The Best Spaghetti and Meatballs
Prep
20m
Cook
45m
Total
65m
Bigly says
Folks. FOLKS. Spaghetti and meatballs. We are doing it. The BEST spaghetti and meatballs in the history of spaghetti and meatballs — and that history is LONG, longer than people realize, an old Italian woman cornered me once outside a fish market in Bari and made me PROMISE to do it this way, she pointed at me, she pointed RIGHT at me, she said 'you, Bigly, you do it right or you don't do it,' and I do it right, every time, because Nonna Lucia is watching from somewhere and Nonna Lucia does not forget — and this version, MY version, the one I am about to give you, beats every single one. Every single one. Not even close. It's a slaughter.
Most chefs — and I won't name them, you know the ones, the ones on TV with the perfect hair and the perfect smile and the absolutely WRONG technique — they'll tell you to use lean ground beef. Lean ground beef in a meatball. Sad. Pathetic. A lean meatball is a HOCKEY PUCK. It is a little brown rock you put on noodles and call dinner. People come up to me crying, big strong men, they say, 'Bigly, why are my meatballs dry,' and I tell them — I look them in the eye — I say, you need FAT. Fat is your friend. Fat is the answer. Lean meat is for people who have given up on life. It is just a fact.
And the sauce — let me tell you about the sauce. Most sauces? Sad. Watery. Acidic in the wrong way. They taste like a tin can with anxiety. MINE is silk. Mine is what a tomato wants to be when it grows up. Mine has the depth, the body, the SOUL of a real Sunday sauce, and we are going to make it in 45 minutes flat — not 8 hours, not all day, because we have lives, we have things to do, we are not all sitting around stirring a pot like a sad little ghost in a sad little kitchen. The Romans did it in 45. The Greeks did it in 45. We do it in 45. Plain and simple.
Ingredients
- 1 lbground beef (80/20)(not lean, never lean, the lean is the enemy)
- 1/2 lbground pork
- 3/4 cuppanko breadcrumbs
- 1/3 cupwhole milk
- 2large eggs
- 3/4 cup, dividedparmesan, finely grated
- 1/4 cupfresh parsley, chopped
- 6 cloves, dividedgarlic, minced
- 2 tsp, dividedkosher salt
- 1 tsp, dividedblack pepper
- 3 tbspolive oil
- 1yellow onion, finely diced
- 28 oz cancrushed tomatoes(San Marzano if you can find them, believe me)
- 2 tbsptomato paste
- 1 tspdried oregano
- 1/2 tspred pepper flakes
- 1 tspsugar(cuts the acid, this is not optional)
- 1/4 cup, tornfresh basil leaves
- 1 lbspaghetti
- 2 tbspkosher salt (for pasta water)
Steps
- 1
In a large bowl, soak the panko in the milk for 5 minutes until completely absorbed.
- 2
Add the beef, pork, eggs, 1/2 cup parmesan, parsley, half the garlic, 1 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper to the panko mixture. Mix gently with your hands just until combined — overworking makes tough meatballs.
- 3
Roll into 18 meatballs about the size of a golf ball. Arrange on a plate.
- 4
Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven or deep skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the meatballs in batches, about 2 minutes per side, until well crusted but not cooked through. Transfer to a plate.
- 5
Reduce heat to medium. Add the diced onion to the same pot and cook 5 minutes until softened, scraping up the browned bits.
- 6
Add the remaining garlic, oregano, red pepper flakes, and tomato paste. Stir and cook 1 minute until fragrant.
- 7
Pour in the crushed tomatoes, add the sugar, remaining 1 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper. Bring to a simmer.
- 8
Return the meatballs and any juices to the pot, nestling them into the sauce. Cover partially and simmer 25 minutes, gently turning the meatballs once halfway through.
- 9
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil, add the salt, and cook the spaghetti to al dente per package directions. Reserve 1 cup pasta water before draining.
- 10
Stir the torn basil into the sauce. If the sauce is too thick, loosen with a splash of pasta water.
- 11
Plate the spaghetti, top with meatballs and plenty of sauce, and finish with the remaining parmesan.
One more thing
This is dinner. This is the dinner that other dinners aspire to be. You make this once, your family will never let you make anything else on a Sunday — they will hold you HOSTAGE in the kitchen — and honestly? Let them. This is your purpose now. Plate it tall, sauce it heavy, hit it with parmesan until the parmesan looks at you and says 'too much,' and then add a little more. The pasta knows. The meatballs know. Now you know. Tell your friends.
★ QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS ONE? ★
Ask Bigly about The Best Spaghetti and Meatballs.
Substitutions, what to serve it with, why other chefs are wrong about it. He's got opinions.
★ MORE LIKE THIS ★
KEEP COOKING.
Bigly Affogato
Authentic Italian affogato: hot espresso poured over cold vanilla gelato. Two ingredients, ninety seconds, and a dessert nobody can mess up.
Bigly Antipasto Platter
A generous Italian antipasto platter with cured meats, three cheeses, marinated vegetables, olives, and crostini. Twenty minutes of assembly, zero cooking required.
Huge Bolognese
Slow-simmered Italian bolognese with beef, pork, and pancetta, finished with milk and white wine. Toss with fresh tagliatelle for the real thing.
The Best Bruschetta
Classic Italian bruschetta with ripe tomatoes, fresh basil, garlic, and good olive oil on toasted rustic bread. Ten minutes to summer in a bite.