Whenever I go to an Italian restaurant, I never pick my all time comfort food, Spaghetti with meatballs.  It’s usually fancier dishes because I assume I can’t make those at home, and then one day I remember that I haven’t eaten or made Spaghetti meatballs in ages!  This is a simple recipe that it easy to make with simple ingredients, and it’s easily scalable to you can double it and meal plan, especially for the meatballs – see freezing instructions at the bottom.  Bona Petito!

Time:

50 min

Serves:

4-6

Good for:

• Hearty meal for winter
• Easy to make
• Healthy and kid approved

Ingredients:

• 1 large egg
• 3 tbsp finely chopped fresh basil
• 3 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tspn dried oregano
• ¾ tspn salt
• ¼ tspn black pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ¼ cup water
• 1½ lbs or 550g of ground beef
• ¾ cup dried bread crumbs
• ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 32 zo marinara sauce
• 1 lbs. or 400g of spaghetti

Kitchen things you’ll need:

• Pasta pot with drain or a colander
• Medium sauce pot or skillet
• Baking sheets

Making it:

• Preheat your oven to 350 F (180 C) and place the oven rack in the center of the oven.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the egg, basil, parsley, oregano, salt, pepper, garlic and water. Add the meat, breadcrumbs and cheese and mix with your hands until combined.
• Roll the mixture into golf ball-sized meatballs and place on a baking sheet. Bake for about 10 minutes, then turn the meatball, it’s ok if they stick a bit. Put the meatballs back in the oven and cook for another 10 minutes, until they are nicely browned and almost cooked through.
• Bring the marinara sauce to a simmer in a pot or skillet. Taste it and adjust the seasoning if necessary.
• Put the browned meatballs in the marinara sauce, leaving the fat behind. Cover loosely with a lid or foil and simmer for about 10 minutes until the meatballs are cooked through. Keep warm until ready to toss with pasta.
• While the meatballs are cooking, bring a large pot of well-salted (with a little olive oil) water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook until al dente (1 minute less than the package instructions for cooking).
• Drain, then toss with the sauce and meatballs (you may find it easier to toss everything together in the pasta pot). Serve topped with fresh basil and more grated cheese.

Tips/notes:

• It’s always a good idea to add a pinch of sugar to the sauce when you ra seasoning it before the meatballs.
• The cooked meatballs can be frozen, in their sauce, for up to 3 months. When ready to serve, defrost overnight in the refrigerator and reheat on the stove top until the meatballs are hot in the center.