Spaghetti & meatballs sprinkled with grated parmesan in a dish

Spaghetti & meatballs

By Sarah Cook
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
(111 ratings)
By
Magazine subscription – 5 issues for £5

Prep: 30 mins Cook: 30 mins

Easy

Makes about 10 servings

Get everyone to help rolling meatballs and you'll soon have one supper on the table and another in the freezer

Nutrition and extra info

  • Sauce and meatballs can be frozen

Nutrition: per serving

  • kcal870
  • fat37g
  • saturates13g
  • carbs95g
  • sugars13g
  • fibre5g
  • protein46g
  • salt1.34g
Save to My Good Food
Please sign in or register to save recipes.
Print

Ingredients

  • 8 good-quality pork sausages
  • 1kg beef mince
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
    Onion

    Onion

    un-yun

    Onions are endlessly versatile and an essential ingredient in countless recipes. Native to Asia…

  • ½ a large bunch flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
    Parsley

    Parsley

    par-slee

    One of the most ubiquitous herbs in British cookery, parsley is also popular in European and…

  • 85g parmesan, grated, plus extra to serve if you like
    Parmesan

    Parmesan

    parm-ee-zan

    Parmesan is a straw-coloured hard cheese with a natural yellow rind and rich, fruity flavour. It…

  • 100g fresh breadcrumbs
  • 2 eggs, beaten with a fork
    Eggs

    Egg

    egg

    The ultimate convenience food, eggs are powerhouses of nutrition, packed with protein and a…

  • olive oil, for roasting
    olive oil

    Olive oil

    ol-iv oyl

    Probably the most widely-used oil in cooking, olive oil is pressed from fresh olives. It's…

  • spaghetti, to serve (you'll need about 100g per portion)

For the sauce

  • 3 tbsp olive oil
    olive oil

    Olive oil

    ol-iv oyl

    Probably the most widely-used oil in cooking, olive oil is pressed from fresh olives. It's…

  • 4 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 4 x 400g cans chopped tomato
  • 125ml red wine (optional)
  • 3 tbsp caster sugar
  • ½ a large bunch flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
    Parsley

    Parsley

    par-slee

    One of the most ubiquitous herbs in British cookery, parsley is also popular in European and…

  • few basil leaves (optional)

Method

  1. First make the meatballs. Split the skins of 8 good-quality pork sausages and squeeze out the meat into your largest mixing bowl.

  2. Add 1kg beef mince, 1 finely chopped onion, ½ large bunch flat-leaf parsley, 85g grated parmesan, 100g fresh breadcrumbs, 2 beaten eggs and lots of seasoning. Get your hands in and mix together really well – the more you squeeze and mash the mince, the more tender the meatballs will be.

  3. Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7.

  4. Roll the mince mixture into about 50 golf-ball-size meatballs. Set aside any meatballs for freezing, allowing about 5 per portion, then spread the rest out in a large roasting tin – the meatballs will brown better if spaced out a bit. 

  5. Drizzle with a little oil (about 1 tsp per portion), shake to coat, then roast for 20-30 mins until browned.

  6. Meanwhile, make the sauce. Heat 3 tbsp olive oil in your largest pan. Add 4 crushed garlic cloves and sizzle for 1 min.

  7. Stir in four 400g cans chopped tomatoes, 125ml red wine, if using, 3 tbsp caster sugar, ½ a large bunch flat-leaf parsley and seasoning. Simmer for 15-20 mins until slightly thickened.

  8. Stir in a few basil leaves, if using, spoon out any portions for freezing, then add the cooked meatballs to the pan to keep warm while you boil the spaghetti (you'll need about 100g per portion). 

  9. Spoon the sauce and meatballs over spaghetti, or stir them all together and serve with extra parmesan and a few basil leaves, if you like.

  • Recipe Tip

    Freezing together

    To freeze together, mix the roasted meatballs into sauce and freeze in portions. Defrost thoroughly overnight in the fridge, then heat in a covered pan until the sauce and meatballs are piping hot.

