Once again I was faced with the perpetual dilemma of what to make for dinner tonight. I had in my refrigerator an onion, garlic, parsley, and ground beef. My pantry was even more pathetic, but at least I had a can of diced tomatoes and a box of dried spaghetti noodles. So spaghetti it would have to be. I confess… I don’t really like spaghetti or any other red sauce pasta for that matter. The primary reasons are:
1. Growing up in a family of 6 kids we ate a lot of Ragu spaghetti from a jar.
2. After the birth of all three of my children people often brought over meals, 99% of them some type of red sauce pasta.
3. Many years back, a few of my friends and I tried group cooking for a months’ worth of meals. This was a bad idea. Very bad. I ended up coming home with 20 different types of red sauce pasta meals, all but 2 went into the trash. And for the record, I contributed none of them.
I suppose I would enjoy spaghetti more if jarred sauce didn’t taste like glorified ketchup. Using some olive oil, sauteed onions, garlic, and a can of diced tomatoes I was able to make a lighter than your store bought sauce and the end result was wonderful. It is so simple yet so delicious. Even though its not obvious by the picture, adding a lot of parsley added a wonderful earthy flavor and balanced everything out. So don’t skimp out on the parsley! Enjoy.
Meatballs:
* 1 pound ground beef
* 1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
* 5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
* 2 tbs. olive oil
* ½ cup of bread crumbs
* ½ cup of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
* 2 large eggs
* ½ tsp of oregano
* ½ tsp of basil
* 1 ½ tsp of salt
Cook onions and garlic in olive oil over medium heat until softened, about 5 minutes stirring occasionally.
Preheat oven to 400°.
In a large bowl, add the onion/garlic mixture and all the other ingredients. Incorporate everything by hand until well mixed. Firmly form 2”meatballs by hand.
Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Heat olive oil in a skillet on medium-high heat. Brown meatballs and place on baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes in the oven.
Tomato Sauce
Prepare Tomato sauce while meatballs are baking:
* 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
* 1 medium onions, finely chopped
* 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
* 1 tbs. of basil
* 1 tsp of salt
* 1 tsp black pepper
* 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
* 1 cup of finely chopped parsley.
Cook onions and garlic in oil in a pot over medium heat until softened, about 5 minutes stirring occasionally. Stir in tomatoes with juice reserved in a separate bowl. Simmer sauce, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened for 10 minutes. Add salt, pepper, oregano, basil, and half of the reserved liquid until sauce reduces for 5 minutes. *Add parsley at the end for garnish.
Putting it all together:
Cook a 1 lb box of spaghetti to al dente, drain, and plate it. Place a few spoonfuls of sauce on top of the noodles followed by a couple tablespoons of parsley and grated cheese. Place a meatball on top and serve.
I have made this recipe so many times in the last couple of years. I made it last February when we had some friends over for lunch after church – the kind of friends that come over and eat lunch and then all asleep on the couch while watching football on a leisurely Sunday afternoon. You know, the best kind of friends. That very week, we learned that Bruce (the father) had cancer and within a few months, he had gone on to Heaven. Today I made that meal again for his wife and son on the 5 month anniversary of his death. Thank you for this recipe and for sharing so much of your life with those of us blessed enough to be reading your blog.
Hi Rita,
I would say this would easily serve 4 but could serve up to 6.
These look great. Do you know how many people this recipe can serve? Thanks!
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Yummm…this looks so good! How many meatballs does this make?
I am about to mail this recipe to my sister and friends. These meatballs are the best I have ever made! (my husband agrees) ……. thanks to you! I have found that I can make a very simple sauce of crushed tomatoes, a bit of garlic, and basil, and these awesome meatballs just add so much flavor to the sauce, it’s amazing. I pan browned the meatballs in a cast iron skillet, and cooked them in the sauce for a couple hours on low (instead of the oven). I have “shredded” all of my other meatball recipes and will never, ever, make any recipe but this! THANK YOU VERY, VERY MUCH!!!!!
This one’s a keeper! Yum! Yum! We’re going to feature Alice’ Spaghetti and Meatballs on next week’s http://www.dinnervibe.com Thanks Alice!
Yum! I love the idea of baking the meatballs. Maybe mine won’t fall apart now!