Spaghetti And Meatballs Recipe

ground beef

🥗Healthier: ground turkey

💰Cheaper: ground pork

Ground turkey is lower in fat, while ground pork is often less expensive.

parmesan cheese

🥗Healthier: nutritional yeast

💰Cheaper: grated cheese blend

Nutritional yeast is lower in calories and adds a cheesy flavor, while a cheese blend can be more budget-friendly.

Start by discussing the meat mixture: a combination of beef, pork, and veal, totaling about 1.5 pounds.

Prepare the breadcrumbs using day-old Italian bread: remove crusts from 3 pieces and break into smaller pieces.

Use a food processor to make breadcrumbs, then slowly add milk to hydrate them, ensuring not to create a pool of milk at the bottom.

Let the breadcrumbs sit to absorb the milk while prepping the onions.

Dice half of a yellow onion for the meatballs and the other half for the sauce.

In a pot, heat olive oil on medium-low and add the minced onions, stirring to caramelize for about 7-8 minutes.

Add 4 crushed cloves of garlic and crushed red pepper flakes to the onions and cook for an additional minute, then remove from heat to cool.

In a large bowl, combine the meat mixture with the soaked breadcrumbs, 1 teaspoon each of salt and black pepper, and more crushed red pepper flakes.

Add the cooled onion and garlic mixture, 1 lightly beaten egg, grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese (about the size of a fist), chopped parsley, and 2 tablespoons of water.

Mix the ingredients gently with hands until just combined, avoiding overworking the mixture.

Form the mixture into meatballs, about 60 grams each, and optionally freeze for 10 minutes to firm them up.

In the same pot, heat more olive oil on medium-high and sear the meatballs in batches, cooking for about 2-3 minutes on each side until browned.

Remove the meatballs from the pan and continue with the next batch.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Allergens