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There is just something so comforting about a big plate of Spaghetti and Meatballs, isn’t there?! Homemade Spaghetti Sauce and Meatballs are recipes that I cook multiple times a month, and are both a staple on my Monthly Meal Plans. I’m not sure what I love more about Spaghetti and Meatballs; if it’s that it can be made on your stove top, or in the slow cooker or that for only a few bucks, Homemade Spaghetti Sauce makes multiple meals.
This is one of my most popular recipes which is why it’s the first one I am sharing now that I had to re-do my website, and add all the content again. Whenever my boys have friends sleep over, the kids ALWAYS ask for Spaghetti & Meatballs. The kids love them so much that at the beginning of the school year when they had to introduce themselves and say their name and a food they like that starts with the first letter of their name, Anthony’s best friend Leo said “Lindsie’s Meatballs”.
How To Make Spaghetti & Meatballs
Gather Your Ingredients & Equipment:
You can make so much sauce with just a few ingredients.
Equipment:
Slow Cooker
Food Mill (A food mill will remove all the seeds from the tomatoes in your sauce which will make it less acidic. Alternatively, Pomi tomatoes make a good substitution to a food mill.)
Cheese Grater
Cutting Board
Knife
Large Pot
Make The Sauce
Heat oil in a large, heavy pot over medium heat. Add garlic to pot and cook for about two minutes, or until golden. Stir in tomato paste and cook 1 minute.
With a food mill, puree the tomatoes, with their juice, into the pot. To save time milling tomatoes, buy strained tomatoes. For a chunkier sauce, just add crushed tomatoes to pot. Add 1-2 tbsp water to each can of tomatoes, and swirl around. Add to pot with tomatoes, and stir.
Add basil and parmesan cheese to pot, and stir to combine.
Partially cover pot, and let simmer on low for 6 hours.
How To Make Spaghetti Sauce In Slow Cooker
Add milled tomatoes, basil and parmesan cheese to the base of a slow cooker. Add 1-2 tbsp water to each can of tomatoes, and swirl around. Add to pot with tomatoes, and stir. In a small pan, add oil and garlic and cook for about two minutes, or until golden. Stir in tomato paste and cook 1 minute. Stir in garlic/tomato paste mixture to tomatoes in slow cooker. Cook on low for 8 hours.
Make The Meatballs
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and set aside.
In a large bowl, combine parmesan cheese, eggs, basil, parsley, salt, pepper and garlic powder until well combined. Add ground beef to mixture, and mix together until fully combined. Add breadcrumbs to bowl, and gently mix, until just combined.
Form into equal sized meatballs, and place in a single layer on prepared baking sheet.
Bake for 15-20 minutes, depending on size of meatballs.
Add meatballs to sauce.
How To Make Cheese Stuffed Meatballs
Start forming meatball mixture into a ball, and gently press a divot into the center. Add a ½” cube of fresh mozzarella to the divot. Roll into a meatball, fully covering cheese in the center. Place in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with foil. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes, depending on size of meatballs.
How To Serve
Cook spaghetti in a large pot of salted boiling water according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
In the same pot, add 1-2 tbsp butter, and melt. Add spaghetti and 1 cup of Spaghetti Sauce to pot, and toss to fully coat.
Put pasta in a large bowl, and top with a spoonful of Spaghetti Sauce and Meatballs. Add a sprinkle of parmesan cheese, if desired.
Serve extra Spaghetti Sauce and Meatballs on the side.
How To Make Spaghetti Sauce In The Slow Cooker
Add milled tomatoes, basil and parmesan cheese to the base of a slow cooker. Add 1-2 tbsp water to each can of tomatoes, and swirl around. Add to pot with tomatoes, and stir. In a small pan, add oil and garlic and cook for about two minutes, or until golden. Stir in tomato paste and cook 1 minute. Stir in garlic/tomato paste mixture to tomatoes in slow cooker. Cook on low for 8 hours.
Spaghetti & Meatballs
Homemade Spaghetti & Meatballs
- Slow Cooker
For Sauce
- 3 28 oz cans crushed tomatoes (swirl 2 tbsp water around in each can to get all the tomatoes out, and add to pot/slow cooker)
- 3 28 oz cans tomato sauce
- 1 28 oz can tomato puree
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 1 2.5 oz basil, thinly sliced
- 6-8 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 ½ cups parmesan cheese, finely grated
For Meatballs
- 1 lb ground beef
- ½ tbsp garlic powder
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1 bunch italian parsley, minced
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp olive oil or bacon fat (for frying)
For Sauce
-
Heat oil in a large, heavy pot over medium heat. Add garlic to pot and cook for about two minutes, or until golden. Stir in tomato paste and cook 1 minute.
With a food mill, puree the tomatoes, with their juice, into the pot. To save time milling tomatoes, buy strained tomatoes. For a chunkier sauce, just add crushed tomatoes to pot. Add 1-2 tbsp water to each can of tomatoes, and swirl around. Add to pot with tomatoes, and stir.
Add basil and parmesan cheese to pot, and stir to combine.
Partially cover pot, and let simmer on low for 6 hours.
How To Make Sauce In Slow Cooker
-
Add milled tomatoes, basil and parmesan cheese to the base of a slow cooker. Add 1-2 tbsp water to each can of tomatoes, and swirl around. Add to pot with tomatoes, and stir. In a small pan, add oil and garlic and cook for about two minutes, or until golden. Stir in tomato paste and cook 1 minute. Stir in garlic/tomato paste mixture to tomatoes in slow cooker. Cook on low for 8 hours.
For Meatballs
-
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and set aside.
In a large bowl, combine parmesan cheese, eggs, basil, parsley, salt, pepper and garlic powder until well combined. Add ground beef to mixture, and mix together until fully combined. Add breadcrumbs to bowl, and gently mix, until just combined.
Form into equal sized meatballs, and place in a single layer on prepared baking sheet.
Bake for 15-20 minutes, depending on size of meatballs.
Add meatballs to sauce.
To Serve
-
Cook spaghetti in a large pot of salted boiling water according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
In the same pot, add 1-2 tbsp butter, and melt. Add spaghetti and 1 cup of Spaghetti Sauce to pot, and toss to fully coat.
Put pasta in a large bowl, and top with a spoonful of Spaghetti Sauce and Meatballs. Add a sprinkle of parmesan cheese, if desired.
Serve extra Spaghetti Sauce and Meatballs on the side.
How To Make Cheese Stuffed Meatballs
-
Start forming meatball mixture into a ball, and gently press a divot into the center. Add a ½" cube of fresh mozzarella to the divot. Roll into a meatball, fully covering cheese in the center.
Place in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with foil.
Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes, depending on size of meatballs.
Avoid milling tomatoes by buying Pomi tomatoes instead. We buy these tomatoes as our “splurge” every month. They have way more flavor, and make making Spaghetti Sauce so much easier.
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