Time for my favorite comfort food recipe – spaghetti and meatballs with a homemade pasta sauce.
My homemade marinara sauce is one of my most popular recipes. I am always looking for recipes into which I can incorporate it.
This time I decided to make homemade meatballs and used the mushroom marinara variation.
Who doesn’t like a big old dose of comfort food once in a while. Spaghetti recipes are one of my favorite when I get into a mood like this.
Spaghetti & meatballs with homemade marinara sauce
You can use a store bought sauce, but my recipes are so easy and use roasted tomatoes.
Why not try making one my homemade version today?
The meatball recipe calls for fresh herbs, garlic, onion, Panko bread crumbs, eggs, soy sauce and Parmesan cheese.
Chop the onions and dice the fresh garlic. Finely chop the fresh herbs.
For this recipe, I used rosemary, thyme, basil and oregano. The sauce is beginning to sound Italian, don’t you think?
You can use dried if that is all you have on hand, but fresh herbs give so much more flavor and are easy to grow. If you use dried, use 1/3 the amount called for in my recipe.Mix the chopped onion, garlic, spices, eggs, soy sauce, Parmesan and bread crumbs thoroughly together in a bowl.
I divided the mixture in half, then in half again and again and again to end up with 16 pieces of mix for meatballs.
Shape the mixture into round balls and place on a baking sheet that is sprayed with Pam cooking spray.
Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 15 to 20 minutes until the meatballs are browned.
Place the mushroom marinara sauce in a skillet and simmer gently.
Add the cooked meatballs to the sauce and continue simmering while you cook the pasta.
Combine water and 1/2 cup of chicken stock. Cook the pasta until al dente. I used linguine today because I had no spaghetti on hand.
Drain the pasta. Layer it with the cooked meat balls and marinara sauce.
Add a tossed salad and garlic bread and you have a wonderful and easy week night meal that will delight the most discerning appetites.
More Italian recipes to try
If you love Italian cooking, try these recipes on for size:
- Baked Italian Sausage and Peppers – Easy One Pot Recipe
- Easy Parmesan Chicken – Italian Delight!
- Mex-Italian Burger – It’s Grill Time
- One Pot Sausage Rotini Back – Easy Italian Recipe
- Vegetable Manicotti – Perfect for Meatless Monday
Spaghetti and Meatballs with Home Made Marinara Sauce

A homemade spaghetti sauce with freshly roasted tomatoes gives this spaghetti and meatballs dish a nice step up.
Ingredients
- 12 ounces of spaghetti or your favorite pasta
- water
- 1/2 cup of chicken stock
- 1 pound ground beef (I used grass fed beef but any type will do)
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 cup Panko Bread Crumbs
- 1 tablespoon Light Soy Sauce
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- 3 cloves garlic, minced and divided
- 1 small onion, finely diced
- 28 ounces of home made marinara sauce (see link to the recipe in the post above)
- 2 tablespoons fresh herbs (I used oregano, rosemary, basil and thyme)
- Extra Parmesan cheese for the top.
Instructions
- Combine ground beef, eggs, panko, soy sauce, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, spices, onions and 3 cloves of garlic in large bowl until well mixed.
- Shape into 1 1/2-inch sized meatballs.
- Bake the meatballs at 350°F on a Pam sprayed cookie sheet for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, heat deep skillet, add the home made marinara sauce and heat through.
- Place the cooked meatballs into the sauce and simmer for at least 20 minutes.
- While the sauce is simmering, cook spaghetti according to package directions in the water and chicken stock, rinse and drain.
- Serve the spaghetti with the sauce on top.
- Sprinkle with more Parmesan cheese and add a tossed salad and garlic bread.
- Enjoy!
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 735Total Fat: 25gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 153mgSodium: 1289mgCarbohydrates: 81gFiber: 9gSugar: 11gProtein: 45g
Nutritional information is approximate due to natural variation in ingredients and the cook-at-home nature of our meals.