• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Never Enough Thyme logo

  • Recipes ▼
    • Heritage Recipes
    • Appetizers
    • Beverages
    • Breads
    • Breakfast
    • Canning and Preserving
    • Condiments and Extras
    • Desserts
      • Chocolate
    • Main Dishes
      • Beef
      • Eggs and Dairy
      • Fish and Seafood
      • Lamb
      • Meatless
      • Pork
      • Pasta
      • Poultry
      • Sandwiches
      • Soups and Stews
    • Salads
    • Side Dishes
    • Slow Cooker
    • Snacks
    • Vegetables
  • Shop
  • Contact
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
go to homepage
Homepage link
  • Recipe Index
  • Travel
  • Garden&Home
  • About
×

Home » Food » Main Dishes » Pasta » Jumbo Meatballs and Spaghetti

Jumbo Meatballs and Spaghetti

By Lana Stuart · Published: Aug 29, 2019 · Last Modified: Oct 19, 2020 · As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

My recipe for Jumbo Meatballs and Spaghetti will be a favorite with your family! Treat your family and friends to a delicious and fun dinner!

I know what you're thinking. Why "jumbo" meatballs? Why not just make regular size meatballs? No real reason! Just because it's fun, that's why!

My recipe for Jumbo Meatballs and Spaghetti will be a favorite with your family! Treat your family and friends to a delicious and fun dinner! From @NevrEnoughThyme https://www.lanascooking.com/jumbo-meatballs-and-spaghetti/

This is a great family dinner recipe. Kids just love the novelty of one huge meatball with their spaghetti.

Don't let the long list of ingredients scare you off. My Jumbo Meatballs and Spaghetti is a very easy recipe. You pretty much dump everything in a bowl and mix it together. Takes very little time to do and the meatballs themselves....delicious!

I know a recipe is really good when BeeBop specifically comments on it. His usual response to a tasty recipe is "that's pretty good." So when he said "Man, these meatballs are good!" I knew this was a winner!

My recipe for Jumbo Meatballs and Spaghetti will be a favorite with your family! Treat your family and friends to a delicious and fun dinner! Click To Tweet

How to Make Jumbo Meatballs and Spaghetti

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and drizzle with olive oil. Set aside.

Mix bread and milk with Jumbo Meatballs and Spaghetti

In a large mixing bowl, combine the cubed Italian style bread and milk. Set side for 2-3 minutes until the bread is softened. Using your fingers, a fork, or a potato masher, mix the bread and milk until thoroughly combined.

Mixture for Jumbo Meatballs and Spaghetti

Add all the remaining ingredients for the meatballs. Mix until combined.

I use my hands for this. Just take off your rings and get right in there. However, you can actually use a stand mixer with a paddle attachment on low speed to mix the ingredients together.

Divide mixture into eight equal pieces

Turn the mixture out on a board and divide into 8 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a large meatball. They'll be about the size of a baseball!

Drizzle meatballs with olive oil

Place the meatballs on the prepared baking sheet and drizzle with a little olive oil. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Make Tomato Sauce for Jumbo Meatballs and Spaghetti

While the meatballs are baking, prepare the sauce. In a large pan (large enough to hold the sauce and meatballs) heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the onions and cook 4-5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for one additional minute. I use my deep chicken fryer skillet for this.

Make Tomato Sauce for Jumbo Meatballs and Spaghetti

Add the passata (or tomatoes), oregano, basil, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until the meatballs have finished browning.

Add browned meatballs to tomato sauce

Transfer the browned meatballs into the pan with the tomato sauce. I also add the juices from the baking pan into the sauce, but that's optional. Spoon the tomato sauce over the meatballs, turn the heat down to a steady simmer and cover the pan.

Cook 30 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked through (they should register 160 internal temperature on an instant read thermometer).

While the meatballs and sauce are simmering, cook the pasta according to its package directions.

