Name: Classic Italian Meatballs with Sunday Gravy
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 20 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 1 pound ground beef; 0.5 pound ground pork; 0.75 cup breadcrumbs; 0.5 cup whole milk; 0.5 cup Parmesan cheese; 2 eggs; 4 cloves garlic; 0.25 cup fresh parsley; 1.5 teaspoon salt; 0.5 teaspoon black pepper; 3 tablespoon olive oil; 1 medium yellow onion; 28 ounce crushed tomatoes; 2 tablespoon tomato paste; 1 teaspoon dried oregano; 1 teaspoon dried basil; 0.25 teaspoon red pepper flakes; 1 teaspoon sugar; 0.25 cup fresh basil; 1 pound spaghetti

Classic Italian Meatballs with Sunday Gravy

Italian-InspiredPastacomfort-fooddinneritaliantraditional

20 minPrep1 hCook4Serves

Ingredients

1 poundground beef
½ poundground pork
¾ cupbreadcrumbs
½ cupwhole milk
½ cupParmesan cheese (grated)
2eggs
4 clovesgarlic
¼ cupfresh parsley
1½ teaspoonsalt
½ teaspoonblack pepper
3 tablespoonolive oil
1 mediumyellow onion
28 ouncecrushed tomatoes (canned)
2 tablespoontomato paste
1 teaspoondried oregano
1 teaspoondried basil
¼ teaspoonred pepper flakes
1 teaspoonsugar
¼ cupfresh basil
1 poundspaghetti

Prep

01
Soak 3/4 cup breadcrumbs in 1/2 cup whole milk until softened
02
Mince 4 cloves garlic
03
Chop 1/4 cup fresh parsley
04
Dice 1 medium yellow onion
05
Tear 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves into bite-sized pieces

Method

01
In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, ground pork, soaked breadcrumb mixture, grated Parmesan, eggs, minced garlic, chopped parsley, salt, and black pepper. Mix gently with your hands until just combined—do not overmix.
02
Form the mixture into meatballs about 2 inches in diameter (you should get 12-14 meatballs). Place them on a plate.
03
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large, deep skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Working in batches if needed, brown the meatballs on all sides, about 6-8 minutes total. They don't need to cook through. Transfer to a plate.
04
Reduce heat to medium and add remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil to the same pan. Add the diced onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes, scraping up any browned bits.
05
Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute until darkened. Add the crushed tomatoes, dried oregano, dried basil, red pepper flakes, and sugar. Stir well.
06
Return the meatballs to the pan, nestling them into the sauce. Bring to a gentle simmer, then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally and turning the meatballs gently halfway through.
07
While the sauce simmers, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. About 15 minutes before serving, cook the spaghetti according to package directions until al dente. Drain, reserving 1 cup pasta water.
08
Taste the sauce and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Stir in the torn fresh basil leaves.
09
Toss the drained spaghetti with some of the sauce (add pasta water if needed to loosen). Serve topped with meatballs, more sauce, and additional Parmesan.

Spice Tips

For more heat, increase red pepper flakes to 1/2 teaspoon or add a pinch of cayenne to the meatball mixture. A bay leaf simmered in the sauce adds subtle depth. Finish with a drizzle of good olive oil and fresh cracked black pepper for extra richness.

Meatballs can be made ahead and refrigerated for up to 24 hours before browning. The sauce deepens in flavor if made a day ahead—reheat gently before serving. Leftovers freeze beautifully for up to 3 months.