Spagehetti and meatballs is definitely a family favorite for us! It was fun for a change, to make the meatballs from scratch. It is much easier to heat up sauce and some pre-made meatballs, but homemade meatballs are just so good - and not that hard to make! I ended up making 24 meatballs, which was more than we could eat, but the meatballs are perfect to save for another day once they are cooked.
I did not think ahead enough to have one of the ingredients, half of a day old ciabatta loaf, but luckily, breadcrumbs is what it is for, and we had some Panko breadcrumbs in the cupboard. After I had made the meatballs, my mom enlightened me with the chef's secret that Ritz crackers make excellent breadcrumbs, so I am thinking I will try that next time! Also, we did not have parsley, but the onions, Italian seasoning and the tomato sauce added plenty of flavor to the meatballs.
ingredients ~
2 Tbsp. olive oil, plus extra for brushing
1 onion, finely diced
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
pinch of salt
1/2 dried Italian herbs
1/2 day old ciabatta loaf, crusts removed
4 Tbsp. milk
2 lb. beef mince, well chilled
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
5 Tbsp. chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
2 oz. Parmesan cheese, grated, plus extra to serve
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
44 oz. marinara sauce
1 cup water
1 lb. dried spagetti
salt and pepper
recipe ~
1. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan. Add the onion, garlic and a pinch of salt, cover and cook over a medium-low heat for 6-7 minutes, until softened and golden. Remove the pan from the heat, stir in the dried herbs and leave to cool to room temperature.
2. Tear the bread into small chunks and put into a food processor; in batches depending on the size of the machine. Pulse to make fine breadcrumbs - you'll need 5 oz. in total. Put the crumbs into a bowl and toss with the milk and leave to soak for 10 minutes.
3. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Brush a baking sheet with oil.
4. Put the beef, eggs, parsley, cheese, breadcrumbs, cooled onion mixture, 2 tsp. of salt and 1 tsp. of pepper into a bowl. Mix well with your hands until thoroughly combined.
5. Dampen your hand and roll pieces of the mixture into balls. Put them on the prepared tray and bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, Meanwhile, pour the pasta sauce into a saucepan, stir in the water and bring to a simmering point. When the meatballs are done, transfer them into the hot sauce, reduce heat to very low, cover and simmer gently for 45 minutes.
6. Bring a large saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil, add the spaghetti, curling it around the pan as it softens. Bring back to boil and cook for 10-12 minutes, until tender but still firm to the bite.
7. Drain the spaghetti in a colander and tip into a large serving dish. Ladle some of the sauce from the meatballs over it and toss to coat. Top with the meatballs and the remaining sauce, sprinkle with cheese and serve immediately.
Recipe From: Grandma's Best Recipes Cookbook
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