Spaghetti and Meatballs

Nothing like a good old classic like spaghetti and meatballs! Here is my version of this common dish that’s easy to pull together any weeknight after a long and tiring day. Sometimes we all just need that simple pick me up meal to get you back on track.

This spaghetti sauce is rich, hearty, and packed with deep flavor without the need to stew for long hours on the stove top! My SECRET to making the fresh meatballs super tasty is the addition of ground sausage meat! You can easily find packs of these without the casing at your local grocer. They come in different flavors and I usually like to get ‘mild Italian’ but feel free to experiment!!!

One other thing worth noting is to use canned San Marzano tomatoes to make the sauce. It really makes a difference and get the one that doesn’t have all those additional herbs and spices added in. San Marzano tomatoes really give your sauce a much richer taste and are not as vinegary as some other canned tomato brands I’ve tried in the past.

This dish can be whipped up together in about 30 min…TIME SAVER TRICK here is to pre-bake the meatballs in the oven for about 15 min and then let them finish cooking in the sauce in the final 10 min. That let’s the meatballs soak up all the delicious flavors and meld together with the sauce.

Another trick I have for you is how to store fresh Parmesan cheese! I usually like to buy a huge block to store on hand but don’t want them to go to moldy waste in the fridge. So I store the unused portions in the freezer covered with a little foil and placed into a zip lock bag. This is a great way to keep them for months and when you’re ready to serve just whip it out of the freezer and shave some over your pasta with a micro plane grater!

Spaghetti and Meatballs

Prep time: 10 min     
Cook time: 30 min     
Total time: 40 min     
Servings: 4

Ingredients

Tomato Sauce

• 1 can of San Marzano tomatoes (28 oz)
• 1 tbsp of tomato paste
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 4 cloves of garlic minced
• 1 small onion diced
• 1 tsp of dried oregano
• 1 cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 lb of dried spaghetti
• 2 tbsp of olive oil

Meatballs

• 1 lb of ground beef
• 1 lb of seasoned sausage meat
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup of bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup milk
• 2 cloves of garlic minced

Instructions

1. Bring a large pan to medium heat, add olive oil and saute onions and garlic until translucent for about 3-5 min.
2. All in tomato paste and oregano and incorporate well. Then add 1/4 cup of red wine and cook for another 3 min.
3. Add in canned tomatoes and simmer sauce on medium low heat for 15 -20 min.
4. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375°F. In a large bowl, mix together all meatball ingredients.
5. Form meatballs into small balls around 1 inch in diameter and place on a greased baking tray.
6. Bake meatballs for 15 min until browned and cooked.
7. Transfer meatballs to tomato sauce and cook for an additional 10 min.
8. Add Parmesan cheese and season with salt and pepper to taste.
9. Boil spaghetti in a separate pot according to instructions. Drain (do not rinse!) then place spaghetti in a dish and top with tomato sauce and meatballs.
10. Garnish with more grated Parmesan cheese. Enjoy!