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–+ servings
Sliced roasted tomatoes, onion wedges, and a whole head of garlic seasoned with black pepper and herbs make the perfect base for a rich Roasted Spaghetti Sauce.

Slow Roasted Spaghetti Sauce with Baked Meatballs

Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours
Total Time: 2 hours 5 minutes
This roasted spaghetti sauce with tender meatballs is one of my longtime favorites. The tomatoes roast until sweet and jammy, then get blended into a creamy, velvety sauce that’s perfect tossed with pasta and topped with juicy meatballs.

Ingredients

The Spaghetti Sauce

The Meatballs

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
    Sliced tomatoes arranged in a baking dish with a whole roasted garlic bulb, seasoned with pepper and ready for roasting—the perfect base for roasted spaghetti sauce.
  • 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
    A rectangular baking dish filled with roasted tomato and onion slices, perfect as a savory base for classic spaghetti and meatballs, sits on a white marble surface.
  • 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
    Twenty-four raw meatballs, perfect for topping this roasted tomato sauce, are evenly spaced on a dark metal baking sheet atop a white marble surface.
  • 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.
    A metal baking sheet with twenty-four evenly spaced, round meatballs—perfect for serving with spaghetti and meatballs—rests on a white marble surface.
  • 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
    A blender filled with pureed roasted tomato spaghetti sauce sits on a white marble countertop, ready to finish making the sauce.
  • 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.
    A hand pours blended roasted tomato sauce from a blender into a large pot, next to a plate of spaghetti and meatballs, all on a white surface.
  • 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
    Image for recipe instruction: A pot of roasted spaghetti sauce and meatballs topped with black pepper, with a wooden spoon resting inside, sits on a white marble surface.
  • 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.
    Image for recipe instruction: A pot of cooked spaghetti noodles ready to be stirred into roasted tomato sauce spaghetti, placed on a white marble surface.
  • Serve the spaghetti with the meatballs on top and extra parmesan and basil.
    Optional toppings: parmesan cheese basil leaves
    A white bowl filled with spaghetti in roasted spaghetti sauce, topped with meatballs and garnished with chopped herbs, on a white marble surface.

Notes

Spaghetti: I like traditional spaghetti with this recipe, but you can use any shape of pasta you like. 
Serving: 1 serving = ¼ of the sauce and meatballs, Calories: 559kcal, Carbohydrates: 22g, Protein: 37g, Fat: 37g, Saturated Fat: 11g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g, Monounsaturated Fat: 20g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 114mg, Sodium: 1433mg, Potassium: 1577mg, Fiber: 5g, Sugar: 12g, Vitamin A: 3075IU, Vitamin C: 55mg, Calcium: 93mg, Iron: 5mg