Cooking Therapy

A traditional meal that is enjoyable to not only eat, but to cook is Spaghetti and Meatballs. It is even better when you make the sauce and meatballs yourself. Making the meatballs from scratch will have you feeling like a little kid again taking part in arts and crafts; you mix all the ingredients together, and mold them into perfect round, meaty balls. This can be a fun activity you can do with anyone, or even by yourself with some music playing in the background and a full-bodied wine in a glass. It is not a time consuming recipe and you do not have to prep it all day like you thought you would have. In fact, it is quite simply and will have you comparing your meatballs and sauce to that of an Italian grandmother’s. Try yours today and see how tasty it is! Buon appetito!

Spaghetti and Meatballs

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Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Total Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Servings: 6 servings

Course: Dinner, Lunch

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 pound ground pork
• 1 small onion finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 2 eggs
• ¼ cup grated Romano cheese
• ½ cup stale bread, crumbled
• 2 tablespoons Italian parsley finely chopped
• Kosher salt
• Black pepper
• 1 package spaghetti or pasta of preference
• Canola oil for frying

For the sauce (you can also use store bought if you like)

• 1 can crushed tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 small onion finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• ¼ cup finely chopped basil
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon oregano
• Kosher salt
• Black pepper

Method

 

1. In a large bowl, add the ground beef, ground pork, onion, garlic, bread, Romano cheese, parsley, salt and pepper, and the eggs. Add two tablespoons of olive oil
2. Using your hands, mix the ingredients together until it forms a consistency similar to molding clay. Shape the meatballs into the size you want. The larger the meatballs, the longer they take to cook. The size should be between a golf ball and baseball
3. In a large frying pan, add the canola oil and heat on a high flame. To check when it’s ready, sprinkle a little bit of flour in the oil. If it sizzles and melts away, the oil is ready
4. While the oil is heating up, make the sauce. In a medium saucepan, drizzle olive oil and add the onions, cooking over a medium high heat. Once the onions have softened and become fragrant, add the garlic and cook until it becomes fragrant and onions translucent. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir. Bring to a simmer and cover stirring occasionally until it thickens. While the sauce is simmering, cook the meatballs
5. Add the ball carefully in, one at a time. Cook each side for about 5-7 minutes or until side begins to brown. Using a slotted spoon or tongs, flip the meatball over so the other side gets cooked. Remove, strain, and transfer to a paper towel lined plate
6. While the meatballs are straining in the plate and the sauce is simmering, cook the pasta
7. Add hot water into a pot and bring to a boil. Add salt and stir. Add the pasta and cook based on instructions on box
8. Once past has become al dente, strain.
9. Add the meatballs to the sauce and stir
10. Plate the pasta and add the meatballs and sauce on top
11. Add some grated cheese and garnish with some parsley

Notes

Cook time drops to about 20 minutes if you use a ready-made sauce.