Spaghetti & Meatballs

Spaghetti and Meatballs are a favorite at my house and with good reason. They are soooo good! 

This is a mom's recipe that I ramped up. Derek and I are big spice people while my mom has a blander palate.

Meatballs, The Recipe: 

3 pounds 93% lean ground beef (I like to make a lot for leftovers)

1 cup whole wheat bread crumbs - I use plain, but Italian would be fine

1 cup parmesan cheese - I use the kind in the shake can

4-6 cloves of garlic minced - like I said, we are big on flavor and we love garlic

2 eggs (usually an egg per pound or pound and a half works well)

2 1/2 tablespoons worchester sauce

3 tablespoons Penzey's Breakfast Sausage Seasoning

2 tablespoons fennel

2 tablespoons basil

2 tablespoons italian seasoning

1 1/2 salt

1 1/2 tablespoons pepper

olive oil - first cold press

white wine or dry sherry optional

* I'm very heavy on seasoning and especially so with a large batch. Depending on your sensitivities, you may want to use less seasoning. Experiment and see what's best for you!

Take your ground beef and press out in the pan you will cook in. I prefer a non stick skillet as it keeps the meatballs from burning and you can use less oil. 

Add all mix-ins: spices, eggs, parm and bread crumbs. Yes, it's a lot, but you're using a good chunk of meat. You don't want to have under seasoned meatballs. Now with clean hands, mix it all up! After it's mixed, you should be able to take a hunk and see all sorts of seasoning on it and in it.

Keep your baby entertained and out of the way! You're dealing with raw meat so make sure you are washing your hands well and sanitizing anything that comes in contact with the meat and eggs. My husband and I are big sticklers on this!

After mixing, roll it up! I made some big meatballs here, but sometimes I do small too. If you are in a hurry it's better to make smaller meatballs. If you have time, make them larger. Larger meatballs are good to throw into a crock pot, which does all the work and they come out cooked through!

Next put your meatballs under cold running water one at a time, while pressing together the meatball - this plus the egg helps keep your meatballs from breaking apart. As you rinse, begin transferring to another container. I put foil in a baking pan so all I had to do was throw away the foil.

Heat up pan to medium high heat with a couple tablespoons olive oil. Once warm, add your meatballs. If you have a ton of meatballs use two pans or do in two batches.

I prefer to let them cook a few minutes covered and then add a cup of white wine or sherry and replace lid. The steam from the wine helps cook the meatball while adding a little extra flavor.

Here the meatballs are ready to be turned for the first time...they should be slightly brown. Turn to the other side and replace lid. Do add more wine if not enough liquid remains in the pan.

At this point get your sauce going. I use canned sauce and beef it up with spices. Bringing to a medium low heat. Don't forget to stir!

Turn the meatballs a second time. Add wine if needed and replace lid.

I turn my meatballs a good four to five times, basically until most of it is browned. Also check the internal temperature of the meatball with a thermometer. I want mine to get to 165 F. 

Once your meatballs are finished, they should ideally cook for 35 to 45 minutes depending on the size. Next plop into sauce to finishing cooking. I like mine to sit in the sauce an extra 30 minutes or till it's time to eat. Serve up your meatballs with your favorite pasta and bon appetite!

Guess what I did? Maybe I should say, "Guess what I didn't do?" I forgot to take a picture of my finished meatballs. Sorry, I was so hungry and we just ate them up before I remembered. Next time I make them, I'll try to take a picture and will post it back. Course, you don't need a finished picture to see it's a yummy recipe. Derek and I love, love, love these!

Oh and during dinner, Nolan threw a little fit. While trying to pull off his bib, he actually ripped his shirt. I hope he's not taking after Hulk Holgan. See the tear in his shirt?