce. They can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months at this point.
Cook the Pasta and Finish Meatballs
Bring a large pot of salted water to a rapid boil and cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain in a colander.
Pour the second jar of tomato sauce into the pasta pot and warm over medium heat for about 1 minute. Add the drained pasta and toss to coat evenly.
Serving Meatballs and Pasta
To serve, divide the sauced pasta among bowls and top each with 3 to 4 meatballs, extra grated Parmesan, and fresh Italian parsley.
This recipe makes enough meatballs for the full pasta dish, with some left over for future use.
Spaghetti and Meatballs
Ingredients
Ingredients (~6 servings)
- 1 1/2 Tbsp neutral oil like canola, vegetable, or avocado oil
- 3/4 cup Italian bread crumbs
- 1/3 cup whole milk
- ~4 oz grated Parmesan Reggiano 3/4 cup grated
- 3/4 a yellow onion peeled and roughly chopped
- ~8 garlic cloves peeled
- 1/2 cup Italian parsley leaves
- 1 large egg
- 1 1/2 tsp crushed red peppers
- 1 Tbsp kosher salt
- 1 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
- 1 1/2 lbs ground pork
- 1 1/2 lbs ground beef
- 2 jars tomato sauce (one for braising meatballs 28 oz, one for pasta)
- 1 1/2 lbs spaghetti or pasta of choice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425F and oil a half sheet pan.
- Soak bread crumbs in milk for 5 minutes.
- In food processor, pulse Parmesan until fine, then add onion, garlic, parsley, egg, crushed red pepper, salt, pepper, and soaked bread crumbs until cohesive.
- Add ground pork and beef to large bowl, pour in onion mixture, and mix gently but thoroughly.
- Form into 2-ounce balls and place on prepared pan.
- Roast for 15 minutes until browned.
- While meatballs roast, warm one jar of tomato sauce in large pot over low heat.
- Transfer roasted meatballs to warm sauce, bring to gentle simmer, cover, and cook 10 minutes.
- Boil pasta in salted water according to package directions, then drain.
- Warm second jar of sauce in pasta pot over medium heat for 1 minute, add drained pasta, and toss.
- Divide pasta among bowls and top with 3-4 meatballs per serving.
- Garnish with grated Parmesan and fresh parsley.
