Spaghetti is such an American staple. But the truth is, I don’t eat it very often. I’m too busy filling myself with other kinds of pasta. And I almost never make meatballs. I’m always making a Bolognese or some other kind of meat/mushroom sauce. But here’s how I made them the other night.
1 can tomato paste
1 T dried oregano
2 t dried basil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 T olive oil
1 medium onion, minced
a splash of Marsala
1 1/2 cups of water
salt
Pretty simple – heat the oil, sweat the onions, throw in the garlic for a few seconds, dump in the tomato paste, oregano and basil, swirl it around a bit, splash in the Marsala, then add the water and simmer while you make the meatballs. Season. Many people add sugar to their sauce, the Marsala takes care of that.
1 lb ground beef
2-3 ozs. of ground sausage
2-3 T breadcrumbs
1 egg
2 t oregano
salt
I don’t like bready meatballs, so I use just enough to lighten them up. Beat the egg in with the breadcrumbs and oregano and salt. Throw in the ground meat and mix well. Roll into balls. I make mine less than 3/4 the size of a golf ball. I think I made around a dozen. Brown in a little olive oil. I put mine in a 350F oven for ten minutes or so, then into the simmering sauce for 20 minutes. You should be making the spaghetti at this point. I don’t think I have to tell you how to do that.