Spaghetti and Meatballs for a Crowd
Spaghetti and meatballs is such a classic comforting meal. Hubby and I go an annual ski trip up to Maine with a big group of friends. Since I don’t enjoy skiing, I love to spend the day in the kitchen at the huge log cabin we rent. It’s always one of my favorite weekends of the winter.
Feeding 18-20 people can always be a challenge. I always shoot for comforting foods since everyone is exhausted after a cold day of skiing. Last year, I made this Spaghetti and Meatballs for a Crowd. I had never made meatballs before these and I can honestly say I’ll never try another recipe. I used bacon instead of prosciutto since that’s what I had on hand. The ground pork and bacon add a great smokiness and round out the flavor of the meatballs. I used my cupcake-sized ice cream scoop to portion out the meat so that I’d get nice large meatballs.
This recipe was perfect for serving a huge crowd and it would be great to make one weekend to throw into the freezer. Or to give someone who’s expecting a baby. Or renovating their kitchen. You could also cut the recipe in half if you want a more reasonable serving size. That’s definitely something to consider if you don’t have two large pots to cook the sauce in!
One Year Ago: Lemon Meringue Cupcakes
Two Years Ago: Layered Marshmallow Brownies
Four Years Ago: Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes with Dairy Free Mexican Hot Chocolate Frosting
Spaghetti and Meatballs for a Crowd
Make this for a crowd or to portion out and throw into your freezer. The meatballs are the best I've ever had!
Yield: Serves 12-14
Ingredients:
For the Meatballs
2 1/4 cups panko bread crumbs
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
3 eggs, lightly beaten
2 pounds 85 percent lean ground beef
1 pound ground pork
6 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, chopped fine
1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese
6 Tbsp minced fresh parsley leaves
5 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through garlic press
1 1/2 tsp powdered gelatin, dissolved in 3 Tbsp cold water
Salt and ground black pepper
For the Sauce
3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 cups grated onion from 1 to 2 onions
6 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through garlic press
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp dried oregano
6 cups tomato juice (bottled)
3 (28-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
6 Tbsp dry white wine
Salt and ground black pepper
Spaghetti (3 pounds if cooking for a crowd, otherwise just make what you need)
1/2 cup minced fresh basil leaves
3 Tbsp minced fresh parsley leaves
Granulated sugar
Grated Parmesan cheese, for serving
Directions:
For the meatballs
Place wire racks in 2 foil-lined rimmed baking sheets. Adjust oven racks to lower-middle and upper-middle positions, and preheat oven to 450 F.
Combine bread crumbs and buttermilk in large bowl and let sit, mashing occasionally with fork, until a smooth paste forms, about 10 minutes.
Add eggs, beef, pork, prosciutto, Parmesan, parsley, garlic, gelatin mixture, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper to bread crumb mixture. Gently mix everything with your hands until thoroughly combined.
Spray the wire racks with nonstick cooking spray (or rub them with olive oil). Form meatballs using about 1/4 cup of meat mixture per meatball, and space the meatballs out on the racks as you form them. You should end up with about 40 meatballs.
Roast until browned, about 30 minutes, rotating trays from front to back and top to bottom halfway through.
For the Sauce
While the meatballs roast, heat olive oil in a LARGE Dutch oven or other pot over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and golden around edges, 6 to 8 minutes.
Add garlic, red pepper flakes, and oregano, and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Stir in tomato juice, crushed tomatoes, wine, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and pepper to taste. Increase heat to medium-high, and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until slightly thickened, about 15 minutes.
Remove meatballs from oven, and lower oven temperature to 300 degrees. Add meatballs to sauce, cover pot, and place in oven. You may need to separate the sauce in to two pots at this time to fit everything.
Cook until meatballs are firm and sauce has thickened, about 1 hour.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to package directions.
To serve
Stir the basil and parsley into the sauce, and add sugar, salt, and pepper, as necessary.
Toss the pasta with a little bit of sauce to coat it. Top pasta with meatballs and extra sauce. Sprinkle grated Parmesan on top, if desired.
