Italian Baked Meatballs with Pasta

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5 from 7 votes

These oven-baked Italian meatballs have the flavor of an all-day sauce but are ready in under an hour.

Cook Time1

Total Time1

Servings: Large Meatballs

Author: Melissa Oleary

Ingredients

Meatballs

2 lbs of 85/15 ground beef This ratio of fat keeps the meatballs tender. If you use lean ground beef the meatballs will not be as moist.
½ cup of whole milk ricotta if you do not have ricotta you can use ⅛ cup of whole milk instead.
1 ½ cups of dried bread crumbs preferably panko
2 eggs lightly beaten
½ cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese plus more for the table later
3 cloves minced garlic
4 tablespoon milk
2 tablespoon of finely chopped parsley
2 tablespoon of finely chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon kosher salt
½ tablespoon freshly ground black pepper

Sauce

2 28 oz cans of whole San Marzano tomatoes
1 small yellow onion spanish finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic minced
2 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil best quality you can find
1 tablespoon of butter
1 tablespoon fresh chopped basil
1 teaspoon kosher salt and pepper plus more to taste
1 teaspoon dried oregano
¼ teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes

Pasta

1 box of spaghetti you can use a whole box of ziti, penne or rigatoni as a substitute
large pinch of salt for the pasta water

Instructions

Meatballs

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
In a large bowl combine your dried breadcrumbs and milk. Mix and let sit for a couple minutes to let the bread crumbs absorb the milk
1 ½ cups of dried bread crumbs, 4 tablespoon milk
Next add garlic, basil, parsley andParmesan and mix well.
½ cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese, 3 cloves minced garlic, 2 tablespoon of finely chopped fresh basil, 2 tablespoon of finely chopped parsley
Now, take in the amazing scent!
Next add your ground beef, ricotta and beaten eggs along with salt and pepper
2 lbs of 85/15 ground beef, ½ cup of whole milk ricotta, 2 eggs lightly beaten, 1 teaspoon kosher salt and pepper
With your hands gently work all of the ingredients together.
Grab your cast iron pan (or a large sheet pan or other oven proof heavy bottom pan) and place next to your bowl.
With an ice cream scoop, scoop out heaping scoops of your meatball mixture and gently roll the meatballs into round balls and place in your cast iron pan. If using a sheet pan: If you are using a sheet pan, just place the meatballs on to your sheet pan.
Repeat this until all the meatballs are made.
Once all the meatballs are in the pan, drizzle them all with a little olive oil which will help them get that nice outer crust when cooking.
Bake for about 35 minutes or until the meatballs are nicely browned and crisp.
While the meatballs are cooking, start the sauce.

Sauce Instructions

In a large saute pan over medium heat, add your olive oil, red pepper flakes, oregano, onions and garlic and cook for about 4-5 minutes or until the onions begin to soften.
1 small yellow onion, 2 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, ¼ teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes, 2 cloves of garlic minced
Now add your canned whole tomatoes and with a potato masher or with a large spoon, begin gently pressing down on the whole tomatoes so they begin to break apart. Be careful because the juices will shoot out of the tomatoes when you do this so proceed slowly!
2 28 oz cans of whole San Marzano tomatoes
Next, add fresh basil, kosher salt and pepper and and stir well.
1 tablespoon kosher salt, 1 tablespoon fresh chopped basil, ½ tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
Cover with a tight fitting lid and turn down heat down to low and allow to gently simmer for 15 minutes.
Once your meatballs are fully cooked, remove from the oven and place them in the sauce over low heat.
Cook for another 5 minutes. Make sure you coat all the meatballs with the sauce and gently stir the sauce and meatballs well.
Now go ahead and add your tablespoon of butter and gently mix that into the sauce.
1 tablespoon of butter
Taste for seasoning and see if it needs any salt.

Spaghetti

Bring a large pot of water to boil on the stove.
When the water is boiling salt it well and follow the instructions on the box of pasta for cooking to al dente.
1 box of spaghetti, large pinch of salt for the pasta water
Once the pasta if cooked drain the pasta and place it back into the pot.
Add 1 ladle of the red sauce to the pasta and mix well to prevent it from sticking to itself.

Serve

You can plate this family style by placing your pasta in a large platter style bowl and scooping out the meatballs over top and then pour your sauce right over that.
Serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and enjoy!

Notes

To freeze the meatballs just let the meatballs and sauce come to almost room temperature and place them in a freezer-proof container and in the freezer.

You can freeze these meatballs for up to two months.

To thaw, just remove your meatballs and sauce from the freezer and place them in the fridge overnight.

Nutrition

Nutrition Values are estimates only.

See full nutrition disclaimer here

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Course :Main Course