A Family Classic: Spaghetti & Meatballs
Call me basic, but spaghetti is my all time favorite food. I love pasta in general, but spaghetti/red sauce based pastas hold the key to my heart. I don’t eat it as much as I used to, which is not by choice, my boyfriend isn’t the biggest fan. Not that he doesn’t like it at all, he was just burned out on it from eating it so much as a child. I, on the other hand, would eat pasta every week and lucky for him, me and his son share the same love for spaghetti, so any time he request it, I’m more than happy to oblige. So, the last time I made spaghetti and meatballs, I decided to document it to share since I realized I don’t have one pasta meal on here.
While spaghetti is made often in our house, meatballs are a treat. I don’t prepare these often because majority of the time, my pasta meals are quick; cooked and on the table in 30 minutes. To make good meatballs, they take a little more time than that, so I usually only make them when they are requested. This recipe make 35 meatballs. It’s a lot, I know. So, I’ve also included instructions on how to freeze and store them so the next time you’re in the mood, it’s halfway prepped and ready to go.
Before we get into this recipe, I would like to make a couple notes. You will notice that I do not use an already made, jarred spaghetti sauce. I honestly haven’t found one that I like. Also, they contain sugar and I want spaghetti, not ketchup. No offense to anyone who adds sugar to their spaghetti sauce, but it’s a no for me. So, because I’m me, I create my own. I don’t have a staple way that I create my spaghetti sauce, but I do have to have at least these 6 ingredients; garlic, onion, some sort of tomato sauce (purée, regular sauce, whole tomato, crushed; any of them will work), olive oil, basil or oregano and salt. The rest of the stuff is just extras to enhance the flavor.
Also, you’ll notice I add celery and carrots. I do this when I’m trying to sneak extra veggies in. Because I make my sauce thick, it goes unnoticed to the kiddo once it’s all cooked together. Roasted red bell pepper is another one if my favorite veggies to add as well. No, these are not traditional ingredients in a spaghetti, but it’s what works and taste good so I go with it.
One last note; for a heartier base, I add Italian sausage. By all means, you could stop there and not add meatballs, but the hungry men in your life will appreciate the added meat.
I think I’ve covered everything so let’s get into it.
Prep Time: 30 minutes - 1 hour (depending on how long you chill & set the meatballs)
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: up tp 2 hours
Yields: 8 - 10 servings
Ingredients
For the Meatballs
1.5 lb 80/20 ground beef
1 lb ground pork
2 large eggs
1/2 cup plain Panko breadcrumbs
1 slice white bread
1/4 cup whole milk or heavy cream
1/2 cup diced yellow onion
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
For the Spaghetti Sauce
1/2 cup diced yellow onion
1/3 cup diced celery
1/3 cup diced carrot
1 tbsp minced garlic
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce
1 can (28 oz) tomato puree
1 lb mild Italian sausage*
2 bay leaves
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tbsp garlic powder
1/2 tbsp onion powder
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
kosher salt to taste
Additional Ingredients
16 oz spaghetti noodles
Tools
6 qt. pot
small nonstick pan
cast iron skillet
small mixing bowl
large mixing bowl
11x15 baking sheet
parchment paper
cookie scoop*
*optional items
How to prepare
For the Meatballs
In a small nonstick pan on medium heat, saute the onions, garlic and herbs together for about 5 minutes. Just until the onions have softened. Once this is done, set mixer aside to cool.
While that is cooling, in a small bowl combine the bread and milk or cream. Hand rip the bread into small pieces prior to adding the milk or cream. Let that sit for 10 minutes.
Now that the onion mixture has cooled and the bread is throughly soaked, gently mix the remaining ingredients together until the mixture is somewhat moist and able to hold it’s shape. If the mixture seems a little dry or isn’t holding it’s shape, add a teaspoon of milk at a time until the right consistency is achieved.
When the mixture is set, form golf sized meatballs. I use a cookie scoop to help form uniform balls.
Set the meatballs on a parchment lined baking sheet. Place the baking tray in the fridge for 30 minutes to one hour to set the meatballs.
After the meatballs are set, its time to par cook them prior to adding them to the sauce. In a large skillet, preferably cast iron, brown the meatball 2 minutes per side. Transfer finished meatballs to the spaghetti sauce.
Note: Cook meatballs in batches to not overcrowd the pan.
For the Spaghetti Sauce
While the meatballs are setting up in the fridge, prepare the spaghetti sauce. In a large pot on medium heat, add 1 tbsp of olive oil, onions, celery, carrots, garlic and 1 tsp kosher salt. Saute until all the veggies has fully softened; about 10 minutes.
Add the tomato paste and crushed red pepper and cook until fragrant; about 5 minutes.
Next, if using, add the Italian sausage. Cook until browned.
Note: My trick to finely ground meat is to use a potato masher during the browning process.
Once the meat is cooked, add the tomato sauce, tomato puree, garlic powder, onion powder, herbs and a pinch (another teaspoon or two) of salt. Let the sauce simmer for at least 30 minutes so that the flavors develop and get happy.
As the sauce is simmering, cook pasta noodles according the package.
By now, all the meatballs should be added to the sauce. Finish with another tablespoon of olive oil and viola, you have spaghetti and meatballs.
Storing
Since this does yield a big portion of food, if won’t be consuming it all within a few days, the sauce and meatballs can be frozen and stored for later use.
If you plan on freezing the sauce, I recommend not adding in the Italian sausage until you are ready to make the sauce. Once the sauce, without the sausage, is prepared, let it completely cool before transferring it to a freezer safe, airtight container and placing it in the freezer.
Note: You don’t need to freeze the sauce if you’re going to use the remainder within a week. Cooled sauce can be stored in the fridge in a mason jar.
For the meatballs, freeze them in their raw form. After they are formed, flash freeze them on the baking sheet until they are firm and hold their shape; about 30 minutes to 1 hour. Then transfer them to a freezer safe bag, removing all air, and place them into the freezer until you are ready to use them.
