Spaghetti and Meatballs

Spaghetti and meatballs truly is a classic American comfort food. It's simple, hearty, and undeniably tasty. The dish is also one that lends itself to variation. I present a simple, basic sauce here that can easily be augmented with a variety of vegetables, herbs, or mushrooms. You could also spice it up with some crushed red pepper. My version here is light on sauce; adding another cup of crushed tomato will give you a saucier pasta. I've chosen to make my meatballs with equal parts ground beef, veal, and pork, and they really explode with flavor when you take a bite. It reheats very well, and I've been eating off of it for the last few days!

Ingredients

Sauce

• 1/2 onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• Olive oil
• 1/2 tsp dried basil
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 2 cups crushed tomato
• Water to taste
• Salt and pepper to taste

Meatballs

• 1/2 lb ground sirloin
• 1/2 lb ground pork
• 1/2 lb ground veal
• 1 egg
• 2 tbs grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 cup breadcrumbs
• Olive oil
• 1/2 cup chicken stock

Everything Else

• 1 1/2 lb dry spaghetti
• Salted water
• Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
• Chopped flat leaf parsley

Instructions

Start with the sauce. Dice the onion and mince the garlic. Drizzle a little olive oil in a saucepan and heat on medium high. Saute the onions until softened and browned, adding the garlic halfway through. Add the basil, oregano, and crushed tomato, and stir. Put on a back burner and simmer while making the meatballs, about an hour. Add water to thin the sauce to your desired consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste.

For the meatballs, combine the three meats in a bowl. Add the egg, cheese, salt, and pepper. Mix together with your hands until homogeneous. Little by little, add the breadcrumbs, mixing in until integrated. Form into meatballs, no more than 1 1/2 inches in diameter. I got about 30 meatballs out of it.

Heat olive oil on medium high in a large saute pan. Brown meatballs on all sides. Add chicken stock, cover, and cook until meatballs are cooked through, just a few minutes. You can crack open a sacrificial meatball if you need to check them. Note that the chicken stock will be partially, but not completely absorbed. I made the mistake of trying to cram them all in one pan. They made it, but it's easier to brown them if you either work in batches or in a very large pan.

Be aware that a large pot of water takes time to boil, so this should be started early. Boil a pot of salted water, and cook the spaghetti for about 9 minutes. Drain and transfer to large serving dish. Cover with meatballs and pour the sauce over. Serve with grated Parmiggiano, chopped parsley, and a red checkered tablecloth.