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Perfect Meatballs and Spaghetti

Source of Recipe

From "Smitten Kitchen Keepers" by Deb Perelman


Recipe Introduction

"I am going to go out on a limb here and say that it's probably been too long since you've made spaghetti and meatballs, and even longer since you invited friends over to join you in eating it for dinner. This recipe has a single goal: to fix that. I realized a while back that the only way I was going to be able to have dinner with friends—especially on Fridays, when nobody wants to try to find the right restaurant to seat eight people, some young and fidgety, at the last minute—was if I took all of the 'dinner party' gloss off it. Entertaining doesn't need to be showy. Truly, is there anything less comforting than someone showing off to you, even with the warmest of intentions? Most of us aren't getting treated to impeccable meatballs and spaghetti at home on a regular basis, so this is a welcome treat and one of my favorite things to cook for friends. This is my forever recipe: a moderate yield, easily scaled, and a simple homemade sauce. Eager to avoid the mess of frying meatballs, I tucked them into the oven for a quick bake one day, and this led to my biggest aha moment: not only did my stove stay clean, but, since I could build the sauce and boil the pasta while the meatballs cooked, this whole dish could be done in 40 minutes (I've timed it!), which means we get these even more often."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 3 teaspoons kosher salt, divided, plus more for the pot
â—¦ 1 pound ground meat
â—¦ ½ cup panko-style breadcrumbs
â—¦ â…“ cup milk
â—¦ 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley, plus more to serve
â—¦ 2 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano, plus more to serve
â—¦ Red-pepper flakes and/or freshly ground black pepper
â—¦ ½ teaspoon onion powder
â—¦ 2 large eggs
â—¦ 4 cloves garlic, minced, divided
â—¦ 1 pound dried spaghetti
â—¦ 2 tablespoons olive oil
â—¦ One 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
â—¦ One 14.5-ounce can whole or diced tomatoes


Recipe

Bring a large pot of very well-salted water to a boil, and heat your oven to 425° F.

Prepare the meatballs: Line a large baking sheet with foil for easy cleanup, and coat it lightly with a nonstick spray. Place the meat, crumbs, milk, parsley, cheese, 1 teaspoon of the salt, the pepper, onion powder, eggs, and one-third of your minced garlic in a large bowl, and mash everything together with a fork or potato masher until it's evenly mixed. Using wet hands if needed, form the mixture into 2-inch meatballs (a 3-tablespoon scoop will make eight or nine large meatballs), and arrange them on the prepared tray. Roast for 12 minutes, until they're cooked through (you can cut one in half to check).

Cook the spaghetti: Once the water is boiling, cook the spaghetti until 1 minute shy of tender. Set aside 1 cup of the cooking water before draining the pasta.

Make the sauce: In a deep sauté pan or a wide saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add the remaining minced cloves of garlic and a pinch or two of pepper flakes, and let the garlic sizzle until it's golden, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add the tomatoes (beware the spatter!) and season with the remaining 2 teaspoons salt. Let the mixture simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, although longer will do it no harm if your meatballs aren't ready yet.

When the meatballs come out of the oven, add them to the sauce, and gently spoon the sauce over them so they are coated. Reduce the heat to a low simmer, put a lid on the pot, and simmer the meatballs in the sauce for 10 minutes. At this point, should you not be eating them right away, you can remove them from the heat and set them aside. Return the spaghetti to its empty cooking pot. Push the meatballs aside, grab a few ladles of the sauce, and pour it over the spaghetti. Add half of the reserved pasta water, and cook the spaghetti and sauce over high heat for 1 minute, tossing the whole time. Use additional pasta water as needed to loosen the sauce. Use tongs to transfer the spaghetti into a large, wide serving bowl. (If you give the bowl a little spin as you lower the spaghetti into it, you can make cute little piles.) Add the meatballs and their sauce on top. Garnish with parsley and additional grated cheese. Eat right now; do not wait.

Serves 4