Spaghetti with or without meatballs?

United States
September 21, 2007 5:34pm CST
My hubby wants spaghetti tonight for dinner. I love spaghetti myself, and I love to put meatballs in them. You can buy them premade and seasoned ready to put in the sauce. But I don't have any on hand so I'm just using my own ground round and adding it to the sauce. It's funny b/c in my own family half of them like spaghetti with the meatballs in them, and the other half likes just ground beef cooked up and mixed with the sauce. What is your preference, with or without meatballs? I also love to eat spaghetti with a nice garlic bread that has been toasted and a side salad with Italian dressing.
8 people like this
40 responses
@Rozie37 (15499)
• Turkmenistan
21 Sep 07
Sounds like a very good meal with meatballs. I do not know where you live. But, out here there is a store called "Smart & Final. Their pre-made pre-seasoned meatballs are absolutely wonderful.
@venshida (4836)
• United States
21 Sep 07
I have had spaghetti without meatballs with some parmesan cheese, but it sure was not as good as spaghetti with meatballs. You have to have the meatballs.
@GardenGerty (161010)
• United States
21 Sep 07
Well, my hubby has a problem with eating pasta. He won't. He says he was scared by cold spaghetti in a sink as a small child, thought it was worms, and that is why he does not like pasta, but I wonder if he has some allergies, all pasta makes him feel nauseous to smell it boiling. He will eat my lasagna, because I put the noodles in uncooked. When I was married to my other hubby, we would have spaghetti, with ground meat in the sauce, french cut green beans, salad and garlic bread. I served tghis to guests once-thinking it was a pretty average meal, and they were so impressed. They said, "oh, when we eat spaghetti, it is just spaghetti and nothing else." So that is my spaghetti style. That is how I would serve it.
• United States
23 Sep 07
Sounds simply delicious Gerty! Your husband could have an allergy or it could be just the way he viewed spaghetti noodles as a kid. I make my lasagna with uncooked noodles also, a good friend taught me to do that, and it turns out actually better than if I cook the noodles first. I cannot eat a lasagna when the noodles are soggy, it's just gross to me. I love your menu for spaghetti, delicious!! Thanks for sharing with me :)
• United States
22 Sep 07
I am sure anyway you make it will be just fine. As for me, I really don't need the meat.
1 person likes this
• United States
23 Sep 07
You are so right about not needing the meat for a good spaghetti dinner. I can eat just the sauce and pasta and enjoy it as much, sometimes more. I get on these kicks sometimes when it is not very appealing for me to eat meat.
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
22 Sep 07
It's funny I never think of eating spaghetti without meatballs, for me that just doesn't sound right...It's almost like I can't think of a peanut butter sandwich without the grape jelly--or is it just me? LOL I always make my own meatballs fresh...Ever do Swedish meatballs? Instead of spaghetti though you have a brown gravy sauce and noodles
1 person likes this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
23 Sep 07
LOL--I have a bad tendency to get hungry here at MyLot every time I come across food discussions! Hehe
1 person likes this
• United States
23 Sep 07
Mmm Pye, I love Swedish Meatballs. That is really good with some egg noodles. Your making me hungry! I dont have the patience to make my own meatballs, I dont like too cook all that much anyway so I just buy them frozen lol Now that I have read that, Im thinking of making some for Sunday dinner. Bay xx
2 people like this
• United States
22 Sep 07
Mostly ground beef, DEF my own sauce, Im not big on pre-made sauces. I guess I use Meatballs and ground beef equally. My husband also likes a bit of Italian sausage in his spaghetti, so some times I mix it with the burger or we have made it with Italian susage only. Just depends on our mood. We're big on garlic bread and salads, we like using aby romaine hearts with some croutons sometimes with shredded Itialian cheese, almost like a ceaser but we use our own dressing. I do love ceasar salads though! Mmmm All this talk about good Italian food so early has made me hungry! lol Bay xx
1 person likes this
• United States
22 Sep 07
Erm, the "b" disappeard on my "baby romaine hearts" lol Im SURE I put it there. oops
1 person likes this
@aprilgrl (4460)
• United States
22 Sep 07
I like meatball with my spaghetti and my hubby like just plain ole speghetti.
