Sunday dinner for Italian-Americans is never complete without Spaghetti and Meatballs – a dish that kids and adults love alike. The meatballs are typically made with minced beef or lamb, mixed well with chopped parsley, grated parmesan and nutmeg, and seasoned with salt and pepper. (Make sure to refrigerate them so as the fat doesn’t melt and breakdown.) The meatballs, that are softened by the addition of bread soaked in milk and browned in a pan along with garlic and onions sauteed in olive oil, are added to the tomato sauce made rich and robust by the reduced red wine. Simmering the meatballs in the sauce allows it to cook and soak up all the flavours and make them tender to the bite. Toss in cooked spaghetti, add parmesan and a dash of olive oil and dine like an Italiano.
Details
4 Servings
25 Minutes
40 Minutes
398 / Portion
Print
Ingredients
- For Meatballs
Beef Mince or Lamb Mince 200 gms
Bread slices (stale) 2 slices
Milk 100 ml
Egg 50 gms (1 egg)
Parsley chopped 50 gms
Nutmeg grated 5 gms
Parmesan Cheese grated 20 gms
Onion chopped 30 gms
Garlic chopped 15 gms
Olive Oil 15 ml
- For Sauce
Spaghetti Pasta 200 gms
Tomato Sauce 150 gms (See Tomato Sauce for Pasta recipe in this section)
Red Wine 60 ml
Oregano 5 gms
Extra Virgin Olive oil 20 ml
Parmesan Cheese grated 20 gms
Parsley chopped for garnish
Salt and Black pepper crushed to taste
Directions
- For Meatball preparation
- Soak bread in milk for about 10 mins.
- In a bowl, mix together beef or lamb mince with egg, salt, pepper, chopped parsley, grated nutmeg and grated Parmesan. Squeeze out the bread from the milk and add it to the meat mixture.
- Using hands or fork mix well. Divide into equal shaped balls and keep in the refrigerator for 30 mins.
- In a separate pan heat olive oil, saute garlic, onions till translucent and keep aside.
- Add the meatballs to pan and saute till the meatballs are browned from all sides.
- Add the red wine to the pan and let the alcohol evaporate.
- Add the tomato sauce and little water. Bring to boil.
- Reduce the heat, cover and let it simmer for about 30 mins or until the meatballs are well cooked.
- While the meatballs are cooking, place a large vessel with water and let it boil. Add salt.
- Boil the spaghetti pasta. The pasta should be tender but still firm to the bite. The stage is called ‘al dente’ in Italian. Drain and keep the pasta and water aside. Let it cool for some time.
- When the meatballs are cooked, add oregano and the cooked spaghetti to the sauce and mix well. Ensure the pasta is well coated with the sauce. Add Parmesan cheese and mix.
- To serve, garnish with grated parmesan and chopped parsley. Drizzle a dash of extra virgin olive oil. Serve with crispy garlic bread.
Chef’s Twist :-
The meatballs can also be made with lean ground beef or lean ground pork or a mixture of the two.
Here is a great carb-free substitute for spaghetti… Cut spaghetti squash lengthwise into half, take out the seeds, drizzle with olive oil and bake upside down at 400 degree Fahrenheit for 30-40 minutes until fork tender. Let it cool, scrape and fluff the flesh of the squash.