Spaghetti and Meatballs

Are you ready for another ‘comfort food’ dish? Tonight, I made spaghetti and meatballs. To fit the bill for comfort food and satisfy my hunger, I wanted the meatballs well seasoned and the sauce flavorful. For the meatballs, I used a mixture of beef and pork spiced with traditional Italian flavors of onion, garlic, parsley, basil and oregano. I then made a green pepper and fire roasted tomato sauce with sweetness from a grated carrot and a spicy hint of smoked paprika. This dish fires on all cylinders for me – tender and flavorful meatballs under a blanket of robust red sauce on a bed of thin spaghetti, accented with fresh parsley and Parmesan cheese. To be honest, I should have made this dish on a weekend… so I could take a satiation nap afterward because I feel ‘real comfortable’ now!

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Prep time: 30 mins

Cook time: 40 mins

Total time: 1 hour 10 mins

Serves: 2

Ingredients

Meatballs

4 - 5 oz ground beef
4 - 5 oz ground pork
¼ cup bread crumbs
¼ onion, grated
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp parsley, chopped
¼ tsp oregano
¼ tsp basil
⅛ tsp red pepper flakes
¼ tsp salt
⅛ tsp black pepper
1 egg
2 tbsp milk
1 tbsp olive oil

Sauce

14.5 oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato paste
½ onion, diced
1 carrot, grated
½ green pepper, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp parsley, chopped
½ tsp basil
¼ tsp oregano
¼ tsp red pepper flakes
½ tsp smoked paprika
2 tsp olive oil

Instructions

In a medium glass bowl, combine the ground beef, ground pork, onion, garlic, parsley, bread crumbs, oregano, basil, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, milk and egg.
Mix well by hand.
In a large skillet over Medium heat, add the olive oil.
When the oil is shimmering, begin forming the meatballs slightly larger than a golf ball (approximately ⅓ cup in size).
Add the meatballs to the oil and brown each side, approximately 2 minutes per side.
While the meatballs cook, heat a large saucepan over Medium heat.
Add the olive oil and when shimmering, add the green peppers and onions.
Add a few grinds of kosher salt and fresh black pepper.
Cook the onion and peppers until slightly softened, approximately 2 - 3 minutes.
Place the diced tomatoes and tomato paste into a 4 cup measuring cup.
Using an immersion blender, blend the diced tomatoes until smooth.
When the onions are slightly translucent and softened, add the garlic and carrots.
Add the tomato mixture and stir to combine.
Add the basil, oregano, parsley, red pepper flakes, and smoked paprika, stirring to combine.
Reduce the heat to Low/Medium-Low for a light simmer.
When the meatballs are browned, transfer them to the sauce pan to finish cooking in the sauce.
The meatballs should be finished with 20 minutes in the red sauce at a light simmer.
Cook the pasta per the package directions.
Add the pasta to a pasta bowl, add a few meatballs, then blanket with sauce.
Garnish with shaved Parmesan cheese and remaining fresh chopped parsley.

Notes

I made enough to have leftovers, something I rarely do!

Meatball ingredients:

Sauce ingredients:

In a medium glass bowl, combine the ground beef, ground pork, onion, garlic, parsley, bread crumbs, oregano, basil, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, milk and egg. Mix well by hand. In a large skillet over Medium heat, add the olive oil. When the oil is shimmering, begin forming the meatballs slightly larger than a golf ball (approximately 1/3 cup in size).

Add the meatballs to the oil and brown each side, approximately 2 minutes per side.

While the meatballs cook, heat a large saucepan over Medium heat. Add the olive oil and when shimmering, add the green peppers and onions. Add a few grinds of kosher salt and fresh black pepper. Cook the onion and peppers until slightly softened, approximately 2 – 3 minutes.

Place the diced tomatoes and tomato paste into a 4 cup measuring cup. Using an immersion blender, blend the diced tomatoes until smooth.

When the onions are slightly translucent and softened, add the garlic and carrots. Add the tomato mixture and stir to combine. Add the basil, oregano, parsley, red pepper flakes, and smoked paprika, stirring to combine. Reduce the heat to Low/Medium-Low for a light simmer.

When the meatballs are browned, transfer them to the sauce pan to finish cooking in the sauce. The meatballs should be finished with 20 minutes in the red sauce at a light simmer. Cook the pasta per the package directions. Add the pasta to a pasta bowl, add a few meatballs, then blanket with sauce. Garnish with shaved Parmesan cheese and remaining fresh chopped parsley.