Is it okay to cook meatballs in your spaghetti sauce?

Question

I have read a couple of recipes that says to cook your meatballs in the sauce. I am a little hesitant about do that. I have always sauteed my meatballs first.

Answer 1

I prefer to cook them first. Too much grease in the sauce otherwise, but to each his own.

Answer 2

You can do it either way. They don't come out as brown when you cook in the sauce and they need to cook a little longer to be done in the middle. Here is a recipe I make that has the meatball cooked in the sauce. It's really good. Hope you will try it.  

Porcupine Balls

1 egg

½ cup water

1 envelope lipton onion soup mix

1 ½ lbs lean ground beef

½ - ¾ cup uncooked minute rice

1 – 46 oz bottle of Campbell Tomato Juice

1 tsp sugar

Beat egg slightly with water and 2 tbs soup mix. Mix lightly with beef and ¼ cup of rice. Shape into large meatballs (1 ½ to 2 inches). Roll in remaining rice, pressing it lightly into the meatball. Use more rice if needed.

Heat tomato juice to boiling. Stir in remaining onion soup mix and sugar. Place meatballs in sauce and cover. Simmer, stirring several times for 50 minutes.

Serving suggestions:  Great with a vegetable or salad and rolls.

Answer 3

You can do it either way.

Answer 4

Yes, it's ok.   Just make sure the sauce covers all the meat and that it's simmered long enough to ensure they're cooked through.    If you brown them first, it does add a bit more flavour.    I often brown them on the outside and then finish cooking them in the sauce.

Answer 5

Its ok...many Italian cooks do this because it adds the meat flavor to the sauce, but I actually prefer the meatballs sauteed first....it gives them a better flavor, I think

Answer 6

You could but they won't have that nice color they do when you brown them first. They also have a better chance of breaking apart in your sauce.

To make things easier, I bake my meatballs in a hot oven (425 degrees) for about 15 minutes before putting them in my sauce. They get a nice brown color, and render off some of their fat.

Answer 7

Using ground or chuck beef (high fat content is important for tenderness), saute your meatballs in a butter and (regular not extra virgin) olive oil mix until they are partially cooked.  You are just trying to caramelize the meat, which will bring out the flavor, and drain them on a rack. Then add to your pasta sauce (you must have plenty of sauce to cover them) to finish off cooking.  In the end, the meatballs should be tender, if they are hard, then you sauteed them too long.

Answer 8

Yep I agree the way my Grandma showed me is to cook them about half way you know to where they are still raw in the middle. Then she pops them into the sauce and they cook while the sauce is cooking and adds soooo much flavor to your sauce. I wouldn't recommend putting them in raw though.  

Answer 9

I would brown them off all over before adding them to the sauce, and then simmer them til they are cooked. otherwise they can a bit pale.

Answer 10

Yes!!  that's the very best way!!  

But you need to brown them first.

you can do this either in a skillet with a little minced garlic

and olive oil, or on a foil lined cookie sheet in a hot oven.

if you just drop raw meatballs into your sauce, they'll fall apart.  

Answer 11

I have a 'grease' issue with that... I brown mine first then throw them in the sauce. God that sounds good! I guess I know what I'm making for dinner tonight! Thanks!!

Answer 12

Yes you can cook all sorts of things directly in the sauce.  You can put whole crabs, clams, mussels, and/or lobster tails for a great seafood sauce.  You can cook vegetables, pork, chicken, beef anything really.  The benefit is that the flavor really blends with the sauce instead of loosing all of that flavor cooking it off elsewhere.  Just be careful to make sure the meat is cooked properly ideally with a meat thermometer, but if not by sight.

Answer 13

I simmer the meat balls a little first then I  brown them in a little oil  before adding them to the sauce. It adds more taste to the sauce.

Answer 14

You can cook them right in the sauce but they are more likely to break apart that way. I would brown them in a skillet first then drop them in the sauce. You don't need them to be cooked all the way though. You can also just driop in skinless bone-In chicken thighs and simmer until the meat is ready to fall off the bone.

Answer 15

Sauteing your meatballs will help develop taste and at the same time release some of the fat, that you can drain away, and is what I would recommend.

It is still OK to add them directly to the sauce, but they will not have the same taste and the fat they release will go into the sauce, so the other way is a healthier option to me.