Spaghetti and Meatballs
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https://instructions.wiki/recipes/spaghetti-and-meatballs
Makes 6 · 25 min prep · 1 hr cooking
Ingredients
- 1 lb (450 g) ground beef, 80/20
- 1/2 lb (225 g) ground pork
- 3/4 cup (45 g) fresh breadcrumbs or 1/2 cup (30 g) panko
- 1/3 cup (80 ml) whole milk
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup (50 g) grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 4 cloves garlic, minced, divided
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
- 2 cans (28 oz / 800 g each) crushed tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional
- 1 lb (450 g) spaghetti
Soak the breadcrumbs
Stir the breadcrumbs and milk together in a large bowl and let them sit for 5 minutes until the crumbs are soft and no dry spots remain. This paste is what keeps the meatballs tender.
Mix and shape the meatballs
Add the beef, pork, egg, Parmesan, parsley, half the garlic, 1 teaspoon of the salt, and the pepper to the bowl. Mix with your hands just until everything is evenly distributed, then stop; overworking makes them dense. Wet your hands and roll the mixture into 18 balls about 1 1/2 inches across, setting them on a plate.
Brown the meatballs
Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or deep skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Add the meatballs in a single layer without crowding, working in two batches if needed. Cook, turning with tongs, until they are deeply browned on at least two sides, 6 to 8 minutes. They will not be cooked through yet. Transfer them to a plate.
Start the sauce
Lower the heat to medium, add the onion to the drippings, and cook, stirring, until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the remaining garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Pour in the crushed tomatoes, add the oregano, red pepper flakes, and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
Simmer the meatballs in the sauce
Return the meatballs and any juices to the pot and nestle them into the sauce. Bring to a gentle simmer, then partly cover and cook over low heat, stirring now and then so nothing sticks, until the sauce has darkened and thickened enough to coat a spoon and the meatballs register 160F (71C) in the center, 30 to 40 minutes.
Cook the spaghetti
While the sauce simmers, bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and salt it well. Add the spaghetti and cook, stirring at first so it does not clump, until tender with a slight bite, usually 1 minute less than the package says. Reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking water, then drain.
Serve
Toss the spaghetti with a few ladles of sauce, adding splashes of the pasta water if it looks dry. Divide among plates and top with the meatballs, more sauce, and grated Parmesan.
Make ahead. The meatballs and sauce keep in the refrigerator for 3 days and freeze for 3 months. Reheat gently over low heat while you cook fresh pasta.