cookaz

Italian recipes

Spaghetti and meatballs

No ratings yet 140 min Serves 2 Italian
A classic Italian recipe, spaghetti with meatballs cooked in a tomato sauce with herbs. Great with crusty Italian bread.

Ingredients

  • For The Sauce
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 3-4 small pieces pork or beef
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1 small onion, finely chopped
  • 1/2 celery stalk, finely chopped
  • 3/4 tsp dried basil or 1/4 cup fresh basil (chopped)
  • 3/4 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 1/8 cup fresh parsley (finely chopped)
  • 1/2 tsp dried chili pepper (optional; finely chopped)
  • 1 (6oz) can tomato paste
  • 1 can tomatoes (chopped)
  • 2 cup water
  • Salt & freshly ground black pepper
  • For the meatballs
  • 1/2 lb ground beef
  • 1/4 lb ground pork or veal
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tbsp fresh parsley (finely chopped)
  • 2 tbsp Parmesan cheese (freshly grated)
  • 1/2 egg, lightly beaten
  • 1/2–3/4 cup soft bread crumbs
  • 1/4 cup water
  • Salt & freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 lb spaghetti

Method

To make the sauce
Brown the meat in olive oil until well browned on all sides. Add the garlic, onion, and celery and sauté until tender. Add the herbs and cook for 1 more minute, stirring often. Add the tomato paste, tomatoes, water and bring to a boil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Lower heat and add the meatballs (see below) into the sauce. Do not stir for the first 15 minutes or so until the meatballs begin to firm up. Cook for 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally, and adding extra water as needed if the sauce becomes too thick.

To make the meatballs
Add the bread crums to the water to moisten. In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients together with the bread crumbs. Shape into golf ball sized balls, and set aside.

Cook the spaghetti al dente in lots of salted, boiling water, according to instructions on the packaging. Drain and serve in individual serving dishes. Top with the spaghetti sauce and the meatballs and add extra freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Serve with crusty Italian bread.

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