SPAGHETTI AND MEATBALLS (3 Tricks For Perfect Meatballs)

[@adriennepender673]

One reason this is my favorite cooking site is that I ALWAYS learn something. And even if I already make something well (I make a good meatball) I learn some trick and technique that make my cooking even better. Thanks, Bri!

[@TheBeefTrain]

These look awesome. That's the exact process of assembling the meatball mix I learned from my grandma (would sometimes use water if they couldn't afford milk). She was born in Italy and raised in NY. She had a mustache and everything-- super legit.

[@hugitkissitloveit8640]

Suuuper legit

[@TheBeanmachine314]

Love your videos. Just a quick FYI from a former electrician, electric equipment are typically rated to operate at temperatures that would be very uncomfortable for a person to touch (70 - 125+ C). Also, they all have thermal protection inside so you can keep running your mixer as long as it will keep going. If it shuts off while you're working then you know that you overloaded it and to take it a bit easier once it cools down (usually 30 - 60 minutes).

[@T.Dimitrov]

Easily my favourite cooking channel. The way Bri present everything is so easy to understand, funny and really makes you want to cook. Good job!

[@darrenjamal]

Bri! I found your channel in a late night KZbin recipe search and have made several of your recipes. I appreciate how approachable your cooking is, and this recipe in particular was a major hit for my family, everyone wanted to “eat this thing!”… Keep up the good work.

[@Face_Meat]

Made this last night. BY FAR the greatest spaghetti and meatballs that has ever entered my mouth. This will absolutely become part of my regular recipe rotation.

[@BrianLagerstrom]

Thanks for trying face meat you cooool

[@kevnas8250]

This recipe was absolutely superior to anything I have ever had before. So easy to follow and quick to do, prime cooking right here!

[@bitandbob1167]

Brian - thanks for this. When i saw it was pasta and meatballs i thought “oh, another recipe video for THAT” but this was great - different approaches and a more unique take compared to the many others i have seen! Thanks!!!

[@Akiata]

My daughter requested meatballs and spaghetti for her birthday. I have NEVER enjoyed meatballs and spaghetti. The form factor doesn't seem to fit (?) and the meatballs always dry as chalk, despite being covered in sauce. This recipe won me over. Meatballs were juicy, cheesy and moorish. Best of all they feel apart on the plate, and could be incorporated into every bite. I finally get this dish. My family had a wonderful birthday meal. Thanks Bri!

[@thehighsaltan]

You are, by far and away, my favorite cook here on KZbin. Your recipes are easy to follow and they taste GOOD. Seriously, I have yet to have a bad recipe from you. Your penne vodka gets requested by my friends all the time

[@guilhem3739]

I am always a bit perplexed by the use of fresh pasta and more particularly by the fact that people seem to think it is better than dry pasta. I only use fresh pasta to make lasagna or ravioli. Otherwise, I use dried ones because I like my pasta al dente (which is by definition impossible to get with fresh ones). I just buy good quality dry pasta (dried slowly and extruded with a bronze extruder allowing a kind of grainy texture). It doubles the price but dry pasta are cheap (500g of good quality dry spaghetti is something like 2 to 2€50 instead of 1€ for basic spaghetti).

[@Ash_Wen-li]

Agreed. Although I love fresh Pappardelle with a Bolognese

[@spotdogit]

I must confess that the last 6 or 7 videos I’ve saved recently are ALL yours, Bri. This one has especially got my gastric juices rumbling and I can’t wait to try it. Thanks for such fantastic, succinct recipes loaded with practical tips. And unit conversions to boot! You rock!!

[@actionwindowanddoor5689]

Dude, love your cooking style almost as much as I love your hair! Thank you for the classy, entertaining culinary education!

[@georginagarcia9878]

I love that you call white bread, "barely food". I'm going to try this as soon as I buy some of the "barely food". 🤣🤣🤣 Love your channel! Every recipe I've made has been stellar! I look forward to every episode.

[@Alex36Quest]

Great recipe! My mother had a phase of wanting to make homemade meatballs, but they never turned out quite satisfactory to her, so I'll send her over. I'm glad to finally see you using some new gear for tax reasons, feels good to know you're getting something out of your great videos!

[@mratkovich]

My Italian family has been making an inherited recipe for spaghetti and meatballs for generations and I think I’m gonna have to try this and maybe hybridize the two.

