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Friday, April 22, 2011

Best Ever Spaghetti and Meatballs

Best Spaghetti and Meatballs
Difficulty: EASY
Servings: 8

Nutrition Information--excluding pasta
Calories: 452
Protein: 33g
Carbohydrates: 28g; Fiber 6g
Fat: mono 6g; poly 1g; sat 9g
(See pasta package for Nutrition Information)



About this Recipe

Everyone loves good old-fashioned spaghetti and meatballs. These meatballs have a flavor similar to my Northern Italian Stuffed Pasta Shells and our family's homemade meat ravioli (recipe coming soon). For a quick after-work meal, cook this in your slow cooker--pair it up with a nice salad and maybe some whole-grain garlic bread, and you're good to go!

Ingredients


Meatballs
  • 1 Pound Ground Pork
  • 1 Pound Ground Sirloin
  • 1/2 Cup Parmesan Cheese
  • 1/2 Cup Italian Seasoned Bread Crumbs
  • 4 Cloves Garlic (pressed or finely minced)
  • 3 Large Eggs
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons Italian Seasoning
  • 1/2 teaspoon Dried Oregano
  • 1/4 teaspoon Ground Cloves
  • 1 teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
  • 1 teaspoon Salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
  • 1/4 Cup PACKED Minced Fresh Parsley

Sauce
  • 5 Cloves Garlic (pressed)
  • 1 (12-oz) Can Tomato Paste
  • 4 (14.5-oz) Cans Crushed Tomatoes (or petite diced)
  • 2 teaspoons Salt
  • 1 teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper
  • 1 Tablespoon Dried Basil (crushed)
  • 1 Tablespoon Italian Seasoning (crushed)
  • 1 teaspoon Dried Oregano (crushed)
  • 2 Dried Bay Leaves
  • 1/4 Cup Dry Red Wine
  • 1-1/2 Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
  • 2 (4-oz) Cans Button Mushrooms (stems and pieces are fine)

  • 1 Pound (about 1.25 14.5 oz boxes) Barilla Plus Pasta (comes in a yellow box).  Or try your hand at HOMEMADE HIGH PROTEIN NOODLES <--recipe here

Directions

  1. Make Meatballs: Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Using clean hands, thoroughly mix together all the meatball ingredients in a medium bowl. Form mixture into 24 balls and place on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake 15 minutes until meatballs are nicely browned on the outside.

    Mix all Meatball Ingredients Together in a Medium Bowl
    Form Meat Mixture into 24 Balls
    Brown at 425 degrees F. for 15 Minutes

  2. Make Sauce: Into a medium mixing bowl, stir together all sauce ingredients until thoroughly incorporated.

  3. Cook Sauce and Meatballs:
    Method 1:  Place browned meatballs into a 5 qt. or larger dutch oven with cover, pour the sauce over, cover and bake at 325 degrees F for 2-1/2 hours.

    Method 2:  Place browned meatballs into a large slow cooker, pour the sauce over, cover, and cook at low setting for 6-8 hours.

  4. Prepare one pound pasta according to package directions. Divide pasta among 8 pasta bowls, top with a generous ladle of sauce, and 3 meatballs. Garnish with freshly-grated Parmesano Reggiano Cheese.

3 comments:

  1. U got it, Foodie Mama. Spaghetti and Meatball Throwdown f'sho!! Maybe in two weeks--after you get back from Phoenix?? Start rallying your fans. We'll sell tickets!

    ReplyDelete
  2. this would be so cool - like you said, as a fundraiser would be so much fun! i made mine tonight to practice and perfect. let's meet next week to brainstorm.

    ReplyDelete