Spaghetti & Meatballs

some recipes are classics for a reason and spaghetti and meatballs is absolutely one of them🍝🧆 juicy beef meatballs simmered in a rich tomato sauce built on a soffritto of carrot, celery, and onion — the kind of sauce that fills your whole kitchen with the best smell. served over spaghetti with a snow of parmesan and fresh parsley. 🫶

Ingredients

Meatballs

• 1 lb ground beef

• ¼ cup breadcrumbs

• 1 egg

• 1/2 tbsp garlic powder

• 1/2 tbsp onion powder

• 1/2 tbsp oregano

• 1 tsp red pepper flakes

• ¼ cup parmesan, grated

• 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

• 1 tsp salt

• 1/2 tsp pepper

• 1 tbsp avocado oil (or any neutral oil)

Tomato sauce

• 1 can whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes (28 oz)

• 1 cup carrot, finely diced

• 1 cup celery, finely diced

• 1 cup onion, finely diced

• 6 cloves garlic, minced

• 1/4 cup tomato paste

• 1 cup chicken stock

• 1/2 cup of red wine

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 1 parmesan rind

• 1 bay leaf

• 1/2 tbsp oregano (fresh or dried)

• 1/2 tbsp thyme (fresh or dried)

• 1/2 tbsp rosemary (fresh or dried)

• 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

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Serves 3-4

Prep time ~20 mins

Cook time ~1.5 hrs

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Cooking Instructions

WASH YOUR VEGGIES

• Wash and prep your carrot, celery, onion, and parsley before getting started.

Make the meatballs

• In a large bowl, combine ground beef, breadcrumbs, egg, garlic, parmesan, parsley, salt, and pepper. Mix until just combined — don't overwork.

• Roll into golf ball-sized meatballs, about 10–12 total.

  • ours were definitely a golf ball and a half 😅

• Heat avocado oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sear meatballs in batches, turning, until browned on all sides, about 3 mins each side. Do not cook them all the way through. Remove and set aside.

Build the base

• In the same pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add diced carrot, celery, and onion (soffritto). Cook 8–10 min, stirring occasionally, until fully softened and beginning to turn golden.

• Add garlic and cook 1–2 min until fragrant.

• Add tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, until it darkens from bright red to a deep brick red, about 5 min.

Deglaze & simmer

• Pour in red wine, scraping up any browned bits. Let it reduce, about 2–3 min.

• Add San Marzano tomatoes (crush by hand before adding to the pot), chicken stock, parmesan rind, bay leaf, thyme, and oregano. Stir to combine and season with salt and pepper.

• Bring to a gentle simmer, then reduce heat to low. Simmer uncovered for 1.5-2 hrs until sauce is thick and deeply flavored.

  • i only did it for 1 hour but, the longer you simmer, the flavor will have more depth

• Remove parmesan rind and bay leaf. Then use an immersion blender to puree the sauce to your liking.

  • if you don’t have one, you can use a normal blender

• 10-15 mins before the hour is up or however long you plan to simmer the sauce, add the meatballs back in to finish cooking, add parsley to the sauce and stir.

Cook pasta & serve

• While the meatballs are cooking, cook the spaghetti in well-salted boiling water per the package instructions.

• Plate spaghetti, top with meatballs and sauce. Finish with freshly grated parmesan and chopped parsley.

Tips & Notes

• Don't skip the soffritto — carrot, celery, and onion cooked low and slow is the flavor foundation of the sauce.

• Crush San Marzano tomatoes by hand for the best rustic texture — they're sweeter and less acidic than regular canned tomatoes.

• Sear the meatballs first even though they'll finish in the sauce — the browned crust adds flavor and helps them hold together.

• The longer you simmer the sauce, the more depth and flavor will come through.

• Tastes even better the next day — great for meal prep.