Spaghetti and Italian meatballs is a classic Italian dish that everyone should know how to make well. These meatballs turn out great every time. They are made with parmesan cheese and have great flavor and texture. These are really quick to put together and make for a great homemade spaghetti dinner. Once you make these meatballs you won’t be able to go back to store bought again.
Certainly, these meatballs actually come together really easily. Granted, it is a little messy getting your hands in there with the meat. However, you could wear some disposable gloves to keep your hands clean. After the meatballs are mixed together and rolled into balls, they are browned in a skillet. Then they simmer in the sauce to finish cooking.
The Sauce
The sauce starts out with oil, garlic, and basil leaves. Heating the oil with garlic leaves will infuse those flavors into the oil and create an amazing flavor for the sauce. Once the basil leaves start to brown, just take them out. They have done their job well. After that, the crushed tomatoes are added and that will simmer away to add even more flavor.
The Italian Meatballs
Meanwhile, let’s create some amazing meatballs. These Italian meatballs are made with ground beef, but you could substitute your favorite ground meat. I like to add a little crushed tomato to these to help keep them moist. They are flavored with lots of minced garlic and parmesan cheese. Italian meatballs are a great way to add a homemade touch to your dinner.
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Italian Meatballs
Ingredients
Sauce
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 7 cloves garlic sliced very thin
- 10 leaves fresh basil
- 2- 28 oz. cans crushed tomatoes reserve 3 Tablespoons
- salt & pepper
Meatballs
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese grated
- 4 cloves garlic grated or minced
- salt & pepper
- 2 lbs. ground beef
Instructions
- Add oil, garlic, and basil to a medium sized sauce pot. Heat over medium heat until basil leaves just start to brown, then discard the leaves. Add crushed tomatoes, being sure to reserve 3 Tablespoons to mix in the meatballs. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a bubble, reduce heat, and simmer.
- Combine reserved crushed tomatoes, eggs, bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, garlic, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Mix in ground beef until well combined. Roll into balls. A cookie scoop or Tablespoon works well to make them the same size.
- Heat olive oil in a pan over medium high heat. Brown meatballs without fully cooking them. Place browned meatballs into sauce and simmer for about 30 minutes to finish cooking them.
- Serve over pasta.