  • Recipe Tip

    Freezing separately

    To freeze separately, put sauce in freezer bags, but open-freeze the uncooked meatballs on a tray, then wrap in cling film once hard. To cook, defrost meatballs and cook as above, or roast from frozen at 180C/160C fan/gas 4 for 30 mins, then shake and increase oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7 for 10 mins more. Defrost sauce and bring to a simmer in a pan before serving.

  • Recipe Tip

    Variation: Spanish-style meatballs

    Swap the Parmesan for 1 tbsp smoked paprika in the mince mixture, sizzle 140g finely diced chorizo in with the garlic for the sauce and leave out the basil. Serve with some roast potatoes and salad.

You may also like

Comments, questions and tips

Sign in or create your My Good Food account to join the discussion.
amyblenkiron
25th Sep, 2018
5.05
Love love love!! I cook a big batch then freeze. Everyone has loved them who’s had them.
hanszinderfaan's picture
hanszinderfaan
13th Aug, 2018
5.05
This has become a favourite for the two of us. I must confess I cheated with the meatballs following a visit and a meal at a Swedish furniture store, at the checkout I could not resist popping a couple of bags of frozen meatballs in my trolley! With the exception of the meat I followed the recipe to the letter (for a change). We use linguine in preference to spaghetti and salt is added afterwards to individual taste.
Maria s
9th Jun, 2018
Best meatballs recipe I've tried, delicious! Even my very fussy husband thought they were lovely. I stuck to the recipe and loved the sugar in the tomato sauce....really brought out the flavour I think, maybe not quite as much next time though? The freezer will be over loaded tonight!
Jonrp
31st Mar, 2018
Best meatball recipe I have made, enjoyed by everyone I grated the onion but kept to the recipe
KatyLou81
7th Oct, 2017
5.05
Absolutely delicious, even my one year old wanted second helpings!!
Grace.J91
23rd Sep, 2017
5.05
These are simply divine!
imfeelingmad
18th Jul, 2017
5.05
I made this recipe last night and it turned out really well! Great flavour helped by the sausage mix and the beef/pork combination was great. It was actually really straightforward to cook them in the oven and less hassle than in the frying pan where they have a tendancy to break up! I used some of the juice from the meatballs to add to the sauce. I also added celery and fresh tomatoes. I found the sugar too much, I don't think it's necessary!
Jude P 1961
13th Jun, 2017
I love this recipe. It is really easy to do and full of flavour and I now weigh the meatballs so that they cook evenly in the oven. I make the full amount and freeze what I don't use and they still taste great when they're defrosted
AndyTastes's picture
AndyTastes
4th Sep, 2017
weighing the meatballs is slightly insane.
ship1962
25th Oct, 2017
Only slightly...

Pages

Suhaani Verlekar's picture
Suhaani Verlekar
1st Apr, 2018
Does the mince need to be cooked before making the meatballs
goodfoodteam's picture
goodfoodteam
1st Apr, 2018
Thanks for your question. No it doesn't need to be pre-cooked.
Crystalkat
2nd Oct, 2016
How long can you freeze for?
goodfoodteam's picture
goodfoodteam
13th Oct, 2016
Thanks for your question. You can freeze these for up to 2 - 3 months. More freezing information is in the tip above.
amarsha4
18th Mar, 2015
Is that nutritional information correct? I've cooked a lot of things from this site and never come across anything this unhealthy!
goodfoodteam's picture
goodfoodteam
23rd Mar, 2015
Hi amarsha4, many thanks for taking the time to get in touch and give your feedback. Sorry to hear you're not tempted by this recipe, we try to offer a balance of different cooking styles and methods. We do have a number of meatball recipes available that are lower in calories such as this one made with turkey mince http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/spicy-meatballs-chilli-black-beans and this version, with fennel is delicious http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2892667/sausage-and-fennel-meatballs-with-lentils  Hope this helps and thanks again for getting in touch. 
jadey1793
1st Aug, 2013
It is still mentioned, under the Shopping section- you have to press the arrows to see all the tips. But for conviniences sake: Variation: Spanish-style meatballs Swap the Parmesan for 1 tbsp smoked paprika in the mince mixture, sizzle 140g finely diced chorizo in with the garlic for the sauce and leave out the basil. Serve with some roast potatoes and salad.