Wednesday, August 10, 2011

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.


 


1 comment:

jamie k said...

my fave meatballs are mom's sweet and sour ones (of course completely different type from this recipe --- but just wanted to say). sooooooo delish.