Hands down my favorite meal in the whole world. If I had to choose a dream meal, spaghetti and meatballs would be it. Plain and simple. Nothing better than a bowl or entire plate of al dente noodles doused in marinara sauce with big 'ol yummy meatballs- of course must be topped off with extra Parmesan cheese. Growing up we always had spaghetti and meatballs on Thursday night (it happens to be my dad's favorite too) and now I keep it a tradition and make sure I have spaghetti and meatballs at least once a week, and no doesn't have to be on a Thursday. So here you go, spaghetti and meatballs- a timeless and succulent dish you'll want to dive head first into.
Meatballs with Marinara Sauce
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Inactive Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour and 10 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour and 50 minutes
Yields: 18 meatballs
Ingredients:
1 ½ pounds ground beef
½ cup onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, pressed
¼ cup Parmesan, grated
1 egg
1 (heaping) tablespoon fresh Italian parsley, finely minced
1 (heaping) tablespoon fresh oregano, finely minced
1 (heaping) tablespoon fresh basil, finely minced
¼ cup breadcrumbs, fine
¼ cup milk
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
8 ounces spaghetti
Marinara Sauce:
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 (28-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
1 handful fresh basil leaves
1 dried bay leaf
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a saucepan, bring salted water to a boil. Cook spaghetti, according to package, till al dente about 8 to 12 minutes. Drain and set aside, keep warm.
In a bowl, combine beef, onion, garlic, Parmesan, egg, parsley, oregano, and basil and knead until all ingredients are fully combined.
In a small bowl, combine breadcrumbs, milk, salt, and pepper (it should resemble wet sand). Add breadcrumb mixture to meat and knead well until all flavors are evenly distributed. If you have time, allow meat mixture to chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Divide meat into about 4- ounce balls, you will get 18 to 20 meatballs.
In a 14-inch frying pan, heat oil until very hot. Working in batches, add meatballs and cook, using tongs to flip until all sides are browned, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
In a large casserole pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and garlic, and cook until the onions are translucent, about 8 minutes. Add tomato paste and cook for 1 minute. Add canned tomatoes, basil leaves, and bay leaf, and bring to a boil.
Transfer meatballs into the Marinara sauce and completely cover in sauce. Bake in oven for about 1 hour until fully cooked. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Toss spaghetti with marinara sauce and meatballs. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve hot.