I usually make my spaghetti sauce from scratch. However, I sometimes get a hankering for spaghetti and meatballs when I don’t have the time to prepare my signature sauce. This is when I have to get creative, and I’ve came up with a tasty alternative. This modern recipe takes about thirty minutes to prepare, and it’s delicious.
Gayle Martin
QUICK and easy SPAGHETTI AND MEATBALLS
- 1/4 cup bread crumbs
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning blend
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 egg
- 1 pound extra lean ground beef
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 (14 1/2 oz) cans Italian style diced tomatoes*
- 2 small (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
- splash of red wine
- one small onion, chopped
- 1 clove garlic, minced**
- salt and pepper to taste
- pasta
Blend bread crumbs, Italian seasoning, black pepper, egg and ground beef together in a large mixing bowl. Knead together until well blended. Break off small pieces of meat mixture and roll into 1-inch diameter meatballs. Place meatballs on a plate. Pour olive oil in a large, deep skillet or saute pan. Turn stove on medium and heat the oil for about two minutes. Add meatballs, onions and garlic and stir frequently but very gently until meatballs are browned on all sides.
Add canned tomatoes, tomato paste, salt and pepper and a splash of red wine. Blend well, being careful not to break the meatballs. Once sauce starts to bubble reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. (If sauce is too thick add a little more wine or a small amount of water.) While sauce is simmering prepare your favorite pasta according to package directions. Yields approximately 24 meatballs.
*If using plain canned tomatoes add two teaspoons Italian seasoning to sauce.
**1 teaspoon of garlic powder may be substituted for fresh garlic.
if you enjoy cooking and baking please check out Rosie’s Riveting Recipes. This historic cookbook contains many of the recipes for the dishes our grandmothers and great-grandmothers use to make. Available on Amazon and Barnesandnoble.com.
