Skip Tomato Sauce: Make Spaghetti And Meatballs 10x Creamier

It's not precisely one of the mistakes we called out when ordering Italian food ... but assuming that meatballs absolutely demand a red sauce is a common misconception. While meatballs used by North American cooks usually star beef and perhaps pork simmered in tomato sauce, using white sauces for these meats is not unheard of in the greater culinary realm. After all, who hasn't enjoyed a rich peppercorn cream on their steak or slurped up the rich gravy of beef stroganoff? Italian meatballs (either made from scratch, or store-bought) can absolutely be cooked in a cream sauce and served with spaghetti.

You don't need a bespoke recipe to whip up your own white spaghetti and meatballs. All you require is the boldness to eschew a tomato-based sauce and combine meatballs with your favorite cheesy cream sauce, a combination that doesn't usually get a lot of play. Note that these meatballs are not the same as white-sauced Swedish meatballs which have a tangy sour cream base and plenty of warming spices. Instead, your white spaghetti sauce leans heavily on Italian flavor profiles with Italian cheeses, herbs, and other ingredients. 

You could replicate this dish quick-and-dirty with frozen meatballs and jarred Alfredo (which we also love as a potatoes au gratin shortcut), but we implore you to get creative with the process.

As for your cream sauce, no one recipe holds the patent on success when it comes to white spaghetti and meatballs. Heavy cream will provide the silkiest sauce, but half-and-half will work if you want to dial down the richness just a tad. Expedite the process with cream cheese or Boursin if you want — it's a totally valid play. You could even make a spaghetti and meatball baked casserole using cream cheese in the sauce. We think garlic, cream, and cheese are a magical trinity, and we'd suggest that you take the time to use fresh cloves of this aromatic for your meal. 

For the cheese, look to the Italian pantheon: parm or Asiago are both good for sharp options, while mozzarella will give you a milder flavor. On the opposite end of the spectrum, you can really play up the funk in your sauce with a ripe Gorgonzola. Play with the sauce until you find a formula that works ... we can hazard a guess that your loved ones will very likely enjoy the fruits of your experimentation.