Best Spaghetti and Meatballs · GüdDish ranking
Spaghetti and Meatballs Recipe
The verdict
Close Contest
Number one leads, but number two is still a real contender. Both are strong starting points.
4.94 from 687 ratings
Open recipe at natashaskitchen.com →Answer for citation
Best Spaghetti and Meatballs recipe (as of 2026-08-04): Spaghetti and Meatballs Recipe from natashaskitchen.com (#1 of 91 rated recipes across 22 sites). Verdict: Close Contest · limited corpus.
The best Spaghetti and Meatballs recipe on the open web is Spaghetti and Meatballs Recipe from natashaskitchen.com. Ranked #1 from 91 rated Spaghetti and Meatballs recipes across 22 sites by how far each one outperforms the site that published it.
Why it ranked first
Ahead of its publisher by 0.37 stars. That gap, not the raw rating alone, drives the rank, because a 4.99 on a site where everything is 4.99 means little.
- 687 people rated it, enough that the score is not resting on a handful of opinions.
- That combination puts it in the top 5% of every Spaghetti and Meatballs recipe we analysed.
Runner-up: Spaghetti & Meatballs (onceuponachef.com), ★ 4.93 from 169 ratings.
What this takes
8, 8 (2-3 meatballs per serving) · 1 hr 5 min total · 20 min prep · 18 ingredients · 8 steps
- 3 slices white bread ((crusts removed), diced or torn to pieces)
- 2/3 cup cold water
- 1 lb lean ground beef ((7%-15% fat))
- 1 lb Sweet Ground Italian sausage (casings removed)
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese (plus more to serve)
- 4 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 large egg
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour (to dredge meatballs)
- 3 Tbsp Light olive oil to saute (or use vegetable oil)
- 1 medium yellow onion ((1 cup chopped))
- 4 cloves garlic (minced)
- 56 oz crushed tomatoes ((from 2 - 28 oz cans))
- 2 bay leaves (optional)
- Salt & pepper (to taste)
- 2 Tbsp basil (finely minced, plus more to garnish)
- 1 lb spaghetti
Full ranking
Top 10 among recipes with at least 12 ratings (floor scales with this dish’s pool of 91 scored recipes) and a publisher rating of 4.5 or higher. Ordered by how far each recipe beats its own publisher after we adjust for rating volume. Star ratings and counts are the publisher’s public evidence. Close places can still reverse with more data.
-
1Spaghetti and Meatballs Recipe4.94 from 687 ratings
-
2Spaghetti & Meatballs4.93 from 169 ratings
-
3Spaghetti and Meatballs4.99 from 58 ratings
-
4Easy Spaghetti and Meatballs4.88 from 46 ratings
-
5Spaghetti and Meatballs5.00 from 25 ratings
-
6Greek Spaghetti & Meatballs4.90 from 16 ratings
-
7Spaghetti and Meatballs4.60 from 526 ratings
-
8Spaghetti Meatballs and Tomato-Basil Sauce4.82 from 21 ratings
-
9Spaghetti and Meatballs with Tomato Sauce4.64 from 87 ratings
-
10Spaghetti and Meatballs4.90 from 12 ratings
Behind the ranking
Who we left out
We only rank a recipe when we can check the evidence behind its rating. America's Test Kitchen and Taste of Home publish ratings we cannot verify, so they are removed from the ranking rather than quietly down-weighted. food.com ratings were rebuilt from raw reviews before any of its recipes compete. Full methodology: How ranking works.
FAQ
What is the best Spaghetti and Meatballs recipe?
Best Spaghetti and Meatballs recipe (as of 2026-08-04): Spaghetti and Meatballs Recipe from natashaskitchen.com (#1 of 91 rated recipes across 22 sites). Verdict: Close Contest · limited corpus.
How does GüdDish pick a winner?
We read public ratings across the open web, correct for sites that rate everything high, and rank recipes by how far each one outperforms its own publisher. The page shows rank order, publisher star ratings, and a verdict about how clear that order is. Details: https://guddish.com/method.html
What does the verdict mean?
The verdict describes the competition, not a grade for the food. Clear Winner means number one is well ahead. Close Contest, Photo Finish, and Split Decision mean the top recipes are hard to separate. Limited corpus means we analyzed fewer recipes than a mature dish ranking.
Why are some famous sites missing?