1 person likes this
@maddysmommy (16230)
• United States
23 Sep 07
I prefer them with meatballs and or just mince mixed with sauce. We usually have it with garlic bread too or with cheese sticks. My son loves spaghetti and meatballs!
@rouwel23 (1353)
• Philippines
23 Sep 07
spaghetti - 
many want to eat spaghetti
I do not have preference whether with or without meatballs. I can eat either of the two. I can eat spaghetti with meatballs. I can eat spaghetti without meatballs too. spaghetti are delicious. they are good food for parties. and they are just good for any meal course. but I think it is not that good for breakfast. spaghetti could be nice in snacks too. spaghetti with sandwiches, or spaghetti with salad is a good combination. I like the spaghetti from Jollibee too. spaghetti from McDonalds is not that delicious to me. I hope you could cook for me someday. lol. hehehe. that would be a nice day with spaghetti and side salad with Italian dressing.
1 person likes this
@claire03 (1443)
• United States
22 Sep 07
We like spaghetti with meatballs and parmesan cheese or grated mozarella cheese. We also eat it with baked garlic bread and then tossed salad.. hhmmm.. it's really yummy! it is ok also to use ground beef if you don't have meatballs. :) enjoy eating applsofgld.
1 person likes this
@nyumix (1658)
• Belgium
22 Sep 07
I love spaghetti too. With or without meat ball really doesn't matter for me as long as it has cheese or parmesan cheese on top of it. But if I have to choose, of course a couple of meatballs would be nice.
1 person likes this
• China
22 Sep 07
it sounds it is delicious,isn't it.i have no chance to eat the spaghetti though i know it years ago.i love the garlic taste .and i also think that it may taste more delicious within meatballs.when many kinds of stuff of eating were mixed in together it is delicious.i know there is a kind of Vegetables ,tasting dilicious ,made like that.
@meaculpa (338)
• Philippines
22 Sep 07
I like spaghetti with meatballs plus toasted bread with sprinkles of sugar and cheese!
1 person likes this
@izathewzia (5134)
• Philippines
22 Sep 07
I don't eat much spaghetti but my children does. They eat it with or without meatballs. I am more of a rice person. It is what I am used to eat.
@twowizdom (861)
• Philippines
22 Sep 07
In our family we never had spaghetti with meatballs. Every time my mom cooks some spaghetti she always do it just like the second thing that you said which is the ground beef cooked up and mixed with the sauce. Well if you'll ask me I think i like it this way its much more delicious. ^_^
1 person likes this
• United States
22 Sep 07
I love to eat spaghetti with meatballs and that marinara sauce on both of them, because I don't like spaghetti that has no meatballs. The meatballs complete the pasta, and no meat, no spaghetti for me, unless the marinara sauce has some meatball pieces in it. If I don't have any croutons, I can eat it with garlic bread, and I make sure that the garlic and the parsley/chives or what the green sprinkles on the bread is very tasty. Same way the other way around. But spaghetti isn't spaghetti without garlic bread or croutons.
1 person likes this
@owstalaga (4707)
• Philippines
22 Sep 07
Well i like it without meatballs, but it wouldn't hurt if it had meatballs because you'd have "more" meat in it than usual. I like spaghetti so it's okay if it has or doesn't have any meatballs.
1 person likes this
• Philippines
22 Sep 07
Actually spaghetti is one of my favorite but I think I cant it if there is a meatball I dont want to eat spaghetti that has a meatball.I like to eat spaghetti that are only simple, but I like spaghetti that has a hotdog or either sausage
1 person likes this
@shiloh_222 (5479)
• Philippines
22 Sep 07
I love it with meatballs. as long as it is made of beef... im allergic to pork... also buttery garlic toasts works well with pasta
@Bubbles3 (67)
• Italy
22 Sep 07
Spaghetti is a typical italian dish, and we don't put meatballs in them. But it sounds good. One day i'll want to try!!
1 person likes this