Jenn's Out Of This World Spaghetti and Meatballs Recipe

There are MANY reviews/suggestions of this sauce...I read ALL of them...here they are summed up for easy viewing: 1. Omit 3 cans tomato paste for 1 can tomato paste and 1 can tomato sauce (I used 15oz can). 2. Omit 1/2 cup of sugar for 1/4 cup sugar if you like it a little sweet, or just 2 TBSP sugar if you cant tolerate much. 3. Omit 1 cup of water and add 2 cups of water instead. Some modifications that I personally made, which doesnt reflect what other reviewers have said, is using this Hot n' Spicy seasoning salt I found in my pantry...found the original recipe a little bland...this salt kicks it up a little (cajun seasoning should work just as well). I also read the reviews of how the meat, when baked directly in the sauce, can make it oily...I went ahead and bought meat that contained 7% fat (the already packaged stuff) and the sauce turned out perfect.

I tried to scale this gravy down a little as I was only feeding two people. I used two (15 oz) cans crushed tomatoes, 1 can (6 oz) tomato paste and only 1/2 cup chicken stock, NOT water, I added 3 cloves of roasted garlic and almost 1 tsp of sugar to the gravy. I added some fresh minced basil and very little oregano to the gravy plus the bay leaf. To the meatballs, I added fresh basil and also little oregano. (I actually never add oregano to meatballs but was curious to see how this would turn out). I added the rest of the ingredients to the meatball mixture then rolled them up into meatballs and placed them onto a baking sheet. I baked the meatballs at 350 degrees for 20 minutes until brown, then added it to the gravy. I found that the gravy needed a little something so I added a little red wine, pinch of red pepper flakes, and some parmesan cheese. I simmered the gravy for about 45 to 55 minutes. The gravy was good but the meatballs I liked a lot more. Not dry, but tender and flavorful. I am glad that I did not add a lot of fresh oregano. I still had enough gravy leftover for another meal. Next time I might cut back on the amount of crushed tomatoes. I served this gravy over spaghetti and "garlic bread", also from this website.

I've been making this recipe for a few years and it's going to probably be one I use forever. I made a few small changes, based on other reviews and my own tastes: I brown 1/2 lb lean ground beef with the onion and garlic, to make a meaty sauce. I add a 16-oz can of fire-roasted tomatoes along with two cans of regular crushed tomatoes. I only use one can of tomato paste but add a can of tomato sauce; add a cup of red wine; cut the sugar to 1 tbsp; add some fresh or dried basil. The meatballs I make exactly as written. No need to bake them; they are tender and cooked perfectly when allowed to simmer in the sauce. This is such a great recipe; thank you, Jenn!

I really enjoyed this recipe. Instead of cooking the meatballs in the sauce, I baked them in the oven for 10 mins. on one side, and then I flipped them over and cooked for another 8 mins. I did not want all the grease to get into the sauce. A little less sugar would be recommended for the sauce. If you love garlic, leave as is. If not, decrease garlic to two cloves overall. Otherwise this recipe is fabulous!

I only gave this 4 stars b/c I tweaked to our liking. I did not make meatballs, but used browned deer burger. My family also doesn't like chunky tomatoes, so I used a 30 oz can of tomato sauce and 1-6 oz can of paste. The rest of the ingredients I used to taste. I absolutely loved how this came together. I've tried many scratch sauces and this is one I'm going to stick with. It was more saucy than meaty which we loved. Thanks for sharing!

Great recipe! I browned the meatballs in a pan before putting them in the sauce. Also, I only put 1 tbsp. of sugar and substituted an 8 oz. can of tomato sauce for one of the cans of tomato paste. Finally, I omitted the water.

Used Mozzarella, added 1/4 cup Cambria Pinot Noir to the sauce, and 1/4 cup of sugar. Last time made a double recipe with big browned meatballs. Praises all around.

This recipe was absolutely delicious! I made this for my husband and a dear friend, and they both absolutely loved it. It's not very often that we find a recipe to add to our go-to-recipes list, but this will definitely be on there from now on! I did use the modifications recommended by Yoshiyum. I substituted the 3 cans of tomato paste with 1 can tomato paste and 1 can tomato sauce, and I used one 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes instead of two 16-oz cans (reduces cost). I also decreased the sugar to 3 Tbsp and used two cups of water. Lastly, I personally do not care for the flavor of parsley, so I substituted fresh basil in its place. Cooking the meatballs in the sauce is genius and definitely made for a delicious meal! Thanks Jenn!

This came out really good! I made it exactly as follows but thought 3 cans of tomato paste and half a cup of sugar was too much. I adjusted to 1 can tomato paste and 1/4 cup of sugar and more water. It seemed to taste great. My husbands exact words were "amazing"....which I haven't heard in awhile! My kids also loved it too!

This was good despite the fact that I screwed up and put all the garlic and oregano in the sauce instead of saving half for meatballs. Sauted the garlic in onion powder and olive oil. Husband does not like onions. Did not use all the sugar either. And used 1 can of tomato paste. The meatballs were pretty good despite the lack of spices. I baked them 15 min b4 adding to sauce. I will make this again.

Meatballs are good but I wish I read the reviews. Sauce was WAY too sweet. When I first tried it was disgusting so I actually just added doubles of all the other sauce ingredients to dilute it a bit. Even after that I still found it too sweet. I would put in 2 tbsp of sugar for this recipe.

Who on earth is giving this recipe 4 and 5 stars. I’m not sure Jenny wasn’t trolling. So to double the sauce part I’m supposed to use 6 cans of tomato paste?! Or a cup of sugar?! No onion in the meatballs? This recipe was the equivalent to school lunch spaghetti and meatballs. Please follow everyone’s tips on how to make adjustments and season this recipe.

Tried it just now — incredible!

food was tasty and not so hard to make😉

Perfect for a cozy family night.

Been making this for years, I add an extra can of crushed tomatoes and only a tablespoon of sugar. Everyone always loves this recipe, so delicous!

Where is the garlic? Fresh, jarred or at least powder, you need garlic. Also a splash of red wine kicks it up a notch. IMHO.

Best spaghetti and meatballs ever ! My dad made this for my family now I get to make it for my boyfriend and friends. Great dish !!

Excellent meatballs. Cooking them in the sauce makes them really soft and makes serving them at parties easy since they stay warm. I’ve made them a couple of times now and will no doubt make them again.

The only changes I made were to replace some of the sugar with brown sugar and to replace some of the water with red wine. This recipe was fantastic.