American-style meatballs served over spaghetti was invented by immigrants arriving in the United States. Typically, Italian meatballs were served separately rather than alongside spaghetti.

In the 1948 English-language recipe collection, The Art of Italian Cooking, Maria Lo Pinto provides a meatball recipe with two serving suggestions: with a salad, or with tomato sauce and spaghetti.

Adapted from The Art of Italian Cooking, Maria Lo Pinto, 1948.

Serve with vegetables and salad, or with tomato sauce and spaghetti.

Ingredients

1 lb chopped beef
3 tbsp Romano
3 eggs
3 slices stale bread
1 clove garlic
2 tbsp parsley
Flour

Instructions

Soak bread in water for 5 minutes.
Combine wet bread, eggs, cheese, garlic, and parsley.
Season with salt and pepper.
Roll into balls.
Roll in flour.
Fry in oil, about 10 minutes.