Spaghetti and Meatballs
Spaghetti and Meatballs… a comfort food classic. This dish is super appropriate for fall and winter (and some would say every Sunday) and it never goes out of style. My meatballs are heavily inspired from a Cuisine at Home Meatball recipe from 2002- I’ve tweaked it a little bit, and it’s divine (the original is also divine). And the red sauce is flavorful with a little red wine to just take it to the next level. Enjoy this comforting classic!
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Spaghetti and Meatballs Recipe
Meatballs
Makes about 20 (2.5 oz) meatballs
1 lb. ground chuck
1 lb. sweet Italian sausage
1 cup bread crumbs
1 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup beef broth
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
3 eggs, beaten
3 tablespoons oregano
4 large garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon black pepper
3 teaspoons dried basil
2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
Instructions for Meatballs
Preheat oven to 450°F
Stir together all ingredients except for beef and sausage. Add in beef and sausage and mix together thoroughly.
Using a spoon or your hands, scoop some of the meat mixture and form into a ball- you can do this depending on what size of meatball you like. I like them a little larger, and then because of that I cooked them a little longer. I roll them out to about 3 inches in diameter and that gave me about 20 meatballs.
Place them on a roasting pan lined with tinfoil or sprayed with oil so that they are not touching.
Cover bottom of pan with beef broth and bake for about 25-30 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked through.
Tomato Sauce
Serves 6-8
1 lb spaghetti, cooked and strained
2 cans (28 ounces each) of crushed tomatoes
1/4 cup olive oil
1 1/2 cups onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (adjust to taste)
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons dried basil
2 tablespoons sugar
Salt and black pepper to taste
1/2 cup red wine
Instructions
In a large pan, sauté onions over medium-high heat until translucent- about 5-8 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook for another minute. Add the red pepper flakes, dried oregano, and dried basil to the onions. Sauté for an additional minute until fragrant.
Add in the wine and cook until reduced.
Add tomatoes to the saucepan. Stir well.
Add sugar, salt, and black pepper to the sauce. Bring the sauce to a simmer. Once the sauce is simmering, reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for about 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Cook the spaghetti according to the package instructions until al dente. Drain and set aside.
Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning if necessary.
To serve, I like to make it per serving. I take a tablespoon or two of salted butter and melt it in a medium pan and then take a serving of the pasta and some of the red sauce and cook together to get the sauce and pasta to really stick together. Then I add the meatballs right before I plate and then a heavy snowfall of parmigiano reggiano. Enjoy!