America’s Test Kitchen and Taste of Home are excluded because we cannot verify their ratings from recoverable review data. food.com ratings are rebuilt from raw reviews where possible. See method and coverage pages.
How often is this ranking updated?
This page’s data was last scored or re-synced on 2026-08-04.
Everything else we analysed (90 more recipes)
Sorted by the same ranking signal as the shortlist. Below the top 10, differences are often smaller than our uncertainty, so treat lower positions as approximate.
| Recipe | Stars | Ratings | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spaghetti & Meatballs | 4.93 | 169 | onceuponachef.com |
| Spaghetti and Meatballs | 4.99 | 58 | spendwithpennies.com |
| Easy Spaghetti and Meatballs | 4.88 | 46 | food.com |
| Spaghetti and Meatballs | 5.00 | 25 | sipandfeast.com |
| Greek Spaghetti & Meatballs | 4.90 | 16 | foodnetwork.com |
| Spaghetti and Meatballs | 4.60 | 526 | foodnetwork.com |
| Spaghetti Meatballs and Tomato-Basil Sauce | 4.82 | 21 | foodnetwork.com |
| Spaghetti and Meatballs with Tomato Sauce | 4.64 | 87 | foodnetwork.com |
| Spaghetti and Meatballs | 4.90 | 12 | foodnetwork.com |
| Chicken Meatballs For Spaghetti and Meatballs | 4.73 | 73 | food.com |
| Spaghetti and Meatballs | 5.00 | 15 | saltandlavender.com |
| Spaghetti and Meatballs | 4.95 | 17 | thereciperebel.com |
| Spaghetti and Meatballs | 4.50 | 344 | foodnetwork.com |
| Slow Simmered Spaghetti and Meatballs (Crock Pot) | 4.72 | 45 | food.com |
| Spaghetti and Meatballs Recipe | 5.00 | 11 | thecozycook.com |
| Spaghetti-and-Meatballs Casserole | 5.00 | 6 | foodnetwork.com |
| Lady and the Tramp Spaghetti and Meatballs | 5.00 | 8 | food.com |
| Classic Spaghetti and Meatballs | 4.66 | 80 | jocooks.com |
| Spaghetti & Meatballs | 4.74 | 34 | delish.com |
| Spaghetti and Meatballs | 4.92 | 12 | errenskitchen.com |
| Crowd-Sourced Spaghetti and Meatballs | 4.64 | 20 | foodnetwork.com |
| Spaghetti and Meatballs in Marinara Sauce | 5.00 | 8 | amandascookin.com |
| Slow Cooker Spaghetti and Meatballs | 4.69 | 35 | lecremedelacrumb.com |
| Spaghetti and Meatballs Recipe | 5.00 | 8 | kitchensanctuary.com |
| Skillet Spaghetti and Meatballs | 4.58 | 25 | foodnetwork.com |
| Zappa Family Spaghetti and Meatballs | 5.00 | 5 | food.com |
| One-Pan Spaghetti and Meatballs Recipe | 4.79 | 14 | kitchensanctuary.com |
| Mama's Best Ever Spaghetti and Meatballs | 4.80 | 10 | modernhoney.com |
| Spaghetti and Meatballs | 4.44 | 41 | foodnetwork.com |
| Spaghetti and Meatballs | 4.63 | 10 | foodnetwork.com |
| Spaghetti with Meatballs | 4.54 | 15 | foodnetwork.com |
| 5 Star Spaghetti & meatballs | 5.00 | 4 | food.com |
| Slow Cooker Spaghetti & Meatballs | 5.00 | 4 | food.com |
| Kung Pao Chicken Spaghetti and Meatballs | 4.80 | 7 | thechunkychef.com |
| Spaghetti and Meatballs | 4.71 | 8 | food.com |
| Spaghetti and Meatballs with Ricotta | 4.80 | 4 | foodnetwork.com |
| Elegant White Spaghetti and Meatballs | 5.00 | 3 | food.com |
| The Ultimate Spaghetti and Meatballs Recipe | 4.80 | 5 | food.com |
| Quick and Easy Spaghetti and Meatballs | 4.72 | 7 | bowlofdelicious.com |
| Mom's Spaghetti and Meatballs | 4.40 | 19 | foodnetwork.com |
