Beef and Pork Meatballs with Spaghetti

Tender beef-and-pork meatballs are browned for flavor, then gently finished in a balanced garlic-tomato sauce and served over spaghetti.

75 min

6 servings

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef

1/2 lb ground pork

1 cup fresh breadcrumbs

1/2 cup whole milk

2 large eggs

3/4 cup grated Parmesan

1/4 cup chopped parsley

2 tsp kosher salt, divided, plus pasta water

1 tsp black pepper

3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, divided

1 large yellow onion, finely diced

6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

2 (28 oz) cans crushed tomatoes

1 lb spaghetti

Large Dutch oven · Large pot · Mixing bowl · Instant-read thermometer · Tongs

Keep the mix light

Soaked crumbs and a gentle fold make a moist, tender meatball. Stop mixing as soon as the ingredients are evenly distributed.

Sauce the pasta first

Tossing the spaghetti with sauce before plating gives every strand flavor; spoon the remaining sauce over the meatballs.

01. Soak the fresh crumbs in milk until fully soft; this panade cushions the meatball mixture.

02. Fold in the meatball ingredients with spread fingers only until combined, keeping the mixture loose rather than pasty.

03. Shape 18 even meatballs with damp hands, rolling only enough for them to hold together in the pot.

04. Brown the meatballs in batches so they develop dark flavor without crowding, then reserve them on a plate.

05. Cook diced onion and garlic in the same pot, scraping up the browned fond as the vegetables soften.

06. Add crushed tomatoes and simmer until their raw edge softens and the sauce lightly coats a spoon.

07. Gently simmer the meatballs in the sauce until their centers reach 160 F; avoid a hard boil that can toughen them.

08. Cook spaghetti al dente and reserve pasta water before draining so you can adjust the final sauce.

09. Toss pasta with sauce and a little pasta water, then crown each bowl with meatballs, sauce, and Parmesan.