Serve one meatball per person along with some of the sauce over a serving of pasta. Top with shaved Parmesan or Romano cheese if desired.

Enjoy!

More Pasta Recipes on Never Enough Thyme:

  • Bow Tie Pasta Salad with Tomatoes and Grapes
  • Pasta d'Arrabiata
  • Gnocchi with Tomato Sauce
  • Cheese Ravioli with Chunky Tomato Sauce
  • Bolognese Sauce
  • Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato (BLT) Pasta

Meatball Recipes from Other Bloggers:

  • Chipotle Meatballs from Simply Recipes
  • Baked Salmon Meatballs with Creamy Avocado Sauce from Cookin' Canuck
  • Bacon Cheeseburger Meatballs from I Breathe I'm Hungry
  • Sophia Loren's Meatballs from Manger
  • Swedish Meatballs from Food Wishes

Like This Recipe? Pin It!

My recipe for Jumbo Meatballs and Spaghetti will be a favorite with your family! Treat your family and friends to a delicious and fun dinner! From @NevrEnoughThyme https://www.lanascooking.com/jumbo-meatballs-and-spaghetti/

My recipe for Jumbo Meatballs and Spaghetti will be a favorite with your family! Treat your family and friends to a delicious and fun dinner! From @NevrEnoughThyme https://www.lanascooking.com/jumbo-meatballs-and-spaghetti/

Jumbo Meatballs and Spaghetti

My recipe for Jumbo Meatballs and Spaghetti will be a favorite with your family! Treat your family and friends to a delicious and fun dinner!
5 from 2 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Pasta
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 718kcal
Author: Lana Stuart

Ingredients

For the meatballs:

  • Olive oil
  • 3 cups white Italian style bread cut in 1” dice
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 1 ¼ lb. ground beef
  • 1 lb. mild Italian sausage
  • 1 egg lightly beaten
  • ½ medium onion chopped
  • 4 tblsp. dried parsley flakes or ½ cup finely minced fresh parsley
  • 1 tsp. dried oregano
  • 3 oz. finely grated Romano cheese
  • 1 cup whole milk Ricotta cheese
  • 1 ½ tsp. kosher salt
  • ½ tsp. ground black pepper

For the sauce:

  • 4 tblsp. olive oil
  • ½ medium onion chopped
  • 1 garlic clove minced
  • 24 oz. passata or 2 15 oz. cans roma tomatoes
  • ½ tsp. dried oregano
  • 4-5 large basil leaves cut in chiffonade
  • ½ tsp. salt
  • ½ tsp. ground black pepper
  • 1 lb. spaghetti
Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and drizzle with olive oil. Set aside.
  • In a large mixing bowl, combine the cubed Italian style bread and milk. Set side for 2-3 minutes until bread is softened. Using your fingers or a potato masher, mix the bread and milk until thoroughly combined. Add all remaining ingredients for meatballs. Mix until combined. Turn out on a board and divide into 8 equal pieces. Shape into large meatballs.
  • Place the meatballs on the prepared baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.
  • While the meatballs are baking, prepare the sauce. In a large pan (large enough to hold the sauce and meatballs) heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the onions and cook 4-5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for one additional minute. Add the passata (or tomatoes), oregano, basil, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until you remove the meatballs from the oven.
  • Transfer the browned meatballs to the pan with the tomato sauce. Spoon tomato sauce over the meatballs, turn the heat down to a steady simmer and cover the pan. Cook 30 minutes or until meatballs are cooked through (they’ll register 160 internal temperature on an instant read thermometer).
  • While the meatballs and sauce are simmering, cook the pasta according to its package directions.
  • Serve one meatball per person along with some of the sauce over a serving of pasta. Top with shaved Parmesan or Romano cheese if desired.