| Red Wine Spaghetti with Meatballs | 4.45 | 11 | foodnetwork.com |
| Spaghetti and Meatballs | 4.33 | 29 | foodnetwork.com |
| Spaghetti and Meatballs | 4.50 | 8 | foodnetwork.com |
| Spaghetti and Meatballs | 4.30 | 41 | foodnetwork.com |
| Country-Style Spaghetti and Meatballs | 4.75 | 4 | food.com |
| Spaghetti Meatballs Aussie Style | 4.75 | 4 | food.com |
| Healthy Spaghetti and Meatballs | 4.50 | 15 | pinchofyum.com |
| Tyler Florence's Ultimate Spaghetti and Meatballs | 4.67 | 5 | food.com |
| Food Network's Old-Fashioned Spaghetti & Meatballs | 5.00 | 2 | food.com |
| Gluten-Free Spaghetti and Meatballs with Garlic Crumb Topping | 4.70 | 3 | foodnetwork.com |
| Spaghetti With Meatballs | 4.50 | 8 | food.com |
| Chinese Spaghetti and Meatballs | 4.40 | 6 | foodnetwork.com |
| Spaghetti & Meatballs Kid Style | 4.67 | 3 | food.com |
| Spaghetti with Meatballs | 5.00 | 1 | foodnetwork.com |
| Spaghetti and Meatballs | 5.00 | 1 | foodnetwork.com |
| Favorite Quick & Easy Spaghetti and Meatballs | 5.00 | 1 | food.com |
| Northwestern Spaghetti and Meatballs | 5.00 | 1 | food.com |
| Rice Cooker Spaghetti With Meatballs | 5.00 | 1 | food.com |
| Spaghetti Feast (spaghetti, Meatballs, Toasted Ravioli) | 5.00 | 1 | food.com |
| Spaghetti & Meatballs | 5.00 | 1 | food.com |
| Spaghetti Meatballs and Tomato-Basil Sauce | 5.00 | 1 | food.com |
| Tyler's Ultimate Spaghetti and Meatballs | 5.00 | 1 | food.com |
| The Best Spaghetti and Meatballs | 4.30 | 7 | foodnetwork.com |
| Spaghetti and Meatballs with Tomato Sauce | 5.00 | 1 | themom100.com |
| Spaghetti and Meatballs | 4.30 | 6 | foodnetwork.com |
| Spaghetti and Meatballs | 4.33 | 3 | foodnetwork.com |
| Instant Pot Spaghetti & Meatballs | 4.50 | 2 | food.com |
| Spaghetti and Meatballs | 4.50 | 2 | food.com |
| Spaghetti and Meatballs Italian | 4.50 | 2 | food.com |
| Spaghetti and Meatballs | 4.04 | 52 | foodnetwork.com |
| Spaghetti and Meatballs | 4.25 | 5 | thepioneerwoman.com |
| Spaghetti and Meatballs. | 4.05 | 141 | halfbakedharvest.com |
| Beth's Spaghetti and Meatballs | 4.25 | 4 | food.com |
| Chinese Spaghetti and Meatballs | 3.97 | 106 | foodnetwork.com |
| My Version of Rachael Ray's Chinese Spaghetti and Meatballs | 4.11 | 10 | food.com |
| My Favorite Spaghetti and Meatballs | 4.00 | 1 | food.com |
| All Day Spaghetti and Meatballs | 4.00 | 2 | food.com |
| Mama’s Best Ever Spaghetti & Meatballs | 4.00 | 2 | food.com |
| Spaghetti with Meatballs | 3.89 | 45 | foodnetwork.com |
| Awesome, Easy Spaghetti and Meatballs | 4.00 | 3 | food.com |
| On Top of Ole Smoky, All Covered with Cheese: Spaghetti and Meatballs | 3.67 | 3 | foodnetwork.com |
| Lighter Spaghetti and Meatballs | 3.76 | 28 | foodnetwork.com |
| Spaghetti and Meatballs | 3.67 | 4 | foodnetwork.com |
| Spaghetti Meatballs With Tomato-Basil Sauce | 3.50 | 2 | food.com |
| Slow Cooked Spaghetti and Meatballs | 3.00 | 1 | food.com |
| To Die for Spaghetti and Meatballs-Moms Go to Weeknight Dinner!! | 3.00 | 1 | food.com |
| Crock Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs | 3.67 | 11 | food.com |
| Spaghetti and Meatballs | 3.00 | 2 | foodnetwork.com |
| Lidia's Spaghetti and Meatballs | 3.60 | 8 | food.com |
| Spaghetti and Meatballs | 3.18 | 17 | foodnetwork.com |