[@kylebright8708]

Another banger video! Can't wait to try this one out at home. I love that you added some white sugar, sugar to tomato sauce was the one and only cooking tip I ever got from my mother. And a star wars reference to boot, instant classic

[@ianmoore4539]

i love the adjectives you use to describe everything (texture, taste etc)

[@BrianLagerstrom]

Thanks for the comment Ian! Hopefully the verbiage isn't too repetitive, ahah only os many options for food.

[@joneseay]

I made this recipe tonight for me and wife and it was amazing. It turned out awesome even though it was my first time making meatballs and sauce not out of the jar.

[@samhill2655]

Ok, so I JUST finished making, and eating these…INCREDIBLE! I was always sort of indifferent towards spaghetti & meatballs, now I realize it’s because I’ve been eating terrible meatballs for years. These were perfect, juicy, and so flavorful. Followed the recipe down to the gram. Thanks a million Mr. Lagerstrom. Can’t wait for leftovers tomorrow! ETA: sadly I couldn’t try out the fresh pasta since I don’t have any of the gear, but with just regular dried spaghetti was 👌

[@shuhuawang633]

The best recipe I found on youtube. Love all your recipes!

[@vanessawarren126]

Love all your videos. My four year old does as well. We were on vacation this week and I asked what he wanted to watch, thinking he would say a cartoon. "I want to watch Brian." At first I didn't know what he was talking about. Then he said, "You know. The Brian that you and dad watch that teaches us stuff."

[@allisongrindley8415]

I made these meat balls for dinner and they turned out so delicious! Tender and flavorful! Thank you for pulling me out of the dry meatball league!

[@kurttube77]

Made these tonight, great recipe!

[@marywucinick3652]

Omg! Meatballs are insanely delicious!!! Best I’ve ever had. Thank you Brian. I’ll keep this recipe forever!!!

[@hoseinexile07]

I was never a fan of spaghetti and meatballs...until I found this recipe. It is absolutely tremendous. Great job!

[@hkykid8281]

Hands down my favorite cooking channel on KZbin and holy shit do those meatballs look amazing! Definitely going to be trying those out soon.

[@jacquespoulemer3577]

Hey Bri (as suggested in your video) . Betty Crock-a Showed generations of Americans what not to do. To be fair 'her' international cookbook in the 70's had some of my favorite recipes. Austrians taught me to put milk or cream in all my meatballs concoctions. Italians showed me to use sugar in sauce but I prefer a slice of apple or pear. The extra step of concentrating the sauce in the oven was pure inspiration. I enjoy watching you cook, I see a lot of French Methode in your execution. Bravo. Your pal in Oaxaca JIM

[@wolfingitdown2047]

You are one of the only people I trust to actually IMPROVE recipes like this.

[@edbe7385]

Just made this tonight, I subbed the pork for mild Italian sausage ( no fennel ) and I used San Marzanos for the sauce, very good.

[@rottenbunnies]

Woahhh, Brian. Just made this last night and this recipe is delicious. I added fresh basil into the tomato sauce & let the meatballs simmer in the sauce for ~5 hours on 250F. Baked some fresh french bread (which i didn't let cool, oops) to have along with the spaghetti. Thank you! So simple, so easy, so good.

[@CrazyLife2112]

I just made this with boxed pasta and can confirm it's pretty amazing! I bet it's mind blowing with fresh pasta lol. Thanks Brian

[@4kniveskitchen159]

I'm new to your channel but I have been enjoying every moment of it. Your videos are so informative!

[@GamingDrummer89]

I'm one of those weird heathens that doesn't like cheese with most things. However, that panade is intriguing enough for me to try next time I make meatballs (instead of just soaked panko breadcrumbs). And I'd like to add in another factor that makes for better meatballs: having them sit overnight in the refrigerator in the sauce and then being reheated the next day. The sauce AND the meatballs both enhance each other's flavor and it only gets better over the following day or two. Slowly reheated meatballs and sauce plus freshly cooked pasta is one of my favorite combinations on the planet!

[@brettmoore6781]

SQUIZZZZZZ. Looks amazing as always, I just made meatsauce and pasta earlier in the week but I used Cascatelli from The Sporkful. I'll have to try your recipe next time. Thanks!!!

