I can’t think of a better comfort food than spaghetti and meatballs. As kids, whenever it was our birthday or we did well on our report cards, we’d get to pick dinner, and my mom’s spaghetti and meatballs was almost always our choice.
She’d start the sauce in the morning in the crock pot, and when we’d come home from school, the entire house would be filled with that warm smell of marinara cooking. The sauce would be a deep red with nice brown bubbles along the edges.
My version of spaghetti and meatballs is a marriage of what I learned at home and what I learned in Italy. My mom doesn’t really like dealing with uncooked meat. She’s the opposite of Giovanna, my adopted Italian grandma from l’Officina, who’d sample the meat, raw, to check for flavor.
My grandpap was also known for his spaghetti and meatballs. He was notorious for making his meatballs the size of softballs, while my mom makes hers the size of golf balls. I go somewhere in between, like the size of a baseball.
Marinara RECIPE
A good marinara takes time to cook, at least 3-4 hours. You want it to turn a deep scarlet.
2-3 T olive oil
1 whole onion, sliced
1-2 carrots, chopped
1-2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed whole
1 tsp fennel, crushed
1/4 tsp chile flakes
1/2 tsp thyme (dried)
1/4 c red wine
1 tsp oregano (dried)
1/2 tsp parsley and/or basil (dried)
1 32 oz can whole, peeled roma tomatoes, pureed
1 handful of parmesan cheese
salt
Tip: Buy whole, peeled tomatoes, and puree them yourself instead of tomato puree. It’s generally cheaper and tastes fresher. If you don’t believe me, buy a can of each and check out the differences in color right out of the can.
An immersion blender is helpful here because you can puree the tomatoes right in the can, and the sauce in the pot once it’s cooked. Otherwise, transfer to a food processor, but make sure the sauce is cooled some and that steam can escape from the top.
1. Start by sautéing your onions and carrots in the olive oil with a dash of salt. About halfway through add the whole, smashed pieces of garlic.
2. Once the onions are translucent, about 5 min, toss in the fennel, chile flakes, and thyme.
3. After a minute, pour in the red wine and let reduce a few minutes.
4. Add in the pureed tomatoes along with the remaining dried herbs and some more salt.
5. Cook until it starts to bubble. At this point you can reduce the heat to low and let simmer, or transfer to a crock pot and cook on low all day. It’ll be ready when you come home in the evening.
6. Finish by pureeing the sauce until smooth with a handful of parmesan cheese. Add additional salt if necessary.
7. Serve with your favorite spaghetti or homemade pasta.
Meatball RECIPE
1 lb of ground beef
1/2 an onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 c parmesan, grated
1/2 c bread crumbs, finely ground
1 T fresh parsley, minced
1 tsp fennel
1/4 tsp chile flakes
1/4 c marinara, cooled (you can borrow it from your pot, even if it’s not quite done)
1 egg
salt and pepper
2 c oil (olive or vegetable)
1. Grab a bowl and toss in all your ingredients except the 2 cups of oil.
2. Mix together and then shape into balls. It’s easier to shape them with wet hands. The meat doesn’t stick to your fingers this way.
Now that you’ve shaped them, you have a couple options on how to cook them. You can drop them in the simmering sauce, and wait a few hours until they’re cooked (how my mom does it), or you can fry them first (how we did it at l’Officina). Frying them locks in the moisture and helps them maintain their shape. It also speeds up the cooking time, although obviously, this isn’t the healthier option.
3. To fry them, heat the oil in the pan. When it’s hot, add in the meatballs. Don’t crowd the pan too much.
4. Cook for about 5-10 minutes on each side. How long it’ll take depends on how large your balls are… If you are unsure, cut one open to check if it’s cooked through.
5. To serve, heat the meatballs in some marinara with a hit of fresh parsley and parmesan.
Buon Appetito!