Slow Roasted Spaghetti Sauce with Baked Meatballs
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I’ve been making this roasted spaghetti sauce with meatballs for years, and it’s still one of the most-loved meals in my kitchen. The sauce gets its deep, rich flavor from slow-roasting tomatoes, garlic, and onions until everything is caramelized and dreamy—it’s comfort food at its best!
If you’ve never made a roasted tomato pasta sauce from scratch, you’re in for something special. This one’s my favorite—I’ve been making it for years and still get excited every time it comes out of the oven. The tomatoes roast low and slow until they’re sweet, jammy, and full of rich flavor. No stovetop stirring marathons here, just a ridiculously good sauce with minimal effort!
Once it’s done, I love tossing it with spaghetti, then piling on some juicy meatballs, a shower of parmesan, and plenty of fresh basil. It looks fancy, tastes even better, and makes your kitchen smell like an Italian restaurant in the best way.
Seriously, if you’re craving cozy comfort food that’s still a little impressive, this one’s your go-to. Pour a glass of wine, and let’s make some magic!
A few notes I want to mention about the ingredients
Tomatoes: You can use any variety of tomato here. Summer ripened tomatoes are the best, but roasting does wonders even to winter tomatoes. Cherry tomatoes work, too!
Garlic: A whole head sounds like a lot, but I promise the flavor mellows out a lot in the oven.
Meat: The combination of ground beef and pork is my favorite, but you can switch it up as needed. All beef is very tasty, and I’ve even used ground chicken a few times when I’ve wanted to lighten up dinner.
Store, reheat, and freezer instructions
Store: This sauce will keep well for up to 4 days in a covered container in your fridge. I’ve stored it both on its own and mixed with the pasta, and it keeps well either way.
Reheat: My preference is to warm it gently in a pan over medium heat with a splash of water (and extra cheese). A microwave also works to warm this up.
Freeze: This sauce freezes very well! I recommend freezing the sauce separately and then cooking pasta fresh when you’re ready for dinner. You can also freeze the meatballs separately. Both will keep for up to 6 months stored in freezer containers in your freezer.
Slow Roasted Spaghetti Sauce with Baked Meatballs
Ingredients
The Spaghetti Sauce
- 3 lb tomatoes (cut in half)
- 1 head garlic (top cut off)
- 1 teaspoon EACH: salt and pepper (more to taste)
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 medium onion (cut into quarters)
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
- ⅓ cup basil leaves
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
The Meatballs
- ¾ lb ground beef
- ¾ lb ground pork
- 1 cup fine breadcrumbs
- ⅓ cup whole milk
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon EACH: salt and pepper
- 3 cloves garlic (finely minced)
- 2 large eggs
- ½ medium onion (finely minced)
To Serve
- 12 ounces dry spaghetti
- Optional toppings: parmesan cheese basil leaves
Instructions
- Position one oven rack 4 inches from the heat and one in the middle of your oven. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the tomatoes and garlic in a large baking dish, cut side up. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil. Bake the tomatoes on the middle rack, uncovered, for 45 minutes.3 lb tomatoes, 1 head garlic, 1 teaspoon EACH: salt and pepper, ¼ cup olive oil
- After 45 minutes, remove the baking dish from the oven. Take out the garlic and add the onions, nestling them around the tomatoes. Put the dish back into the oven for 1 hour more.1 medium onion
- While the tomatoes are roasting, prepare the meatballs. Place all the meatball ingredients into a large bowl and mix well using your hands. Use a medium-sized (about 2 tablespoons) cookie scoop to portion the meat. Roll into balls, place them on a baking sheet, and store them in your fridge until you're ready for them.¾ lb ground beef, ¾ lb ground pork, 1 cup fine breadcrumbs, ⅓ cup whole milk, 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, 2 tablespoons tomato paste, 1 teaspoon EACH: salt and pepper, 3 cloves garlic, ½ medium onion, 2 large eggs
- Remove the baking dish and turn the oven to broil. When it comes to temperature, broil the meatballs for 8-10 minutes until they develop a dark golden crust on top. Move the baking sheet to the lower rack, lower the heat to 400 degrees Fahrenheit, and continue to cook them for another 10 minutes.
- When the meatballs go into the oven, put a large pot of salted water to boil. Then, transfer the tomatoes, onions, and all their juices to a blender. Squeeze the garlic from the skins and add the garlic, parmesan, basil, and thyme to the blender. Blend on medium speed until smooth.½ cup grated parmesan cheese, ⅓ cup basil leaves, 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
- Pour the sauce into a pot (a braiser works really well for this step) and turn the heat to medium-low. Clean the blender with 1 cup of water and pour this into the sauce to get all the flavor.
- When the water beings to boil, add the spaghetti noodles and cook for 1 minute less than the package directions. When the noodles are almost cooked, add enough of the cooking water to the sauce to loosen it – the sauce is quite thick so I usually add close to a cup. Once it's the right consistency, taste it and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Note: if your tomatoes weren't very ripe, you may want to add a little sprinkle of sugar.12 ounces dry spaghetti
- Using a pair of tongs, transfer the spaghetti from the pot to the sauce and toss to coat. If needed, loosen the sauce with more of the cooking water.
- Serve the spaghetti with the meatballs on top and extra parmesan and basil.Optional toppings: parmesan cheese basil leaves
Notes
Nutrition
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Great! I just finished it last night and the result was unexpected, my wife and daughter both liked it, which made me happy. Thanks for your recipe!
Your caramelized tomatoes sauce elevates my spaghetti dish to another level. Thank you so much, Kristen.