Spaghetti and Meatballs Recipe

Spaghetti and meatballs is my son's all time favorite meal. When I find something he likes, I tend to go over board cooking it. This recipe is enough to feed a family of four twice. So I freeze the second pan of cooked meatballs and left over sauce to have another meal for us. A great way to re-purpose these leftovers is to have meatball sliders. Thank goodness for food saver vacuum seal machines!

The best part about making meatballs is that you can just throw all the ingredients into one bowl and mix it up! Makes for easy clean up. And trust me, I am all for less clean up.

There is only one way to to mix meatballs, by hand. So get in there and become one with the meatballs. 

While the meatballs are cooking up in their yummy goodness, its time to make your sauce. I happened to be able to bring a lot of herbs in the house to keep through the winter. So i cut some of my fresh oregano and basil to flavor my sauce. But if you don't have fresh herbs, dried does just fine. Throw your meatballs in to the sauce to enhance the flavor of your sauce and let some sauce absorb into the meatballs.

While your meatballs are bathing in the the red sauce, get your water boiling to cook your pasta. The amount of time your pasta takes to cook is just enough time for the meatballs to soak up sauce.  

Italian Meatball Recipe

Serves 8

Ingredients

​1/2 of an onion, grated
1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
1 large egg
3 tablespoons ketchup
1 tsp garlic powder 
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2/3 cup grated Parmesan
1/4 cup dried Italian-style bread crumbs
1/2 lb ground beef
1/2 lb ground Italian sausage

Add all ingredients into a bowl and gently mix with your hands. Form into 2 inch balls. Heat a skillet up with 2 tablespoons of canola oil to medium heat. Fry meatballs for 3-4 minutes per a side. Making sure to brown all sides of the meatballs. Cook for 10-14 minutes until meatballs are cooked through. 

Red Pasta Sauce Recipe

Serves 8

Ingredients

​2 Tablespoons olive oil
1/2 onion, diced
2 tsp Italian seasoning
2 tsp dried oregano, or 2 Tablespoons fresh oregano
2 T. fresh basil
2 can tomato sauce 
1 can diced tomatoes 
1 Tablespoon brown sugar 
2 tsp garlic powder 
1 tsp onion powder 
Salt and pepper to taste
1 box of spaghetti or your favorite pasta, cook by directions on box

In a dutch oven or deep sauce pan, heat olive oil, onion, Italian seasoning and dried oregano to med-low heat. Cook until onion is softened and herbs have bloomed (re-hydrated with oil), about 4-5 minutes.
Add in remaining ingredients and bring to a simmer. Cook for 10-15 minutes on medium-low heat. Add in meatballs to simmer in the red sauce and continue to cook until pasta is finished. Serve over pasta or on Rolls for meatball sliders. Enjoy!