Perfect meatballs and spaghetti from Smitten Kitchen Keepers: New Classics for Your Forever Files (page 209) by Deb Perelman

Where’s the full recipe - why can I only see the ingredients?

Always check the publication for a full list of ingredients. An Eat Your Books index lists the main ingredients and does not include 'store-cupboard ingredients' (salt, pepper, oil, flour, etc.) - unless called for in significant quantity.

Notes about this recipe

  • Eat Your Books

    Can substitute ground turkey for ground meat and pecorino Romano cheese for Parmesan.

  • cookingbychapter on May 23, 2026

    Really enjoyed this!

  • gamulholland on March 20, 2026

    These were tasty, but the ones in Lidey Heuck’s book have more flavor, I think.

  • JessElisabeth on February 27, 2026

    Just made the meatballs but they were great!

  • charlotte165446 on February 18, 2026

    Fantastic recipe - the first I tried from this cookbook (flipped to a random page). It’s spaghetti and meatballs, not beef wellington, so I wasn’t expecting to be blown away, but I was very pleasantly surprised for what it is. My new favorite meatball recipe, super easy and flavorful - the batter seemed a little wet, but texture turned out A+! I added a bit extra of everything it called for and used 1/2 pork, 1/2 beef. Make sure to spray the foil well or else the meatballs will stick when baking. The sauce was also fantastic, very bright and tomato forward. I threw in 3 tbsp butter, a healthy pinch of sugar, half an onion (whole, fished out at the end), and seasoned generously. Complemented the meatballs nicely and let them shine. Make sure to heavily season the pasta water. If I hadn’t been lazy and topped it with the parmesan/parsley, it would’ve been a 10/10. Very impressive, easy weeknight dinner.

  • ldebuys on February 03, 2026

    Pretty good! Not my particular Platonic ideal of spaghetti and meatballs, but I'd make it again. I added a bit of dried basil to the sauce. I found the sauce a bit one note by itself. But everyone in the family got seconds, so make of that what you will.

  • JDeMarois on December 30, 2025

    Doubled the recipe. So good and so easy!

  • averythingcooks on April 18, 2025

    We really liked these meatballs (made with a 50:50 mix of ground beef & ground pork + a generous amount of pecorinio romano) and I appreciate that she calls for an oven bake (which I would have done anyways). BUT I knew that for us, I would need a sauce with more...everything...so I went "off the book" for that part of the meal. But yes, I will comeback to this meatball recipe.

  • estanzler on October 22, 2024

    This wasn't my favorite version of spaghetti and meatballs. I was distracted while cooking, but I feel like it could have used some more flavor. I also would cut back to one egg if I made it again.

  • Lepa on March 15, 2024

    My husband made this so I cannot comment about the recipe/process but loved the end results! We used pork for the meatballs, which had a wonderful light texture.

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