Homemade Spaghetti and Meatballs

Continuing with my Italian theme, yesterday, I attempted for the first time, homemade spaghetti and meatballs, complete with marinara sauce. I have to say, it was delicious, and I found a couple of alterations to the recipes I was borrowing from to fit my needs!

Homemade Meatballs:

Ingredients:

1/3 cup plain breadcrumbs

½ cup milk

2 tablespoons olive oil

½ diced onion

1 pound ground beef (80% lean)

1 pound ground pork

2 eggs

¼ bunch chopped fresh parsley

3 cloves of crushed garlic

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon dried Italian herb seasoning

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions:

Cover a large baking sheet with tin foil and gently spray with cooking spray.

Soak breadcrumbs in milk for 20 minutes.

Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Cook and stir onions until brown (approximately 10 minutes).

Mix beef and pork evenly in a large bowl.  Stir onions, breadcrumb mixture, eggs, parsley, garlic, salt, black pepper, Italian herb seasoning, and Parmesan cheese into the meat until combined (I use my hands, but a spatula will also work).  Cover and refrigerate for one hour.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Wet your hands.  Roll meat mixture in balls approximately 1 ½ inches in diameter and arrange onto the baking sheet.  Leave about ½ inch in between each meatball (use two baking sheets if necessary).

Bake in the preheated oven until a brown glaze appears and the meat is cooked through (15-20 minutes).

*Prepares approximately 32-40 meatballs.

Homemade Marinara Sauce:

Ingredients:

1 28-oz can whole peeled tomatoes

1 medium yellow onion (peeled and cut in half)

2 large cloves garlic (peeled but left whole)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon dried oregano

Salt, if needed to taste

Instructions:

In a medium saucepan, combine tomatoes and juices, halved onion, garlic cloves, olive oil, and oregano.

Bring sauce to a simmer over medium-high heat.  Lower the heat to maintain a simmer for 45 minutes.  Stir occasionally.  After about 15 minutes, crush the tomatoes against the side of the pot.

Remove the pot from the heat.  Throw away the onion.  Smash the garlic cloves into the sauce.  Crush the tomatoes as you see fit.  I prefer to use a blender to make a fine, smooth sauce, but that is totally up to you.

Add salt if necessary.

Cover to keep warm while you are tending to the meatballs or cooking the spaghetti.

*Makes enough sauce to merit 8 ounces of spaghetti.

Enjoy!