Ever since we took our pasta making class in Italy, we’ve been obsessed with making fresh pasta at home. It’s become one of our favorite ways to spend an evening together as a family, and the boys love it just as much as we do! There’s just something so special about everyone pitching in, rolling out dough, and then gathering around the table to enjoy the results.
Over the last couple of years, I’ve tried so many different sauce recipes to go with our homemade pasta. I thought I had landed on “the one”… until I came across Ina Garten’s Real Meatballs and Spaghetti recipe. I absolutely love everything Ina creates (you know she’s featured here often!), so I couldn’t resist giving it a try.
Real Meatballs and Spaghetti
From Ina Garten Family Style
I am so, so glad I did. We all agreed… this is now the “final” version of our favorite pasta sauce. It’s rich, flavorful, and pairs beautifully with fresh, homemade noodles.
Chef Notes
- Ina’s recipe calls for a mix of veal, pork, and beef in the meatballs. My Publix sells this mixture already combined, which made prep so much easier (and saved me from having random frozen portions of meat I’d inevitably forget about later!).
- Honey’s official note for next time: double the garlic.
When it comes to our pasta, we don’t really follow a strict recipe – shocking for me, since I love a good step-by-step guide. As we learned in Italy, so much of pasta-making is about feeling the dough. Speaking in general terms, here’s what we do per person:
- ½ cup double 00 flour
- ½ cup semolina flour
- 3 egg yolks
- Pinch of salt
- Water and olive oil, as needed
We start by hand-mixing the flours, salt, and eggs right there on the island. Then, we add 1 tablespoon each of water and olive oil, continuing to add more as needed to create a soft, well-blended dough. Once the dough is ready, we wrap it and chill for 30 minutes.
Then the fun begins! We roll it out… first by hand, then using the machine…. and finally cut it into pasta. Fresh pasta only needs to boil for 4–5 minutes before it’s ready to enjoy.
Tip: I use the Kitchenaid Pasta Making 3-piece set and it has worked like a charm!
Meals like this are why I love our Sunday Supper tradition so much, and treasure our travel experience so greatly. I miss John so much when he’s away, but we keep it going with the three of us. This recipe will be making many repeat appearances in our kitchen, and I’m already looking forward to nights gathered around the island, covered in flour, making memories together.
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I batch make and freeze my meatballs. You can make dozens and flash freeze them, then put into Ziplocs for storage and just pull out as many as you need for your meal. This helps you avoid random frozen meats and makes a quick, hearty, spaghetti dinner perfect. Also, the meatballs can be pulled out to add to pizzas or for sandwiches.
That pasta attachment is my next investment for my mixer.