It makes me so happy to cook a meal that my whole family will enjoy. I love family time, being together, and conversing over the dinner table. Spaghetti and meatballs is perfect for our “Pasta Sundays” and for a wonderful family meal.
One of these days I am going to blanch my own tomatoes and make my pasta from scratch as well, like my nonna used to. She was an outstanding cook.We got a kitchen aid with the pasta maker attachment for our wedding, and it will come in handy when that day comes. There is nothing like the taste of homemade noodles.
The sauce I have been making for years came from a family friend of ours. When my husband was in college, in NY, his roommate’s mom would make them food all the time, and had everyone over for dinner. Mrs. Rinaldi is an amazing cook, and I was lucky enough to get her recipe! My husband craved her sauce and was so happy that I make it now. First time I made it, he took one bite and just smiled from ear to ear. It still isn’t the same as Mrs. Rinaldi’s, as you know moms always make the very best, even when replicated.
This recipe is enough for a family of 4 with plenty of leftovers. It takes a little over an hour to cook, and so I like to make enough to have leftovers. The sauce can be used in other dishes the next day, and the meatballs make a great lunch sandwich (if you make a few bigger ones).
I get all of my ingredients from either Whole Foods, or DiGregorio’s on the hill. I love knowing where the meat I cook with comes from and I try to support local businesses as much as possible.
Ingredients for the sauce:
2 Large cans of whole peeled san marzano style tomatoes ( no extra seasoning)
1 can of tomato paste
1 medium onion
3 tbps italian seasoning
1 tbsp parsley
1/4 tsp thyme
4 bay lay leaves
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tbps red pepper flakes
1/4 tbsp fresh oregano
5 big leaves of fresh basil and 3 little leaves
1/4 tbsp of fresh mint
3/4 cup of parmigiano-reggiano Italian raw milk cheese
4 garlic cloves
For the meatballs :
1 1/2 lbs ground beef (85% lean)
1/4 lb. mild sausage (whole foods will take the casing off of fresh sausage links for you)
Half of an onion
2 slices of pepper jack cheese
1/4 cup of mozzarella
3-4 garlic gloves
1 cup of Italian bread crumbs (panko works the best or homemade breadcrumbs)
1 egg
2 tbsp of Italian seasoning
1 tbsp olive oil
Garlic bread:
2 mini loafs of bread fresh from the deli
1 cup of butter ( Kroger Irish cream butter)
6 cloves of garlic
Salt
Pepper
First step is to heat the cup of olive oil in a large pot on low-medium heat.While the oil is heating up, ( I usually let it heat up for 5-8 minutes) the onions can be diced. I like to dice my veggies and seasonings with a kitchen aid chopper, it works like a charm and my onions turn out exactly how I want them to- plus if I am having a bad day I can take my frustration out on the chopper :). I feel as if I am being violent sometimes when I use it, because I get into it so much lol, but it works great!
After the oil has heated up, toss the onions in it. Let the onions sauté for 5-7 min. They will start to become translucent. While the onions are cooking add all of the dry seasoning together. I then use my kitchen aid and chop the seasoning with it. I also do this with my fresh herbs. Breaking up the herbs even smaller brings out the flavor and aroma. If you do not have a kitchen aid chopper. It can be chopped or crushed by being placed in a plastic bag and using a jar of some kind, or just using a knife and chop them up really small. I also use my garlic press and crush 4 cloves of garlic, and then use a flat knife and push the Garlic into the cutting board to make it more of a paste. The juices from the garlic come out as your press on them, use the knife to help push the juices back onto the garlic and keep repeating until it’s a smooth creamier consistency. It brings out the flavor of the garlic.
After the onions have become clear – remove the pan from the heat and add the entire can of tomatoes paste. Stir it well. I like to use a whisk at this point to really mix the onions and paste so it forms a thicker mixture- but a large wooden spoon could work well too. Once it is mixed well and looks creamy together, place it back on the heat, add the cloves of garlic, and let it simmer for 7 minutes or so.
While this simmers, preparethe tomatoes. Place a strainer in a bowl in the sink, this makes a mess, and is easier to clean this way. Pour the tomatoes in the strainer. I like to go through each tomatoe and peel the core out/off. I use my hands for this and also to break the tomatoes up. You can make your sauce as chunky tomatoe or not as desired. I like to have a little bit of tomatoes in mine.
Once the tomatoes are done, add them to the sauce. Also add all of the seasoning and the bay leaves.Let simmer for 30 minutes or so with a lid. Heat should be on a low to medium heat.
The house smells like heaven at this point!
Heat up the olive oil and sauté the onions for 5 minutes.
I throw of all the ingredients into my kitchen aid mixer, or use my hands to mix it all up and smooosh it all together really well. It works best to break the pepper jack cheese up into little pieces before mixing it in. Once it is mixed up-time to makaa thaa meaataaballs.
Add the meatballs to the pan with onions until they brown. When they are all brown, transfer them to the pot with sauce in it. I add the cooked onions and the remaining fat that the meatballs cooked in as well, for flavor.
Last step before letting the sauce simmer for a half hour to an hour is adding a cup of the parmigiana cheese.
Whenever you are ready to eat- cook your pasta and bake your garlic bread
For the garlic bread:
Mix the butter and garlic in a bowl. When I crush the garlic – I do it on the same board that my seasoning my seasonings were on. This way some of the seasoning mixes in with the garlic.
Baste the garlic butter, salt and pepper either over the top of the loaf or on the inside of the loaf. Sprinkle the top with cheese, if you want. Bake the bread for 12 min on 400.
I normally bake the bread as the noodles are cooking, so the timing is pretty perfect and everything is fresh, hot and ready to serve.
Now it’s time to chow down on some spaghetti and meatballs 🙂
Enjoy!
Until dinner tomorrow! I am thinking sausage and peppers ! Yum yum
Lisa Annie
Xxoo
Leave a Reply