Spaghetti and Meatballs

 Recipe from Our Best Bites

Italian Meatballs: 1/2 lb. lean ground beef 1/2 lb. Italian sausage 1/4 c. dry bread crumbs 1/2 tsp. pepper 2 Tbsp. dehydrated onion 2 eggs, lightly beaten 2 Tbsp. freshly grated Parmesan cheese 1 tsp. basil 1/2 tsp. parsley 1-2 cloves garlic, minced 1 tsp. salt* *If you want, you could substitute all the Italicized ingredients with 3 Tbsp. garlic bread seasoning found here. Gently combine meatball ingredients in a medium bowl. Shape into balls, whatever size you like, but I prefer using my standard cookie scoop (about 1 Tbsp.) to shape meat into balls and then rolling it between my hands to make them even more round. Place on a broiler pan and broil until the meatballs start to brown--I actually use my toaster oven. Just because I can. Remove from oven and set aside until ready to use (or freeze for later use). Sauce 1 large onion, chopped 4-5 cloves garlic, minced or pressed Olive oil 2 28-oz. cans crushed tomatoes 16 oz. tomato sauce 1-2 Tbsp. sugar (to taste) 2 tsp. basil 1 tsp. Italian seasoning Pinch of red pepper flakes Salt and pepper to taste Pinch of baking soda (to help neutralize the acid) Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add onion and garlic and cook until onions are translucent and garlic is fragrant. Add remaining sauce ingredients and combine well. Bring to a simmer and add meatballs. Simmer on low, uncovered, until desired consistency is reached--about 25-30 minutes for a sauce that's of medium consistency (my husband, bless him, likes it very thick while I like it a little on the thin side. Whatever will we do??) Serve over hot spaghetti, maybe with some breadsticks and some freshly grated Parmesan on top. Serves a lot--like probably 12 regular people or 2 teenage boys. FREEZER MEAL INSTRUCTIONS: Prepare meatballs as directed, but divide the meatballs among two freezer-safe containers. Prepare sauce through adding all ingredients to the pan, but don't simmer; rather, divide the sauce among the two containers. Freeze until ready to use. When ready to use, place in slow cooker and cook on low for about 5-6 hours, although you'll want to keep an eye on the sauce and make sure it's not burning if you go for the whole 6 hours. This was dinner tonight. I'm not totally sold on meatballs. I just end up cutting them up into little bits anyway, and my kids aren't that enchanted by them. Maybe too much work for little reward. But it's a delicious recipe. I think I will just mix it all together as normal instead of making balls next time. That paragraph won't "unbold", so just imagine I'm yelling at you. _displayNameOrEmail_ - _time_ - Remove _text_ Add comment