Quick meatballs with spaghetti

Who doesn’t like spaghetti and meatballs when the snow is flying? Pasta is supposed to be good for you, right? Well, whether it is or not, I was in the mood for it. I made this recently and it was pretty quick. 

Many recipes have you cook the meatballs first. This way isn’t better, it is just different. If you cook the meatballs before putting them in the sauce, the sauce flavors the meatballs. This way, the meatballs flavor the sauce. Both ways are good.

Meatballs

1 lb. ground pork or veal

2 eggs

1 cup grated cheese 

(I used gouda and parmesan)

1/2 cup bread crumbs

2 cloves of garlic, minced fine

2 shallots, minced fine

Cajun seasoning

Fresh ground black pepper

Tabasco

Spaghetti

Olive oil

2 shallots, minced fine

2 cloves garlic, minced fine

Red pepper flakes

1/2 tsp. of basil

1/2 tsp. of oregano

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 28 oz. can of Italian tomatoes

1 lb. spaghetti, cooked and drained

Preparation

For the meatballs, take a large bowl and place the ground meat in it. Add the eggs, cheese, bread crumbs, garlic and shallots to it. Now shake on a little cajun seasoning and grind some black pepper over it. Give it a few shakes of Tabasco too. Use a wooden spoon to mix everything together. Now, using your hands, shape the mixture into little meatballs and set them on a plate.

For the sauce, heat a large sauce pan and add enough olive oil to coat the bottom. Add the shallots, garlic and red pepper flakes. Stir and cook gently (don’t brown it) until the shallots have softened. Add the wine, basil and oregano and bring to a boil. Stir and let it reduce by half. Place the tomatoes in a blender and pulse it just enough to break them up, don’t pulverize them. Add the tomatoes to the pan, stir and bring it to a simmer.

Once the sauce is simmering, slide in the meatballs. Stir, cover the pan and let that simmer gently for twenty minutes. Stir often. While the sauce is simmering, cook and drain the pasta.

Serving

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out how to serve spaghetti and meatballs. Pile a huge pile of spaghetti on to a plate, and ladle on the sauce and meatballs. Set a plate of sautéed spinach next to your spaghetti plate. Now hit both of them with a blizzard of fresh grated parmesan cheese. 

What else do you need? How about starting with a bowl of smoky pea soup and don’t forget to slice the homemade bread. Open a bottle of your favorite Chianti and you’re all set.