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Spaghetti and Meatballs

1 hrTotal time
21Steps
21Ingredients
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Ingredients for 2

For the sauce

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • ⅛ chopped sweet yellow onion
  • 1 clove chopped garlic
  • ⅓ cup finely chopped carrots
  • ⅓ cup chopped cremini brown mushrooms
  • ⅔ can Italian plum tomatoes
  • ⅛ cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
  • ⅛ cup chopped fresh basil
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste
  • ⅛ cup grated Parmesan-Romano cheese blend
  • ⅛ cup red wine (optional)

For the meatballs

  • ⅓ lb ground beef
  • ⅛ lb fresh bulk Italian style pork sausage
  • ⅔ tbsp finely chopped basil
  • ⅔ tbsp finely chopped Italian parsley
  • ⅛ cup finely chopped cremini brown mushrooms
  • ⅔ large eggs
  • ¼ cup unseasoned breadcrumbs
  • ⅛ cup grated Parmesan-Romano cheese blend
  • Red wine (optional)

For the pasta

  • ½ lb dry spaghetti

Instructions

  1. Heat olive oil in a 4 to 5 quart pot on medium-high heat.

  2. Add onions and cook for 2 minutes.

  3. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds longer or until fragrant.

  4. Add the carrots and mushrooms, and cook for 2 minutes.

  5. Add the tomato paste, stir to blend, and cook for a minute longer.

  6. Add the canned tomatoes, basil, and parsley.

  7. Mash and stir the tomatoes with a potato masher until the sauce starts to thicken, about 5 minutes over medium-high heat.

  8. Reduce heat to low and simmer gently while preparing meatballs, stirring occasionally.

  9. In a large bowl, mix by hand the beef, Italian sausage, basil, parsley, mushrooms, eggs, breadcrumbs, cheese, and 2 teaspoons of salt and pepper.

  10. Do not overmix or the meatballs will be tough.

  11. Use small melon baller (or teaspoon) to form 1-inch round meatballs.

  12. Roll and compress into tight balls.

  13. In a separate wide, shallow pan, heat olive oil on medium-high heat.

  14. Brown meatballs on all sides for about 2-3 minutes.

  15. Depending on the pan size, you may need to brown two batches of the meatballs. Cook them in a single layer; do not crowd the pan by stacking them.

  16. Do not overcook the meatballs; they will continue to cook in the sauce.

  17. Towards the end of browning the meatballs, add a little bit of red wine to deglaze the pan.

  18. Add the cheese and red wine to the sauce and stir it in. Add 1 teaspoon of salt to taste.

  19. Add meatballs and gently stir. Simmer the sauce and meatballs for 30-45 minutes while cooking the spaghetti, stirring occasionally.

  20. Cook the pasta and optionally add 1/3 cup of pasta water to the sauce.

  21. Place a thin layer of sauce on a plate. Add pasta, sauce and meatballs.