On Top of Spaghetti

Tasty Thursday is upon us, and I am proud to announce that I will be making another Italian favorite. Earlier in the week I made this dish in mass quantity, so I will give that recipe. You will have enough food for four for (alliteration much?) three days. On top of spaghetti, all covered with cheese, I lost my poor:

Meatballs in Sauce a.k.a On Top of Spaghetti

Ingredients:
2 lbs. ground beef
2 lbs. pork
2 cup onions chopped finely
8 garlic cloves chopped finely
3/4 cup red wine
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 1/2 cups Italian seasoned breadcrumbs (get a few cups of extra just in case)
1 cup chopped parsley
1 cup Parmigiana cheese
3 eggs
3 slices white bread (I used wheat bread; make sure to soak the bread in water)
S&P (Salt and Pepper)
Olive oil
3 cans tomato sauce
Tender Love and Care

I have said in the past that my dishes are easy, but this one takes the least cooking skill. It requires you to cook your onions and garlic in your olive oil on medium-high heat covered until they are translucent. I made sure they got a little brown (caramelized) to add more flavor to the dish. Once they are done, you can throw all the remaining ingredients (including your Tender Love and Care, very important), except the sauce, into a giant bowl (also the onions and garlic, but make sure not to burn yourself).

Now with a clean hand (get one hand dirty, and keep one clean, I use my right to mix, my left to turn the bowl), mix all those ingredients together squishing them well between your fingers. This may take ten minutes to ensure that everything is mixed completely through. The more time you spend doing this, the better the final product will be. NOTE: You can either cook your meatballs in a pan in batches, or in the oven all at once; I did the latter and they came out juicy and perfect; if you use the oven preheat it to 400 degrees right now. Get a plate or an oven pan ready (depending on your cooking preference).

Once you think you are finished mixing, take about 1.5 oz. (enough for a meatball with 1.5 inches diameter) and roll it between your hands. If you can successfully roll it, the meatball stays together, and it doesn't immediately flatten when put on the dish/oven pan, it is ready to be cooked. If the meatball flattens immediately, you need to add more breadcrumbs 1/2 cup at a time until it maintains its ball shape when put down. If the meatball seems too dry, add a little bit of water, but I doubt this will happen (I made sure to write in a bit less breadcrumbs because it is better to add breadcrumbs than water for perfect meatballs).

Oven: Now if your oven is ready, lay out all your meatballs (1.5 inch diameter) in the oven pan and put it in the oven. After about ten to fifteen minutes flip each meatball upside down (make sure the bottom is brown). After another ten to fifteen minutes in the oven, cut one of your meatballs open and make sure the inside is cooked (a little pink is OK, because you will be putting them in the sauce and they will cook some more).

Stove top: You can fit as many meatballs in the pan as necessary on medium-high heat. Cook these and flip them after they get brown on the bottom. This should take about 7 minutes on each side. Make sure your meatballs are cooked on the inside by cutting one open (again, a little pink is OK). Do this with all your meatballs until they are all cooked.

Once cooked, put your sauce into a pot, and add your cooked meatballs. Let this cook on medium high heat until the sauce is boiling, then you are ready to eat!

Serve with spaghetti! Or you can put on a grinder roll with cheese (I like provolone). You can also take the sauce and crushed meatballs and make a meat sauce. It really is up to you.

This recipe makes about 40 1.5 inch diameter meatballs. Feel free to make bigger or small meatballs, but the cooking time will then vary. Prep time: 25 mins; Cook time: 30-40 mins.

I hope you enjoy these meatballs. They really taste excellent. Since this is such a dish (i.e. a meat mixture), feel free to play with the ingredients. You can add more parm cheese, a cup of cheddar instead, ground turkey instead of beef, sausage instead of pork, soy sauce, a little bit of ketchup, some unique spices, play with the recipe, make it into a meatloaf instead of meatballs, just make it your own!

Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoy this fantastic meal. It truly makes anybody happy and will last for a while, get some Tupperware. Let your kids mix the meatballs. Have fun! Happy Tasty Thursday!