Frank Sinatra's Recipe for Spaghetti and Meatballs
This hearty spaghetti and meatballs recipe consists of a simple, tasty homemade tomato sauce made with fresh garlic and herbs. The beef and pork meatballs with cheese, parsley and bread crumbs are easy to make and are a perfect compliment to the sauce.
Ingredients
Meatballs Ingredients
- ½ lb ground beef
- ½ lb ground pork
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup Italian style bread crumbs
- 1 teaspoon chopped parsley
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
Sauce Ingredients
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 1 clove garlic
- 28 oz Italian style tomatoes
- 14 oz tomato puree
- 1 teaspoon chopped parsley
- ½ cup olive oil
- ½ teaspoon thyme
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 pound spaghetti noodles
Instructions
How to Make the Meatballs
- In a large bowl, mix all meatball ingredients together until thoroughly combined.
- Form into meatballs, making them as uniform in size as possible.
- In a frying pan, warm olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the meatballs; use a wooden spoon to move them around, cooking a couple of minutes on each side until golden brown.
- Using a slotted spoon, remove from pan and set aside until spaghetti sauce is prepared.
How to Make the Spaghetti Sauce
- Pour the oil that was used to cook the meatballs into a large pot. Add the diced onions and garlic and cook over low heat until tender, about 5 minutes.
- Add the Italian-style tomatoes and the tomato puree to the pot with the oil, then add the salt, pepper, thyme and parsley. Mix well, then add the meatballs. Cover and let sauce cook over low heat for 1 hour, gently stirring on occasion to make sure meatballs don't stick to the bottom of the pan (but be careful not to break them up.)
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil, then add one pound of pasta. Cook just until al dente, then drain. Place drained pasta on a serving platter. Layer half the cheese on top, then pour half the spaghetti sauce over the cheese. Repeat layers. Add a sprinkling of parsley over the top and serve immediately.
Notes
- Use fresh herbs for the garlic cloves, parsley, and thyme rather than those from a jar. The garden-fresh flavor it gives this simple pasta sauce is really noticeable.
- Grate your own parmesan cheese rather than use it from a bag. Packaged grated cheese has a waxy coating to keep it from sticking together. Hand grating only takes a minute, and the flavor from using quality ingredients really shines through.
- Cook pasta with a pinch of salt according to package directions, just until al dente for an authentic Italian meal.
- Store remaining sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days to retain freshness.
Nutrition
Calories: 1266kcalCarbohydrates: 134gProtein: 50gFat: 60gSaturated Fat: 16gPolyunsaturated Fat: 6gMonounsaturated Fat: 32gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 174mgSodium: 1600mgPotassium: 1760mgFiber: 11gSugar: 20gVitamin A: 1241IUVitamin C: 33mgCalcium: 316mgIron: 10mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!