Recipe from Cooks Illustrated, as seen on Delicious Dishings
I am Jen the Beantown Baker. Engineer by day and baking maven by night. Hubby serves as my #1 fan and official taste tester. We got hitched back in 2006. Barefoot. In the sand. With the waves crashing behind us. It was one of the best decisions we’ve ever made. 
You are one lucky girl because that is an AWESOME anniversary gift! I only got a Le Creuset Dutch oven this past fall and I’ve mostly roasted with it with the cover off but I am totally going to get a replacement knob. Thanks for the tip!
My family would love this. When meat is cooked for that long in juice and seasoning the flavor is always incredible. Thanks for the recipe!
What a perfect virgin use for your new Dutch oven! I love the addition of more vegetables too – what a great way to make this isn’t a one-dish balanced meal.
That looks perfect for this weather! I always use my cover with the black knob, and nothing bad has ever happened to it. I do wonder though if I’ve ever come across a recipe that requires me to cook something covered at a higher temp that 375 (I’m thinking it’s not likely). Such a great gift!
I want to get a dutch oven just for something like this! What a wonderful anniversary gift! The beef looks melt-in-your mouth, and with a sauce made out of cabernet? To die for! Looks wonderful!
Megan – I’ve seen a recipe for a nearly-no-knead bread that bakes at 450. But other than that, most things are cooked low and slow.
First off congrats on the anniversary milestone! This looks delicious. I’m bookmarking it now, since this definitely a recipe my family will love.
what an awesome gift!! happy anniversary 🙂 i got a stainless steel knob, but haven’t yet exchanged it… what a great recipe, and i can just imagine how succulent that meat was!
Very good!!! Very very good!!! Hugs, ciao Flavia
I’m definitely ordering the replacement knob for mine as well. Great idea. This dish looks perfect for the cold weekend we’re about to have!
Your pictures are absolutely amazing. Seriously amazing. I want to lick my computer screen.
Happy Anniversary! Congrats on a fantastic gift!! I only acquired my first Le Creuset oven last May. I’m addicted! I have several pieces (which you can see on my blog). I LOVE the way they cook. I have a friend who was trying so hard to convince me to buy one. I got a great sale at the Outlet! I rarely use my stainless pots and pans any more. I now have two different kinds of skillets, too. I absolutely love them!
I have several recipes on my blog which I have cooked in my ovens. I cook my chili for four hours. The first time I made it my husband said it was the best chili I had ever made (we’ve been married 23 years! I also cooked Pioneer Woman’s pot roast with rosemary in it (also listed on my blog)… it was AWESOME!
If you ever get anything on your enameled pot that you can get off… try Bar Keeper’s Friend. I wrote Le Creuset and they told me that its OK to use it. 😉
I love all your recipes and can’t wait to see what you create in your new oven!
Stef at TooMuchToDoSoLittleTime.com
This looks great! I love my Le Creuset….it’s the best! You made a great dish to break it in…yum!
Oh man that looks TASTY! And such a great anniversary gift!
Awesome, wonderful gift. I just won my first Le Creuset french oven and like you pondered what to make with it! Thanks for the idea of the stainless steel knob.
A tip on that replacement knob: just go to a hardware store and buy a stainless steel kitchen cabinet knob along with a washer and bolt to fit. Bring the lid with you to the store to check the fit. This is MUCH less expensive than a “Le Creuset” knob and works great.
This sounds absolutely perfect for a cold winter night. And with temps in the teens this week, I am definitely adding this to the list!
Your mom is way thoughtful for getting you guys that for your anniversary! I absolutely adore my dutch oven and bring it out every chance I get! I may have to bring it out fairly soon to try this beef because it sounds absolutely delicious!
What a wonderful gift! And so great that you’ll put it to good use. Happy anniversary 🙂
absolutely delicious !!!! i wish i could grab some !!
I keep coming back to this recipe! I just made it tonight for the in-laws and I think they might let me stay in the family. ALWAYS delicious 🙂
beantownbaker — January 12th, 2014 @ 2:54 pm
Isn’t it delicious? Especially in this cold weather. Glad you guy enjoy it.