based.cooking/src/spaghetti-and-meatballs.md

Spaghetti and Meatballs

• ⏲️Prep time: 20 min
• 🍳Cook time: 40 min
• 🍽️Servings: 6

Ingredients

For the sauce

• 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• ½ chopped sweet yellow onion
• 3 cloves chopped garlic
• 1 cup finely chopped carrots
• 1 cup chopped cremini brown mushrooms
• 2 cans (28 oz.) Italian plum tomatoes
• ¼ cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
• ¼ cup chopped fresh basil
• 3 tbsp. tomato paste
• ¼ cup grated Parmesan-Romano cheese blend
• 1 tsp. salt
• ¼ cup red wine (optional)

For the meatballs

• 1 lb. ground beef
• ½ lb. fresh bulk Italian style pork sausage
• 2 tbsp. finely chopped basil
• 2 tbsp. finely chopped Italian parsley
• ½ cup finely chopped cremini brown mushrooms
• 2 large eggs
• ¾ cup unseasoned breadcrumbs
• ¼ cup grated Parmesan-Romano cheese blend
• 2 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• Red wine (optional)

For the pasta

• 1 ½ lb. dry spaghetti
• 2 tbsp. salt

Directions

Prepare the sauce

1. Heat olive oil in a 4 to 5 quart pot on medium-high heat.
2. Add onions and cook for 2 minutes.
3. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds longer or until fragrant.
4. Add the carrots and mushrooms, and cook for 2 minutes.
5. Add the tomato paste, stir to blend, and cook for a minute longer.
6. Add the canned tomatoes, basil, and parsley.
7. Mash and stir the tomatoes with a potato masher until the sauce starts to thicken, about 5 minutes over medium-high heat.
8. Reduce heat to low and simmer gently while prepating meatballs, stirring occasionally.

Form the meatballs 9. In a large bowl, mix by hand the beef, Italian sausage, basil, parsley, mushrooms, eggs, breadcrumbs, cheese, salt, and pepper.

• Do not overmix or the meatballs will be tough.

10. Use small melon baller (or teaspoon) to form 1-inch round meatballs.
11. Roll and compress into tight balls.

Cook the meatballs 12. In a separate wide, shallow pan, heat the olive oil on medium-high heat. 13. Brown meatballs on all sides for about 2-3 minutes.

• Depending on the pan size, you may need to brown two batches of the meatballs. Cook them in a single layer; do not crowd the pan by stacking them.
• Do not overcook the meatballs; they will continue to cook in the sauce.

14. Towards the end of browning the meatballs, add a little bit of red wine to deglaze the pan.

Finish and simmer the sauce 15. Add the cheese and red wine to the sauce and stir it in. Add salt to taste. 16. Add meatballs and gently stir. Simmer the sauce and meatballs for 30-45 minutes while cooking the spaghetti, stirring occasionally.

Cook the spaghetti 17. Fill a large pot with 4 quarts of water. Add the salt and bring it to a boil. 18. When the water is boiling, add the dry spaghetti to the pot. 19. Boil the spaghetti for 8-10 minutes, or to al dente. 20. Drain the spaghetti in a collander.

Serve 21. Place a thin layer of sauce on a plate. Add pasta, sauce and meatballs.

Contribution

• ClosedGL - GitHub