Spaghetti & Meatballs

I've never been a fan of spaghetti & meatballs. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE spaghetti, but I usually make it with a super chunky, very thick sauce (lots of peppers, onions and mushrooms). Half the time, I don't even add the meat. My fiance is a hardcore carnivore though, and I know he likes meatballs, so when I saw this recipe on Our Best Bites last week, I knew I had to try it. These were FABULOUS! The meatballs were made of spicy Italian sausage and ground beef. They were flavored with lots of garlic, basil, salt & pepper and were so, so good. 

The sauce was delicious as well. It definitely had a kick to it (maybe from the fact that I added extra heat from the red pepper flakes). It didn't thicken up as much as I thought it would, but the flavor was fantastic and made up for a thinner sauce than I usually prefer.

Spaghetti & Meatballs

(Recipe adapted from this one here.)

Meatballs

Ingredients

• 1 lb. lean ground beef
• 1 lb. spicy Italian sausage
• 1/2 c. Panko
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/4 C. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 T. basil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. salt

Directions

1. Combine meatball ingredients in a medium bowl. 
2. Shape into balls, whatever size you like (mine were about one inch), and then rolling it between your hands to make them round. 
3. Place on a baking sheet and broil until the meatballs start to brown (about 5 minutes).

Spaghetti Sauce
Ingredients

• 1 large onion, chopped
• 4-5 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
• Olive oil
• 2 28-oz. cans crushed tomatoes
• 16 oz. tomato sauce
• 14 oz. can of diced tomatoes; drained
• 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
• 1 tsp. of red pepper flakes
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Pinch of baking soda (to help neutralize the acid)
• Basil (to garnish)

Directions

1. Heat olive oil in the bottom of a dutch oven. Add onion and garlic and cook until onions are translucent and garlic is fragrant (about 3 minutes). 
2. Add remaining sauce ingredients and combine well. Bring to a simmer and then add meatballs. 
3. Simmer on low, uncovered, until desired consistency is reached; about 25-30 minutes for a sauce that's of medium thickness.
4. Serve over spaghetti with some freshly grated Parmesan on top.

This sauce is now my go to for any time I need sauce. Anytime I need tomato sauce, I make a pot of this.