Spaghetti and Meatballs

Spaghetti, spagoatgetti, spagooter, or whatever you want to call it. Spaghetti is an underrated classic. I really, really love spaghetti. I cherish every bite of this recipe.

If you don't want to make the meatballs, you can simply fry 1 lb. of meat (hamburger or Italian sausage work well) and then make the sauce in the same pan.

If you want to go an extra step, you can try making it with homemade pasta. It is worth it if you have the time and energy.

The recipe is here:

Ingredients:

Meatballs:

• 1 lb. lean or medium ground beef (454 g)

• 1 large egg

• ¼ cup white or yellow onion, finely diced

• 1/3 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs

• ¼ cup milk

• 2 tsp. Italian seasoning

• 1 tsp. garlic powder
  

• 1/2 tsp. salt

• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  

• ½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Sauce:

• Olive oil/butter

• ½ medium sized diced onion

• ½ - ¾ cup finely diced carrot

• ¼ diced green bell pepper

• ½ cup diced celery

• 1-2 cups chopped mushrooms (or 1-2 cans mushrooms, drained)

• ½-1 tsp garlic powder (or 1-2 cloves minced garlic)

• 1 Tbsp. Italian seasoning

• Salt and pepper, to taste

• Sprinkle of basil

• 2 bay leaves

• 1 or 2 15 oz. (400 mL) cans tomato sauce (1 can for a thick sauce, 2 cans for a thinner sauce)

• 1 5.5 oz. (156 mL) can tomato paste

• 4-8 oz. spaghetti noodles

• 1-2 tablespoons butter (optional)

Directions:

1. In a pot or pan, add olive oil or butter and heat to low-medium heat. Toss in onion, celery, and carrot, cover and cook for ~10 minutes until they are soft, stirring occasionally. Then add in diced bell pepper, mushrooms, and a little more olive oil (if using fresh minced garlic add it now) and cook uncovered on medium heat another 5 minutes.

2. To the saucepan, add in the seasonings, bay leaves, tomato sauce, and tomato paste. You can add in canned tomatoes too, if preferred, but if you do you may want to only add 1 can of tomato sauce.

3. Mix the ingredients together and let simmer for 1-2 hours.

4. ~45 minutes before the sauce is done, start preparing the meatballs.

5. Meatballs: Mix ground beef, egg, onion, breadcrumbs, milk, salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste together. Shape mixture by tablespoonfuls into 1-1/2-inch balls and place in a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake, uncovered, in a 400°F oven until light brown, 18-20 minutes (they cook faster if you use lean beef). Drain off any excess fat, if desired.

6. While the meatballs are baking bring a pot of water to a boil with a splash of olive oil and salt. Add noodles and cook until they are soft (test one to try). Strain and mix in 1-2 tbsp. of butter so the noodles don't stick together.

7. When the sauce is done simmering, take bay leaves out. Gently stir in the meatballs before serving over noodles.

8. Serving size: 4-5 people (or one Rachel).

The best time to eat spagooter is all the time.