Spaghetti and Meatballs

Spaghetti and Meatballs



The pasta sauce I use for this dinner is my own homemade.  If you want to see the homemade pasta sauce, click here.  Otherwise, you can use your own or store bought kind. 

For the meatballs:
3/4 lb ground beef
1/4 lb ground porl
1/4 lb ground veal
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/3 cup italian bread crumbs
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 cup grated parmesan
2 cloves garlic minced

Combine all ingredients in a large glass bowl.  Mix with your hands until combined...be careful not to over mix or it will make the meatballs tough.  Yuck. Wash your hands and line a cookie sheet with foil and preheat the oven to 300 F.  Set the cookie sheet aside.  Set a dutch oven over medium high heat and add 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil.  Roll your meatballs into galf ball sized portions.  Add about 5 or 6 meatballs to the pot at a time.  Do Not Add More Than This!  If you add too many at a time, you'll start creating steam and your meatballs will be yucky grey.  Plus, you'll have a harder time turning them.  Once you brown the meatballs on all sides (about 2 minutes a side), remove them from the pot and place on the cookie sheet.  Cook the remaining meatballs in batches and add to the cookie sheet.  Turn down the heat to the dutch oven to medium low and add your pasta sauce.  Put the meatballs into oven to finish cooking.  Once the pasta sauce starts to bubble, turn down the heat to low and cover.  Cook your prefered pasta (I like spaghetti with meatballs).  Take your meatballs out of the oven and gently add them to the pasta sauce, nestling them down into the sauce.  Do not stir too much to avoid breaking up the meatballs.  When you're ready to plate, add some pasta to a bowl/plate, spoon some sauce and meatballs over the pasta and serve with a big nice slice of crusty bread to sop up all this yummy goodness.  Enjoy and do try not to slurp:)