Easy Spaghetti and Meatballs

Heat ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil in a medium Dutch oven or heavy pot over medium. Add 5 garlic cloves, sliced; season with kosher salt. Cook, stirring, until fragrant (don’t let garlic brown), about 30 seconds. Add two 24.5-oz. bottles tomato passata. Add ½ cup water to one of the bottles, swirl around, and pour into pot. Give sauce a good stir and bring to a vigorous simmer. Reduce heat to low, partially cover, and simmer gently until sauce is slightly thickened, 15–20 minutes. Cover and keep warm.

While the sauce is simmering, mix 1 cup whole milk and ½ cup seasoned Italian breadcrumbs in a medium bowl with a rubber spatula; let panade sit 10 minutes.

Mix 1 large egg, ¹⁄3cup grated Parmesan, ¼ cup finely chopped parsley, 2 tsp. soy sauce, ½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt, and ¼ tsp. freshly ground pepper in another medium bowl. Working over a large plate, grate ½ medium onion on the large holes of a box grater (you should have a generous ¼ cup). Mix grated onion and any onion juice from plate into egg mixture. Add panade and mix well.

Using a rubber spatula, gently mix 1 lb. ground beef, 8 oz. ground pork, and 1½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1 tsp. Morton kosher salt in a large bowl. Gently mix in egg mixture until incorporated; do not overwork. Using a #20 ice cream scoop (about 3 Tbsp.), portion out meatballs (you should have about 16) and place on an oiled rimmed baking sheet. Using oiled hands and working one at a time, pass meatballs back and forth between each hand (like a pitcher throwing a ball into his mitt, but lightly!) 5 or 6 times to remove excess air. The resulting balls should be smooth and shiny. Arrange meatballs in a 4x4 grid on baking sheet.

Heat broiler. Broil meatballs just until golden brown on top, about 3 minutes (don’t be tempted to cook them longer; meatballs will finish cooking in sauce). Stir 2 tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt into tomato sauce. Transfer meatballs and any juices to sauce, making sure meatballs are mostly submerged. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook just until meatballs are cooked through, 7–9 minutes. Taste and season with more salt and/or pepper if needed.

Meanwhile, cook 1 lb. spaghetti in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Drain, reserving 1 cup pasta cooking liquid. Return pasta to pot.

Add a few ladlefuls of sauce to pasta; toss to combine. Tossing vigorously, add pasta cooking liquid a splash at a time until pasta is glossy and coated.

Divide pasta among shallow bowls. Top with meatballs and sauce. Scatter more parsley and Parmesan over.