Spaghetti and Meatballs for Sunday Dinner with the Family

My take on a childhood classic.

For some reason, this is a meal that I could eat for the rest of my life and never get bored of it. To me, it's the perfect meal: Tender, flavorful pork and beef meatballs in a bed of spaghetti noodles with the red sauce of your dreams. To top it off? Parmigiano Reggiano. Below, I'm going to share with you a Chef's version of this classic. Next time you have Sunday dinner with the family, try this out.

Why is this one so different? Other than the fact that this recipe has been tweaked and tailored by a meatball aficionado (me) throughout my entire adult life, this spaghetti and meatball recipe uses an abundance of cheese to give it the most luxurious texture, fennel pollen which adds a much needed floral note, and pureed garlic and onion add some extra delicious moisture to the meatballs. The sauce is homemade as well, which makes a huge difference. Another really important detail about this recipe: We measure our salt to be equivalent to 1% of the total weight of the meat. For example, if we were going to use 100 lbs of beef and pork, we would add 1 lb of salt to the meat. This ensures that the meatballs will have enough salinity to enhance the other delicious flavors of this dish.

Spaghetti and Meatballs

Ingredients

Traditional Marinara Sauce

• 1/2 large yellow onion

• 5 cloves garlic, smashed

• Olive oil

• 2 28-oz cans of crushed tomatoes

• 1/4 cup parsley, chopped

• 1/4 cup basil, slivered

• Crushed red pepper to taste (optional)

• Salt and pepper to taste

Meatballs

• 1 lb ground beef

• 1 lb ground pork

• Garlic and onion puree (Half a large yellow onion and 5 garlic cloves blitzed in food processor with a drizzle of water for 30 secs)

• 2 egg yolks

• 3/4 cup parmesan cheese

• 3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs

• 1/4 cup parsley, chopped

• 1 tbsp crushed red pepper (optional)

• 1 tsp fennel pollen (optional)

• 0.32 oz salt

• 1 tbsp cracked black pepper

Assembly

• Traditional Marinara

• 1 lb package of dried spaghetti, cooked according to box instructions

• 2 tbsp butter

• 1/2 cup Parmigiano Reggiano, plus more for topping

• Meatballs

• 12 basil leaves, torn

Directions

Directions should always be short and to the point.

1. Preheat oven to 425

2. In a Dutch Oven or large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook for 5 mins until softened. Add smashed garlic and cook for 1-2 mins more

3. Add the crushed tomatoes, basil, parsley, red pepper, and salt and pepper.

4. Bring the pasta sauce to a simmer while you prepare the meatballs.

5. Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, combine the ingredients for the meatballs. Mix until the ingredients are just incorporated. With your hands, form the meatballs into 1 inch balls and place on a baking sheet.

6. Bake meatballs for 14 mins.

7. In a large saucepan, add 4 ladles of the marinara sauce along with the cooked pasta and 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water. Mix the noodles until they are all sauced up.

8. Add the butter and Parmigiano Reggiano to the spaghetti and stir until nice and velvety.

9. To serve, divide the pasta into 4 shallow bowls, top with meatballs, more marinara sauce, and the torn basil.

10. Serve immediately and enjoy!!