Spice n Easy Spaghetti and Meatballs

Lots of chunky sauce filled with vegis and goodness

Yes, we know it's summertime but when you have a food craving it must be satisfied! We were having a craving for spaghetti and meatballs. Believe it or not, I don't think we've ever made meatballs because we always make meat sauce. 

I have to tell you this recipe that we put together is super tasty! We cheated and used a store bought sauce but spruced it up a bit by adding tomato paste and red pepper flakes. The sauce had nice chunks of tomato in it and the tomato paste added a richness that was really delicious. We ended up eating half the meatballs and popped the rest of them in the freezer for a night when we didn't feel like cooking. Yes, we do have those every now and then so it's great to have something home made stowed away. So here's the recipe and we hope you'll enjoy it too.

SERVES:              3 - 4  Makes 22 meatballs and sauce
PREP TIME:         30 minutes
COOK TIME:        42 minutes +/-

Grass fed beef has superior flavor and is healthier for you

INGREDIENTS:
8 ounces spaghetti
For the sauce:
26 ounces of your favorite tomato sauce
Pinch of red pepper flakes 
1/2 can tomato paste
For the meatballs:
1 pound organic ground beef (85%-15%)
1 egg
1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
Bunch of basil, chopped
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese

Browned Meatballs - the secret to a superior dish

PREPARATION:
1. Combine all of the ingredients for the meatballs and mix thoroughly. Coat your hands with oil and take a large spoonful of meat mixture and roll into balls. Place on a sheet of wax paper next to your Dutch oven.
2. Brown the meatballs on all sides in batches so you don't overcrowd them in the Dutch oven.
3. When all the meatballs are brown, add the tomato sauce, tomato paste and the red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil then simmer for about 30 minutes. Use the lid cover position to achieve the right sauce thickness.
4. About 15-18 minutes after you start simmering the meatballs, put the water for the pasta on to boil. When boiling, add the spaghetti and cook for 10 minutes. When the spaghetti is done, the sauce should be ready to serve.

SERVING:
1. Serve the spaghetti on warmed plates.
2. Add the meatballs and spoon some sauce over the meatballs and spaghetti.
3. Garnish with basil leaves and serve with grated parmesan cheese.

Bon Appetit,
Tom and Anita

Over 300 tasty recipes from around the world on our blog.

Spice n Easy Spaghetti and Meatballs

Bagikan Artikel ini