Lidia Bastianich’s Spaghetti And Meatballs
13
- Prep Time25 min
- Total Time1 h 25 min
- Makes6 Servings
Photo, Dana Gallagher.
These meatballs are baked, but you can also lightly flour and fry them in some olive oil, turning them until they're crisp on all sides. Or you can gently add them raw to the simmering sauce, give them some time (about five minutes) to firm up, then gently move them around with a wooden spoon to coat them with sauce and cook through.
Meatballs
1 small carrot, coarsely chopped
1 stalk celery, coarsely chopped
1 small onion, coarsely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed and peeled
1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground pork
2 large eggs, beaten
½ cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 ½ tsp dried oregano
Kosher salt
1¼ cups fine dry breadcrumbs
Sauce
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 fresh bay leaves, or 3 dried
½ tsp peperoncino or red pepper flakes
2 28-oz cans whole San Marzano tomatoes, crushed by hand
Kosher salt
To serve
Kosher salt
1 lb spaghetti
1cup freshly grated Grana Padano or parmesan
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 425F with racks in the upper and lower thirds, and line two baking sheets with parchment.
To make the meatballs, put the carrot, celery, onion and garlic in a food processor and pulse to make a paste or pestata. Scrape the pestata into a large bowl. Add the beef, pork, eggs, parsley, oregano and 2 tsp salt. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the top. Mix well with your hands until everything is thoroughly combined. Roll the mixture into balls about the size of golf balls, and arrange them on the baking sheets (you should get about 24 to 30 meatballs). Bake, rotating the pans from top to bottom halfway through, until the meatballs are nicely brown, 18 to 20 min.
Meanwhile, to make the sauce, heat a large dutch oven over medium heat and add the olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until it begins to soften, about 4 min. Add the bay leaves and peperoncino, let everything sizzle for 30 sec or so, then add the tomatoes, 3 cups water and 2 tsp salt. Bring the sauce to a simmer, and cook until it begins to thicken slightly, about 20 min. After 20 min, gently add the baked meatballs and continue to simmer until the sauce is thick and flavourful and the meatballs are tender, 30 to 40 min more (stir occasionally, to make sure the meatballs are not sticking, but try not to break them up).
When you are ready to serve, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta. Transfer 2½ to 3 cups of the sauce to a large skillet over medium-low heat. Keep the remaining sauce and the meatballs simmering.
Add the spaghetti to the boiling water, and cook until it's al dente. Transfer it with tongs to the skillet of simmering sauce. Toss to coat the pasta with the sauce, adding a little pasta-cooking water if it seems dry. Remove the skillet from the heat, and sprinkle everything with the grated cheese. Remove the bay leaves, and toss well. Serve the pasta on its own. Spoon about half of the meatballs into a shallow serving bowl, and spoon another cup or so of sauce over the top. Serve immediately, passing the pasta and meatballs separately.
Let the remaining meatballs cool in the sauce, then pack them into containers and freeze them.
Kitchen tip This makes enough sauce and meatballs for 2 pounds of pasta. I give directions for cooking half here, so freeze the rest for another time, or just make it all, with 2 pounds of pasta, for a big gathering.
Excerpted from Lidia’s The Art of Pasta by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich and Tanya Bastianich Manuali. Copyright © 2025 Tutti a Tavola, LLC. Photographs by Dana Gallagher. Published by Appetite by Random House®, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.
Lidia Bastianich is an Emmy award-winning public television host, a best‐selling cookbook author, restaurateur and owner of a flourishing food and entertainment business.