[@macsarcule]

Bri, excited for your soft moist balls, per description. Huge props for not putting onions in the balls! Win. I’m also a kitchenaid extruder boy and I use a KZbin PastaGrannies style dough that’s just semolina and water, that’s it. Starts shaggy and gets smooth. Hand knead and let rest under plastic at room temp. It’s a dryish, but silky smooth ball of dough that extrudes nicely and has an awesome bite in the finished product. Please give the semolina and water (sans egg) pasta a try! ✌️🙂🍝

[@rickb3288]

Damn that looks good. I hope to try it one day.

[@callyg7696]

I always come into these videos knowing I make a decent version and leave it knowing I can defo up my game 🤣 spag bol or meatballs upgraded thanks again Bri!!!!

[@lauraellis3232]

This might be the best spaghetti and meatballs recipe I have ever had!

[@janetthompson1372]

Love your channel Brian. You are entertaining & practical. I have really amp up my pizza crust skills

[@blueberry25825]

As soon as I saw this video I had to make it! Just made it tonight and oh my… it was fantastic! Husband thought it was restaurant quality and it’s definitely a keeper!

[@DarthCyfe6]

Finally a good meatball recipe. Hard agree with how you started the video haha. The techniques in here are game changers and I'm so looking forward to making this!

[@Darklink88600]

I never thought of a meatball recipe can seems so delicious! Thanks for this recipe !

[@mjs8625]

When making that sauce, if you brown your meatballs first with that onion, garlic combo, remove the meatballs, add about 1/2 to 1 cup red wine, cook down before you add in the tomato and add more sugar after all has cooked a while, you will have much deeper flavor, traditional southern italian sauce. Just browning the meatballs first and retaining and adding the drippings to your sauce is best!

[@fleabowitz]

Just came across your channel. Making these tonight! So far so good! Thx!!

[@noktilux4052]

What about those of us who think juicy meatballs are kinda gross and would rather have dryness interact with the sauce for best end result?

[@cluster027]

i made this for dinner and it was delicious. thank you brian.

[@larrylindsey1497]

Try grated carrot instead of sugar.

[@andrewb9942]

Been doing something very similar with cilantro instead of parsley. Highly recommend.

[@rhondamcloughlin3773]

Panade...got it. It will be a game changer for my meatballs.

[@BrianLagerstrom]

I hope you give these a try!

[@LordHuggington]

I'm commenting because I would totally buy and wear a "Let's Eat This Thing" t-shirt

[@BrianLagerstrom]

Thanks for weighing in! I might be working with a designer right now.

[@ianmoore4539]

I add a tsp of baking soda to temper the acidity

[@heetsaliya8560]

I literally every time repeat with him when he says.. "let's eat this thinnnggg"🤣❤

[@chakacummings3860]

So, I’m making these meatballs with a few adjustments…I didn’t have butter milk and the fat content of my meat was off. I've added some sour cream and butter to counter some of these issues. I've, also, added some other seasoning like oregano, basil, etc. I'm looking forward to throwing these on some hoagie rolls and hitting my hankering for a meatball sub! I can’t wait to "eat this thinggggg!"

[@adamg.manning6088]

Great vid. One thing I’d say about your Kitchen Aid attachment; it’s not really made for such a high hydration dough. That’s why it seems like it’s over heating. Try a 3:1 semolina and water dough and just pour a couple of table spoons in at a time. It will extrude more easily and is more true to proper Napoli pasta.

[@MJ-fb8yy]

I really enjoy your videos.

[@dynamicelephant]

Amazing meatballs! My five year old said "dad, these are the best meatballs ever. You're the best chef in the family." Right in earshot of mom. My friend said "I don't even usually like meatballs, but I love these." These meatballs are a game changer and making me rethink all of my meatball recipes.

[@thesleepvampire]

Almost exactly my mom’s recipe, but she used to put little dollops of ricotta mixed with Parmesan on top before putting in oven to braise

[@marklitton3473]

Waiting for the meatball sub video. Lunch is in a couple of hours, so if you could hurry it along, that'd be great.😁

[@bradslone2409]

I don't even cook at all and ive been binge watching your channel for a couple days. The closest to cooking i do is heating up a TV dinner or making some Ramen. Lol

[@rjcoady21]

Perfect timing! I was just going to try and make pasta from scratch right now! I may even make elk meat spheres.

