Forget about ordering Italian foods. Instead, make Italian meatballs and spaghetti with tomato and garlic sauce in your kitchen. This Italian dinner of Old World meatballs and spaghetti is a timeless classic. This is by far one of our most loved Italian dishes.
This recipe will yield a meal for 6 persons and requires around 2 hours (preparation + cooking) of your time.
What you need
| 2 cans (28 ounces each) diced tomatoes, undrained | 1 teaspoon minced garlic, divided |
| 1 can (12 ounces) tomato paste | 3/4 teaspoon pepper, divided |
| 1-1/2 cups water, divided | 6 slices day-old bread, torn into pieces |
| 3 tablespoons grated onion | 2 large eggs, lightly beaten |
| 1 tablespoon sugar | 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese |
| 1-1/2 teaspoons dried oregano | 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley |
| 1 bay leaf | 1 pound ground beef |
| 1-1/4 teaspoons salt, divided | Hot cooked spaghetti |
| Additional Parmesan cheese, optional |
Instructions
- In a Dutch oven, combine the tomatoes, tomato paste, 1 cup water, onion, sugar, oregano, bay leaf and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt, garlic and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 1-1/4 hours.
- Meanwhile, soak bread in remaining water. Squeeze out excess moisture. In a large bowl, combine the bread, eggs, Parmesan cheese, parsley and remaining salt, garlic and pepper. Crumble beef over mixture and mix well. Shape into thirty-six 1-1/2-in. meatballs.
- Preheat oven to 400F° (around 200C°). Place meatballs on a rack in a shallow baking pan. Bake, uncovered, until no longer pink, 20 minutes; drain. Transfer to spaghetti sauce. Simmer, uncovered, until heated through, stirring occasionally. Discard bay leaf. Serve with spaghetti; if desired, top with additional Parmesan.
Nutritional Facts
| 1-2/3 cups: 373 calories |
| 13g fat (5g saturated fat) |
| 123mg cholesterol |
| 1201mg sodium |
| 39g carbohydrate (17g sugars, 7g fiber) |
| 26g protein |
sent by Martin
