I have 4 sisters. That means there are 7 in our family. That's a fairly decent sized family. And growing up, my mom liked to make meals that would feed us all on a small budget. So, Spaghetti and Meatballs was a meal of choice for her. And it got even more elaborate as I got older and my mom started making and canning her own spaghetti sauce.
Now, I was not a big fan of meatballs when I was a kid, mostly because of how large they were. As time has gone by, I've adapted my mom's recipe to include some cheese (because who doesn't love cheese, honestly) and so that they'd be a little smaller and easier to serve to little ones.
And while I totally advocate using your own, homemade spaghetti sauce, sometimes as a mom you just have to go with jarred sauce for time reasons. My favorite is Ragu. I've tried some more expensive brands, but Ragu just seems to have the consistency and flavor that I like. I especially love their Garden Combination variety. Yum.
Spaghetti and Meatballs
Ingredients:
1 lb. lean ground beef
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
2 large eggs
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp. basil
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
dash black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
1 jar spaghetti sauce
Spaghetti noodles
Directions:
1. Line a baking sheet with wax paper. In a medium bowl, combine ground beef, bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, eggs, garlic, basil, salt and pepper. Make sure mixture is completely combined. Measure out mixture in 1(heaping) tablespoons and form into a ball. Place onto baking sheet and cover with another sheet of wax paper. Place in fridge for at least an hour, but no longer than 12 hours (or freeze).
2. Preheat large skillet on medium high heat. Add olive oil. Place meatballs, leaving plenty of space between each, in skillet and cook to brown on all sides, about 5-8 minutes. Remove to a plate lined with paper towels to catch excess oil. Repeat with remaining meatballs.
3. Place meatballs back in saucepan and add spaghetti sauce. Bring sauce and meatballs to a low simmer over medium heat or until heated through. Remove and serve over cooked spaghetti noodles.
Makes 20 meatballs, Serves 5