[@BrianLagerstrom]

I want elk meat

[@rjcoady21]

Manifest it. I lost fifteen pounds in a week to get mine.

[@chrissyparks2000]

Brian Brian Brian the meatballs go into the sauce raw!!! The sauce flavors the meatballs and they flavor the sauce. Sheesh.

[@janetthompson1372]

I just made these meatballs following the recipe. I am sure they are delicious, but they are very delicate. Next time I might use a little less bread for the panade.

[@jbwise2002]

Subbed veal for pork.. turned out great

[@ronalddevine9587]

Another great video Bri. Be careful with your stand mixer. I burned the motor out on my Kitchen Aid. It was going to cost as much to fix as to replace it. I went to Costco and replaced it. $280

[@artistsComplex]

I love spaghetti, dude. I cannot wait to try this

[@lucanos6]

Hey Bri! Any chance you can teach us how to make tomatoe sauce from scrach? I don't have access (to most of the brands you use, actually) to the sauce that you use. I'd really appreciate it. Greetings from Bolivia!!!

[@soquelschafer]

Love all of Brian's content. Anyone out there make the sauce and meatballs the night before? How did it re-heat? Looking to offer this to a group but might not have a lot of time the day-of but don't want to give a soggy mess : (

[@BeerBellyBert]

These look delicious, can't wait to try them out, we've made your pesto from your white pizza recipe twice recently and love it. Do you have a hoagie roll recipe that would pair well with these meatballs?

[@jbigs3684]

These were his anddelicious, I'm in Philly...one of the best I've made kzbin.info/www/bejne/hXKziKRsgdeMoqc

[@yannsaint-germain4527]

This seems delicious! BTW, you're not the only one who adds a pinch of sugar to their tomato sauce, as it's a great way to lower the acidity. I do it as well! Cheers!

[@robwilkerson4413]

Awesome! Trying this tomorrow!

[@bublhed]

This looks fantastic! I can’t wait to try it 🤤

[@kennyvega145]

Bring balance to the force😄..."you were the chosen one Bri !

[@KissFromTheWorld]

Bringing Spaghetti and Meatballs to America Italian American cuisine is responsible for creating the spaghetti and meatball preparation we know and love today. Italian immigrants brought the concept of meatball with them to America, but adapted this recipe to meet their budgets. This dish was probably invented by Italians that came to America between 1880 and 1920, when millions of Italians left Italy in search of freedom and land. They desired diets rich in meat, after discovering that meat in America was relatively inexpensive. They made meatballs using affordable ground beef and indulged in larger portion size than they had had backl home. To bulk up their meals further, they added a generous helping of pasta topped with a sauce made of canned tomatoes. These ingredients, canned tomatoes and dried pasta, were cheap to purchase and easy to cook with. The dish we call spaghetti and meatballs was born of a combination of inventiveness and resourcefulness! Today, people in America still love spaghetti. The average American eats almost 20 pounds of pasta every year, with long noodles like spaghetti being the preferred pasta shape. Happy hungry! Cheers, Domenico.

[@tanyabooysen3958]

Comforting 🍝and delicious 🤤 thanks Brian

[@billhoffman8623]

def add shirts mate!

[@fitta74]

I think it is the buttermilk that gives the meatballs that juicy flavour

[@venusgal2706]

Thank you! You used more than like a tsp or Tsp of olive oil to saute your onions and did it for longer than a minute or two... And your sauce more than minutes also. LOL. I know some will say you can do it quicker and with less oil and I know this but if one has the time and isn't watching every dribble of oil yeah, this is the way!

[@Unicorn-jj1cz]

Can you make a video about buttermilk please?

[@arabscamel1034]

Was the pasta dry for a reason? It looked a little unsaturated. Was the for spaghetti purposes? You can achieve the same thing with a different ratio of semolina and a stronger flour with a bit more egg yolk and still have a bouncy bite that doesn't lose out on flavor. Also, that's why I think the mixer had a rough time pushing it through.

[@bethehole]

Nice work Bri !

[@JB_Fraulein_Kunst]

Haha love the recipe call out at the beginning 😂 I too have greatly suffered at the hands of a rapidly googled recipe

[@hansgrueber8169]

In a "2 can" batch of tomato sauce I always throw in a filet of anchovy and a "squizz" of white wine. That really wakes up the tomato flavor.

