This One Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs recipe is the best family meal that’s ready in 45 minutes or less! Easy homemade meatballs & pasta cooked in a simple tomato sauce.
Here at The Busy Baker we love a good weeknight meal recipe that’s as delicious and comforting as it is easy to make. This Spaghetti and Meatballs recipe is one of our favourite comfort food meals, not only because everyone in the family loves it, but also because after dinner there’s only one pot to wash!
We have shared so many one pot and one pan meals with you before, like this One Pot Taco Spaghetti, this Easy One Pot Italian Sausage Pasta, this Easy One Pot Roasted Chicken Dinner, and this Creamy One Pot Chicken Enchilada Pasta.
We’re also big fans of sheet pan dinners, like this Easy Chicken Sausage Sheet Pan Dinner or these Easy Sheet Pan Steak Fajitas, and we love a good baked chicken and rice dish, also made in only one pan.
Whatever your tastes, we definitely have more than a few meal ideas to help you get a delicious family meal on the table any day of the week. If you’re looking for deliciously easy meal ideas, check out all our weeknight meal recipes here:
If you’re really in a dinner rut and you’d like us to do some of the work for you, we’ve developed a FREE email course called Easy Weeknight Meal Solutions where we share all our best tips and tricks for getting a delicious meal on the table every night of the week while keeping your sanity intact! Sign up for this free course below:
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This spaghetti and meatballs recipe is a basic one, so you’ll only need a few basic kitchen items (affiliate links):
- a heavy bottom pot or dutch oven
- a wooden spoon or other cooking utensil
- measuring cups and spoons
- a pair of tongs
- liquid measuring cups
To make this recipe, you’ll need these ingredients:
- ground beef
- ground pork
- grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
- garlic
- buttermilk
- eggs
- salt and pepper
- onion powder
- Italian seasoning
- Worcestershire sauce
- olive oil
- onion
- garlic
- carrots
- celery
- Italian seasoning
- tomato paste
- red wine
- crushed tomatoes
- tomato sauce or tomato puree
- beef stock
- spaghetti
Time needed: 40 minutes
- Make the meatballs first.
Make the meatball mixture in a bowl, form the meatballs, and refrigerate them for several minutes.
- Brown the meatballs in the pot.
Brown the meatballs on all sides in a little olive oil and remove them to a plate.
- Soften the veggies.
Cook the veggies and spices in the fat leftover from the meatballs.
- Don’t forget the wine!
Deglaze the pan with the wine – this adds so much flavour, and it helps the brown caramelized bits release from the bottom of the pan.
- Make the sauce.
Add the sauce ingredients and stir well.
- Cook the pasta in the sauce.
Add the spaghetti noodles into the sauce, cover, and cook until soft, tossing once or twice during cooking.
- Add the meatballs back in.
Be sure to add the meatballs back in before the pasta is done, so they can cook through completely.
Can I use frozen meatballs in this recipe?
Yes! To save even more time, skip the homemade meatballs and add frozen meatballs instead.
Can I make this with gluten-free pasta?
We’ve never tried to make this one pot recipe with gluten-free pasta, so we can’t comment on how it would work. We don’t recommend it, as the pasta cooks in the sauce and releases its starch into the sauce.
How many calories are in spaghetti and meatballs?
One serving of this One Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs is just under 500 calories.
What to serve with spaghetti and meatballs
This dish goes well with our favourite Caesar Salad recipe and our Best Ever Homemade Garlic Bread!
We hope you love this one pot meal recipe as much as we do! Let us know in the comments below, what’s your favourite easy weeknight meal? We’d love to know!
Looking for more recipes like this one? You’ll LOVE these:
Watch the video below to see exactly how we make this recipe. You can find many more deliciously simple recipe videos on our YouTube channel!
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One Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs
Recipe: Equipment
Recipe: Ingredients
For the meatballs:
- ¾ cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese optional
- 4 cloves garlic minced or pressed
- ⅓ cup buttermilk
- 2 large eggs
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 pound ground beef and pork mix
For the pasta sauce:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion
- 4 cloves garic minced or pressed
- 1 cup carrots shredded
- ½ cup celery finely chopped
- 2 tbsp italian seasoning
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1/3 cup red wine optional
- 14 ounces canned crushed tomatoes
- 4 1/2 cups tomato puree or plain tomato sauce
- 3 1/2 cups beef stock
- 1 pound spaghetti noodles
- grated Parmesan cheese and fresh parsley for serving
Recipe: Instructions
- In a large bowl mix the panko breadcrumbs, grated Parmesan cheese, garlic, buttermilk, eggs, salt and pepper, onion powder, Italian seasoning, and Worcestershire sauce and mix well.
- Add the ground meat into the bowl and mix well with your hands until well combined.
- Form meatballs about the size of 2 tablespoons (40 grams) and put them on a plate or tray. If you have extra time, refrigerate the meatballs for 30 minutes or overnight.
- Heat a large pot over medium-high heat and add the olive oil.
- Brown the meatballs on all sides, only turning them when they no longer stick to the bottom of the pan. Remove to a plate and set aside.
- Add onion and garlic and sauté until translucent. Add the shredded carrots and celery, along with the Italian seasoning and the tomato paste. Sauté for a few minutes.
- Add the red wine to deglaze the pot (scrape up the brown bits off the bottom of the pot). Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato puree and beef stock and bring to a boil.
- Add the spaghetti noodles, stirring well until all the noodles are covered, and reduce the heat to medium.
- Cover the pot with a lid and cook for about 7-8 minutes (to just before al dente) stirring every couple of minutes as the noodles cook.
- Before the spaghetti noodles reach al dente, nestle the meatballs in the sauce and simmer for a few more minutes until the pasta is cooked and the meatballs are cooked through.
- Toss well and serve with some grated parmesan and some fresh parsley.
Recipe: Notes
Storage instructions
Store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for 3-5 days. This recipe is great for meal prep and reheats well in the microwave for school or work lunches.Freezer instructions
This recipe can be frozen in an airtight container for up to two months.Meal Prep Tips
To save time, make the meatballs ahead of time OR choose pre-frozen meatballs (either homemade or from the frozen section of your grocery store).Recipe: Nutrition
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated, using Spoonacular, for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
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Buy 3, save 30%!
Buy 4 or more, save 40%!