What Meat To Cook For Spaghetti: The Best Combination For Your Tastes

If you are a fan of spaghetti and meatballs, then you probably know that there are a lot of opinions out there about which types of meat work best for this dish.

Well, the answer is actually very simple. It doesn’t matter which meat you choose as long as it is cooked properly. The only thing that you should avoid are undercooked meatballs and a mushy, overcooked pasta. The rest is up to you! Here is a list of different types of meat that you can use for spaghetti:

Meatballs

Meatballs are probably one of the easiest and quickest ways to get your spaghetti fix.

They are also pretty budget-friendly, considering you can make them at home for a fraction of the price of a restaurant meal. There are many different ways to make meatballs; some may use bread crumbs, others may use milk, eggs or even cheese.

For the best meatballs, you want them to be packed with flavor. For this reason, you may want to use ground beef, pork, veal or even turkey. If you are making vegetarian meatballs, you can substitute the meat with soy-based protein.

If yor stuck for ideas, follow Natashas guide in the video below.

Beef

Beef is extremely flavourful and can be used for many different dishes. It can stand up well to strong Italian seasonings, making it a good meat for pasta. However, if you don’t plan on serving your spaghetti with any sort of sauce, then it may be easier to use ground meat.

Pork

Pork can be a fatty meat, depending on the cut you get which means that it can get a little mushy when cooked for long periods of time. Therefore, it should be used in dishes where you want the meat to be tender and have a lot of flavor. It can also be used in mixtures where the other meats are used to balance out the flavour.

Pork can also be mixed with other ground meats for a nice flavor profile such as bolognese which we will also cover in this lest.

Bolognese sauce

Bolognese sauce is a common choice for spaghetti. It consists of tomatoes, onions, garlic, oregano and ground beef, pork or turkey. If you are serving these meatballs to your kids, you may want to skip the ground meat and go with the leaner ground pork. On the other hand, if you are serving the sauce to your husband, you can go with the full-fat version.

Poultry (e.g. chicken, turkey)

Poultry such as chicken or turkey can be used for a variety of dishes, including spaghetti. The flavoring of the meat is very mild, so you can add as much or as little as you like. If you are not serving the spaghetti to your kids, you may want to opt for the leaner ground turkey.

Shrimp

Shrimp is a very delicate seafood, which means that it stands up well to strong seasonings such as garlic, onions and hot peppers. This makes it an excellent meat for sauces and soups. However, shrimp does have a short shelf life, so make sure that you plan ahead if you want to use it for spaghetti.

Fish (e.g. salmon, tuna)

Salmon is one of the most popular fishes to cook with, and for good reason. It has a mild flavour and can be used in a variety of dishes, including spaghetti. When cooking the fish, be sure to use the fatty parts of the salmon. The meat will turn out flaky and delicious.

Conclusion

The most important thing to keep in mind when making spaghetti is that the pasta and the sauce should be of an equal proportion. In other words, you want the pasta to be about the same texture and thickness as the sauce. If you are using a meatball recipe, then the meatballs should be about the same size as the pasta.

Nowadays, you can find many different types of pastas, including whole-wheat, gluten-free options and even almond-flour pastas.