[@BrianLagerstrom]

not mad about that move at all, Hans

[@hansgrueber8169]

@@BrianLagerstrom Well I guess bold moves aren't for everyone. 😁

[@TheShoemakerb1]

Perfectly round meatballs... Try stowing your wet tray of meatballs in the freezer for about an hour, or until they begin to feel firm. Re-shape, put back in the freezer for another hour. Check the roundness and re-shape again if desired. At this point, you can put extra meatballs back in the freezer for another day. You can bake the meatballs or I lower them into my deep fryer until well browned. It doesn't matter if they're 100 percent cooked through or not, because they're going into your simmering sauce, and they'll finish there. Perfectly round meatballs, extremely browned, and simmered in your tomato sauce, with a minimum of fuss. Yeah, my recipes take awhile, but they're hands off, in separate steps you usually can do whenever you have time.

[@kwhatten]

Didn't realize they have pasta extruder attachment. Any other shapes? Rigatoni? Bucatini?

[@BlackJesus8463]

It looks really good!

[@merveylmaz6834]

Looks amazing 😋

[@samuelmahoney6878]

I love it! I haven't used buttermilk for this, but it looks similar to what I usually do. What are your thoughts on beef only or doing your own grind? do you think it would be worth it for the meatballs as it is for burgers?

[@jessytang6082]

bri my man love ur recipes do you think you could toss a couple more hardcore bread and baking videos our way i bought the tartine book and have caught the sourdough bug because of your vids and now i want more moderate difficulty bread recipes

[@TylaBearTV]

I want that shirt!!

[@saraatppkdotpt8140]

Really nice recipe 👍

[@andrewriker5518]

As always Brian, great video. I have a son, who's a vegetarian. Could you please do something vegetarian?

[@MrRaivokasMagma]

I like to use sour cream and crumbled up crispbread on my meatballs. Mostly because I have little bits of crispbread, so might as well use them. And they give nice rye flavour :D

[@cary6177]

Another great video! Curious, is it OK to make the meatballs without the pork, using only beef? Or is this a bad idea? Thank you!

[@dobiebloke9311]

Brian - If you get a chance to someday, try making a dough with just semolina flour, egg yolks and a little bit of water, to make it maleable. Yes, like playdough, as afterall, that is what we are going to do with it. I usually start with 8 oz (weight) of semolina, in a food processor and 4 regular old egg yolks (only) and even tho I say 'just a little water', I would suppose 1 oz of water is required to develop gluten, as egg yolks alone don't have enough water to make a difference at those ratios. I'm guessing the liquid (yolks and water) probably equals 4 oz total. That sounds like something I would do - 50% hydration. We can work from there. I just eyeball it and adjust as needed, a little more flour here, a little more water there, whatever works (just so long as you're not constantly adding flour, and then water, and then flour again, until you are stuck up to your golashes, in the mud of an 'I Love Lucy' episdode. Yes, of course you can freeze any extra, and if you ever remember to take it from freezer to fridge, one Friday morning (cause you wrote yourself a post-it note and stuck it on the coffe machine), it could be the ediface of a romantic evening. Build a fire, have Charlie Parker blowing the blues (that stay blown), in the background, and gently blow the ashes off of each others blues. Share sappy acts of affection, unrepentent, that neither of you would ever do in your right mind, let alone ever do at any other time, but, you roll out the pasta together, drinking wine, equally glad that both of you remembered to pick up some meat (the kind you eat), as now, it is a surf and turf, by no design, which is always the best. Hey, it could happen.

[@andrewriker5518]

Thanks!

[@BrianLagerstrom]

Thanks, Andrew!

[@johnrobertson1]

Panade is definitely the way to go for meatballs. I’m so glad we’ve evolved past the Betty Crocker ‘throw everything in a casserole dish and bake it til the top burns’ method of cooking.

[@hansgrueber8169]

I do a panko and milk panade in mine and it works wonders for tenderness and moistness. Betty Crocker dint kno shyt about panko!! 😆

[@johnrobertson1]

@@hansgrueber8169 same. I’ve been doing Emma Bengtsson’s Swedish meatball recipe for awhile, which also uses panko.

[@leahr.2620]

Yum, and I see meatball sandwiches in your future😊

[@RaytoRyu]

Looks nice !

[@bryancastle5773]

Oh my , I didn’t think you could out do the chocolate chip cookies.