Notes

All text and photographs on Never Enough Thyme are copyright protected. Please do not use any material from this site without obtaining prior permission. If you'd like to post this recipe on your site, please create your own original photographs and either re-write the recipe in your own words or link to this post.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1g | Calories: 718kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 43g | Fat: 46g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 28g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 149mg | Sodium: 1346mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g

Nutrition information is calculated by software based on the ingredients in each recipe. It is an estimate only and is provided for informational purposes. You should consult your health care provider or a registered dietitian if precise nutrition calculations are needed for health reasons.

Share on Facebook Pin Recipe
Tried this recipe? Share it on Instagram!Mention @NevrEnoughThyme or tag #NevrEnoughThyme!

Have you tried this recipe? I'd love for you to give it a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe card and/or in the comments section further down.

You can always stay in touch on social media by following me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest and Sign Up to Get my Newsletter, too!


About Lana Stuart

Lana Stuart is the cook and occasional traveler here at Never Enough Thyme. Lana has been cooking since she was tall enough to reach the stove and started this blog in 2009 to share her delicious home cooking recipes. You'll find about 700 recipes here so there's sure to be something your family will like!
More About Lana →

Previous Post: « Spiced Pear Pancakes
Next Post: Seafood Casserole »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Ally says

    February 14, 2021 at 1:46 am

    Hi! Would love to make this recipe! But I don’t have the bread. Can I use breadcrumbs!?

    Reply
    • Lana Stuart says

      February 14, 2021 at 11:37 am

      I would substitute any kind of fresh bread rather than bread crumbs. The milk and bread give a lot of moisture to the meatballs. Dry bread crumbs would probably make dry meatballs.

      Reply
  2. joyce says

    October 27, 2020 at 5:59 pm

    5 stars
    this is a great recipe....her seasoning is right on point...my family loved it and will definitely make again....thanks for much for sharing this...

    Reply
    • Lana Stuart says

      October 28, 2020 at 8:15 am

      I'm so glad you enjoyed it, Joyce!

      Reply
  3. Steph says

    January 20, 2020 at 3:42 pm

    Hi!! I’ll be making your jumbo meatballs tonight. I forgot the IT bread, can I replace it with breadcrumbs? And how much would you suggest I use?
    Thanks!!

    Reply
    • Lana Stuart says

      January 20, 2020 at 4:09 pm

      You could possibly substitute bread crumbs, but they will not absorb the milk in the same way as the bread and won't measure the same. Sorry I can't advise you on that. My guess is that they would make the meatballs much more dense and tough.

      Reply
« Older Comments

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

WELCOME Y'ALL!

Lana Stuart, author of Never Enough Thyme

Hi! I'm Lana Stuart, the cook and occasional traveler here at Never Enough Thyme. I've been cooking since I was tall enough to reach the stove and started this blog in 2009 so I could share my delicious home cooking recipes with all of you. You'll find almost 700 recipes here so there's sure to be something your family will like!
More About Me →

Start the Day with a Great Breakfast!

  • New Orleans Beignets
  • Easy Peach Turnovers
  • Cheesy Tomato Grits with Chiles and Bacon
  • Steak and Eggs
  • Banana Nut Bread
  • Easy Sausage Muffins

Slow Cooker Favorites

  • Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings
  • Spiced Slow Cooker Applesauce
  • Slow Cooker Chicken Stew
  • Slow Cooker Bread Pudding
  • Slow Cooker Southwestern Pork Stew
  • Slow Cooker Cheesy Potatoes and Ham
Never Enough Thyme Featured On Collage

Footer

↑ back to top

About

  • About
  • Privacy
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Accessibility Policy
  • Contact
  • Media
Graphic collage showing many sites where Never Enough Thyme has been featured.

Also Check Out

  • Condiments & Extras
  • Great Breakfasts
  • Tasty Beverages
  • Canning and Preserving

Never Enough Thyme is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com

This blog generates income via ads.

All images and text on Never Enough Thyme are protected by U. S. Copyright Law. If you'd like to feature a post from Never Enough Thyme, you may use one photo credited and linked back to the original recipe post.

Copyright © Never Enough Thyme 2021. All rights reserved.