Hello everyone! I know it’s been a few weeks since my mom and I have cooked together – vacations, time off, etc has been throwing our schedule off. Today we are back and sharing one of the yummiest recipes- homemade meatballs and spaghetti sauce! This is 10X better than a store bought jar of sauce- you can really tell a difference! Perfect for a big family dinner! *Tip: we double the recipe when we are having a big family dinner!
Homemade Meatballs and Spaghetti Sauce
Ingredients:
For the meatballs:
- 1 1/2lbs lean ground beef
- 1 small-medium onion (very finely chopped)
- 1 large egg
- 4 tbsp breadcrumbs
- 2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- 1/4 tsp dried garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- black pepper to taste
- olive oil for baking
For the sauce:
- 1/2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large onion (chopped)
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/4 tsp dried garlic powder
- 1/3 cup red wine (optional, use broth or water as a substitute)
- 1 14oz can diced tomatoes
- 1 14oz can tomato sauce
- salt + black pepper to taste
Make the meatballs:
- Mix the ingredients: Place all ingredients EXCEPT for the oil in a large bowl. Using a handheld mixer, mix very well until everything is evenly incorporated and sticks together. If you don’t have a handheld mixer, you’ll have to use your hands to knead the ingredients together very well.
- Shape the meatballs: Preheat the oven to 410F. Using about 2-3 teaspoons of meat mix per meatball, shape meatballs and place them on a lightly oiled baking sheet or a 9×13 inch pan.
- Bake the meatballs: Bake the meatballs for 10-12 minutes or until browned
Make the sauce:
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes or until starting to soften. Add minced garlic.
- Stir in the tomato paste, Italian seasoning, and garlic powder. Cook for another minute or until it smells fragrant. Pour the red wine (or broth/water) into the pan scratching the browned bits off the bottom.
- Add both tomatoes and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for a few minutes on medium-low heat, stirring from time to time.
Finish the dish:
- Add the baked meatballs into the finished tomato sauce. Continue to simmer this mixture until ready to serve.
We serve this over spaghetti noodles, but you can use whatever noodles you prefer! Scott has even used the leftover meatballs/sauce to make a meatball sub the next day and it’s so good! I hope you all enjoy this recipe and as always we love seeing what you all are making! Tag me on IG so we can see! Love, Nina and Alexa
