Recipe: Italian Meatballs & Spaghetti*

 

In the deep dark days of winter, comfort food is a must.  Whether you have to go out to work every day or are mostly at home, it’s nice to know that dinner is waiting in the slow cooker at the end of the day.  There are tons of good recipes for crock pot meals out there, some of which take very little time to prepare.  The recipe I want to share this week is not one of those, so you may want to save it for a Saturday or sometime when you can devote a couple of hours to prep work in the morning so that Italian Meatballs and Spaghetti can be on the table that evening.  All I can say is that it’s worth it—this is one of my oldest and most beloved family recipes.  I only make it a couple of times a year.  Even though spaghetti is generally thought of as an everyday food, this recipe is a special occasion meal that everyone looks forward to.  The meatballs and sauce are out of this world, especially after simmering all day.

Meatballs

-1 ½ lb lean ground beef

-2 large eggs

-3/4 cup shredded medium or sharp cheddar cheese

-3/4 cup ground soft bread crumbs (use several days old buns or rolls)

-3 large cloves garlic, minced

-½ bunch fresh parsley leaves, minced

-1 ½ teaspoon salt

-1/3 teaspoon black pepper

Mix together well. 

 Use a small ice cream scoop to form into balls.

 Grease or spray a cookie sheet and place the meatballs, spaced evenly (may take more than one sheet).   You may want to individually roll them into a more evenly round shape with your hands.

 Cook in a 400 degree oven until lightly browned and firm, but not cooked all the way through.  This takes 15 to 20 minutes.  Loosen from pan with spatula and set aside.

Sauce

-2 onions sliced very thin

-3 large cloves garlic minced

-Large pinch of dried rosemary (as much as you can pinch between thumb and finger, approximately 1/2 teaspoon)

-Large pinch of dried sweet basil (as much as you can pinch between thumb and finger, approximately 1/2 teaspoon)

-3 large whole bay leaves

-½ bunch parsley (trim off lower stems, but leave whole)

-5 cans tomato sauce (not paste)

In 2 Tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat in a skillet, saute onion until limp but not browned.  Throw in the parsley, all the spices, and garlic and sauté another minute (do not have it hot enough that the garlic will burn).

   Pour 3 cans of the tomato sauce in slow cooker and stir in the onion mixture from the skillet. 

 Fold in the browned meatballs. 

Add the other 2 cans over the top of meatballs, and stir ingredients carefully together.

  Cook on high for an hour or so, then 6 hours or longer on low or until ready to eat.  

 Serve over hot spaghetti and top with shredded cheddar cheese.  Serves 6.

(I would double this, because after going to this much work it’s nice to have two meals to show for it—it reheats well and can also be frozen).

*Originally distributed January 2014