To me, good ol' fashioned spaghetti and meatballs is one of the perfect comfort foods. Everyone seems to have their own version of the classic pasta dish so I thought I would share my version as well. 🙂
Just look at those juicy meatballs in that sauce!
Mama Mia! YUM!
This recipe is for a basic spaghetti sauce made using simple ingredients such as a couple cans of diced tomatoes, tomato paste, onions and some spices. Sometimes the simpliest of ingredients can produce some incredibly delicious results!
I used my basic meatball recipe for this and they compliment each other just splendidly! 🙂
The seasonings and ingredients in the meatballs give an amazing amount of flavour to the sauce so I highly recommend using them for this recipe. You can use your own recipe for meatballs if you like or you can even use the pre-made store bought kind. Just make sure that before you add the meatballs to the sauce they are cooked through.
You know why I call this my favorite way to make spaghetti and meatballs?
It really doesn't take long to prepare – especially if you have the meatballs made ahead of time, you just have to drop them in the sauce!
I should also mention that this makes a great base recipe as well. If you'd like to add any other veggies to the sauce, they can be added a couple minutes after the onions start cooking.
Sprinkle some parmesan cheese on top and add a side of garlic bread to make this a perfect dinner your family will love!

My Favorite way to prepare Spaghetti and Meatballs
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 6 - 8 Servings 1x
Ingredients
- 2 lbs prepared meatballs (You can use my basic meatballs recipe – it's perfect for this!)
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 (28 oz each) cans diced tomatoes
- 1 (5.5 oz) can tomato paste
- 2 tsp Italian herb seasoning
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 2 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 bay leaves
- Package of spaghetti or pasta of your choice, cooked according to package directions
Instructions
- If using my basic meatballs recipe for this, prepare them according the the instructions in the recipe. Remove from the pan and set aside. See my note below for a few more details.
- On medium heat, cook the diced onions in the skillet until they become translucent – about 5 minutes. (Note: you'll need a little cooking oil in the pan if you didn't also use this pan for cooking the meatballs first.)
- Add the remaining sauce ingredients and stir to combine.
- Add the meatballs and gently coat them with the sauce.
- Simmer for 25 – 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Remove bay leaves and discard.
- Serve on top of freshly cooked pasta such as spaghetti.
Notes
If using pre-cooked frozen meatballs, make sure they are mostly thawed before adding to the sauce.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 25 mins
- Category: Main
I'd love to hear from you so please feel free to leave a comment in the comment section below!