Tuscan spaghetti and meatballs are a truly wholesome family favorite. Supremely comforting, tasty, and easy to make, this dish is perfect for a quick and simple weeknight dinner. The meatballs are tender, juicy, and add a ton of flavor to the homemade marinara sauce. Oh, and did we mention that these are meatballs on stilts? Yup – just push a few linguine noodles into each meatball and you’ve got the perfect pasta to meat ratio right there. Dinner with the whole family has never been easier or tastier!
Tuscan Spaghetti and Meatballs
Equipment
- Tagine or oven-safe pot
Ingredients
- 8 oz ground beef
- 1 small red onion, diced
- 0.5 tsp salt
- 1 pinch pepper
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
- 1 slice white bread
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 14 oz crushed tomatoes
- 20 oz tomato puree
- 1 tsp salt
- 0.5 tsp pepper
- 5 oz spaghetti or linguine noodles
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 475°F. Add the ground beef, red onion, parsley, egg, salt, pepper, and grated parmesan to a bowl. Then add the slice of bread and mix everything together.
- Form 8 meatballs from the mixture, making sure they're all equal in size.
- Break the noodles into 3 equal parts and stick 8-10 noodle pieces into one side of each meatball. Set the completed meatballs aside for now.
- Sweat the onion and garlic in olive oil, add the tomato paste and sugar, and continue to sweat everything briefly. Make sure you make this sauce in an ovenproof pan such as a tagine or cast iron skillet because it will be going in the oven with the meatballs later. Deglaze the sauce with balsamic vinegar, add the crushed tomatoes, and season with oregano.
- Place the meatballs on their noodle legs in the marinara sauce, transfer the pan to the oven, and cook at 475°F for 20 minutes. Sprinkle shredded mozzarella on top of everything and broil for another 5-10 minutes.
VIDEO
This is one of those dishes that makes everyone rush to the dinner table. And if you’ve only had spaghetti and meatballs at mediocre Italian restaurants, this is sure to rock your world. Crazy good meatballs on pasta stilts with a Tuscan touch? Mamma mia!