Recipe 1 of 1

Spaghetti and Meatballs

⏱ 1 hr 🍽 Serves 2 πŸ”’ 21 steps

Ingredients for 2

For the sauce

For the meatballs

For the pasta

From your pantry

Spaghetti and Meatballs

1 hr
  1. 1

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

    Add onions and cook for 2 minutes.

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

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

  2. 2

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

    Add the canned tomatoes, basil, and parsley.

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

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

  3. 3

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

    Do not overmix or the meatballs will be tough.

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

    Roll and compress into tight balls.

  4. 4

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

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

    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.

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

  5. 5

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

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

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

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

  6. 6

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