Spaghetti and Italian Meatballs
"This is one of my families favorites, as it was mine when I was a kid. Of course it always tastes better the second day. The bread in the meatballs gives them a wonderful texture and flavor."
- Ready In:
- 1hr 20mins
- Ingredients:
- 19
- Serves:
-
10-12
ingredients
-
SAUCE
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 (28 ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
- 1 (16 ounce) can tomato sauce
- 2 (12 ounce) cans tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 cup water
-
ITALIAN MEAT BALLS
- 4 slices dry bread
- 1 lb ground beef
- 2 eggs
- 1⁄2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 dash pepper
- hot cooked spaghetti
directions
- Cook the onion in hot oil until it is tender but not brown.
- Stir in the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, sugar, salt, pepper, oregano and bay leaves.
- Simmer for 30 minutes. As the sauce simmers keep an eye on it, if it looks too thick add some water up to one cup.
- While the sauce is simmering mix together the meatballs.
- To dry the bread I preheat my oven to it's lowest setting (170 degrees) and when it gets to temp I turn it off and place the bread slices in and let the low heat dry them.
- Remove from the oven and place in a mixing bowl.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and line a cookie sheet with sides with foil.
- Soak the dried bread in water 2-3 mintues, then squeeze out the moisture.
- (Doing this does something to the gluten in the bread that gives the meatballs a wonderful taste and texture).
- Combine the bread with the rest of the ingredients, mixing well with your hands.
- Form into small balls (approx 20).
- Bake for 15 minutes or until they are cooked through.
- Remove from the pan and add to the simmering sauce.
- Cook for 30 minutes longer.
- Serve over hot spaghetti noodles.
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Reviews
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We liked this a lot but made a few changes. For the tomato products because of what I had on hand I used 28 oz crushed tomatoes, 28 oz tomato sauce, 15 oz diced tomato and only 12 oz tomato paste. Two 12 oz cans of tomato paste would've been too thick. Instead of water I used red wine (approximately 1/2 cup) and I added two cloves crushed garlic. Next time I will reduce the salt. The meatballs were prefect after I added garlic. Thanks for sharing. I will make this again with my changes. -
What a wonderful recipe! I used ground turkey, Egg Beaters, Aunt Millie's whole grain bread, and Mrs. Dash instead of the salt and pepper. This preserves the taste of the meatballs while lowering the fat and, cholesterol, and sodium. -
I've only made spaghetti and meatballs a few times and have never found the perfect recipe. This was good, but still not what I was looking for. I preferred another recipe which used bread crumbs, basil, and milk and omitted the oregano and cheese in the meatballs. Also, I'd recommend reducing the tomato paste and cooking the meatballs in the sauce, rather than baking separately. -
This is a great recipe for sauce to simmer all day in the crockpot. We like our sauce a little sweeter, so I increased the sugar. We also loved the traditional way of making the meatballs - they do have a different texture when the bread is soaked. So this recipe will be used again and again in my house!
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I halved the sauce (only was for 4 of us) and it was MORE than enough with lots left over for later. I also used store-bought Italian Turkey Meatballs, and it tasted great. I also used a small penne pasta instead of spaghetti, and sprinkled fresh parmesan on top. Even my two young kids loved it. Most sauces I make from scratch have little flavor- this one was excellent! Next time, I'll try the meatballs from scratch- when I have more time and preplanning. :)
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Tweaks
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We liked this a lot but made a few changes. For the tomato products because of what I had on hand I used 28 oz crushed tomatoes, 28 oz tomato sauce, 15 oz diced tomato and only 12 oz tomato paste. Two 12 oz cans of tomato paste would've been too thick. Instead of water I used red wine (approximately 1/2 cup) and I added two cloves crushed garlic. Next time I will reduce the salt. The meatballs were prefect after I added garlic. Thanks for sharing. I will make this again with my changes.
-
I halved the sauce (only was for 4 of us) and it was MORE than enough with lots left over for later. I also used store-bought Italian Turkey Meatballs, and it tasted great. I also used a small penne pasta instead of spaghetti, and sprinkled fresh parmesan on top. Even my two young kids loved it. Most sauces I make from scratch have little flavor- this one was excellent! Next time, I'll try the meatballs from scratch- when I have more time and preplanning. :)
RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
I live on the beautiful Central Coast of California. I am a 46 year old single mom and student (I got my AA degree in business management May 05).
I used to love to cook and try new recipes that is until my kids got to the point of...YUCK! I'm not eating that! Thank goodness they are growing up and willing to try new things now, so I am once again trying out new recipes.
I love to collect recipes and Recipezaar has made it so easy and paper free!!! (*cringes* and thinks of the drawers full little pieces of paper with recipes on them) My favorite cookbook is my mom's old (1930's) Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook. Followed closely by the "______ the Beautiful" series, of which California the Beautiful (of course) is tops on that list.
