Spaghetti and Meatballs

Today, I’m sick. It’s not man flu (yet), but I’ve got a cold that is something fierce. I wanted chicken noodle soup, but my punks children asked for spaghetti and meatballs. I’m always down for a meat heavy dish with a shot of carbs so I added it to the meal plan and off to the grocery store I went.

For awesome meatballs you should always do a mixture of meats. I like pork for the fat, and beef for the flavor. Our local Cleveland grocery store (and my fave) Heinen’s, makes what they call “meatloaf mix”, which is equal parts beef, veal , pork, and their genuine love and care for us all to have great meatballs. Don’t even come at me about the veal and love for animals thing, because I have a toddler at home so I can argue all day if I needed to.  If that’s not your thing just skip the veal and buy equal parts of  ground beef and pork and come along with the rest of us.

If you have a small army to feed like I do, follow along with the quantities I have listed below. Feel free to cut this recipe in half if you think you need to.  Either way, happy cooking and Buon Appetito!

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For the meatballs:

3lbs. meatloaf mix (or equal parts ground beef, veal and pork)

1 cup panko breadcrumbs

2 eggs

1/2 cup Parmesan or Romano cheese (either is fine)

1/4 cup chopped parsley

4 cloves minced garlic

1 Tbsp. oregano

salt and pepper

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For the sauce:

4 cloves minced garlic

1 onion, halved

2- 28 oz cans diced tomatoes

2- 14 oz. cans tomato sauce

dash of red wine

Oregano, Basil, Salt, Pepper

Baking soda

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1. First you start with the meatballs. Put all of the ingredients into a big bowl and mix it together with your hands until it is well combined. Roll them into the size meatball you prefer. My two boys are hogs big eaters so I make mine about the size of a golf ball.
2. Heat up a dutch oven with some olive oil, and brown the meatballs on both sides. You will have to do this in batches so that you don’t crowd the dutch oven and mess with the glorious crust that you are trying to achieve.
3. Once your meatballs are all browned, set them aside on a plate. It is ok that they are not cooked all the way through, You are going to finish cooking them in the sauce.
4. Using the same dutch oven, lower the heat slightly, and then add your minced garlic. You are going to cook this very quickly, as you don’t want to burn that precious garlic.
5. Next,  pour in a splash of red wine to deglaze the pan and use a wooden spoon to scrape up all of those crusty bits, because the crusty bits are forever the flavor and ALL THE BUSINESS.
6. Add in your tomatoes, and seasonings. The two onion halves go in next. I keep them halved, because I am not a fan of diced onions in my sauce, but I do like the flavor of onion. So I keep them in halves and fish them out later, when the sauce is done.
7. Then you are going to add the meatballs back in, to finish cooking. I didn’t cover mine with a lid, instead I used one of those screen things that everyone’s Grandma had to keep it from splashing all over her stove top. I let my sauce simmer for about 1/2 hour or so.
8. Cook your pasta to al dente.
9. Once your sauce is done simmering, turn off the heat. Fish out those two onion halves and discard them. Now here is where you were all probably like, baking soda? What? Your Italian grandmother and I will agree that the acidity of the tomato needs toned down. But we will disagree about what to use. Most recipes will tell you to use some sugar, which will work, but I am not a fan of the sweetness added to my sauce. Instead, I add about 3/4 tsp. of baking soda to mine. It will fizz and bubble for a minute, and that is normal. When it’s  done, give your sauce a nice little stir, give it a little taste, and adjust your s&p if you need to.
10. Serve it on top of your favorite pasta, top it with some parmesan, and enjoy!