The Ultimate Spaghetti and Meatballs

This was a very delicious and overall pretty easy recipe to make. It takes a little time to put together, but it is one of the best meatball recipes I've ever tried. I got it from Redbook magazine. This is one of Tyler Florence from the food networks best-ever recipes and I would tend to agree.

The Ultimate Spaghetti and Meatballs

4 c Pomodoro Sauce (recipe below) or qood quality jarred sauce
1/4 c extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion, chopped, about 1/3 cup
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 T chopped fresh parsley (I didn't have any fresh so I used a few teaspoons dried)
1/2 c milk
2 thick slices firm white bread, crusts removed, cut into cubes (about 1 cup)
3/4 pound each ground beef and ground pork (I used 1 pound ground beef since I didn't have any ground pork)
1 egg
1/4 c freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
4 oz mozzarella cheese (1 cup)
1/2 c basil leaves (I used a few dashes of dried basil)
1 pound spaghetti

Make Pomodoro sauce. Heat 2 T oil in large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add onion, garlic and parsley and cook until the vegetables soften, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and cool. Pour milk over bread and let soak. In a large bowl, combine the meats, egg, parmesan, salt and pepper. Squeeze excess milk out of bread; add bread to meat mixture along with the onion mixture. Gently combine all of the ingredients. Shape the mixture into 12 balls, about 1 3/4 inch in diameter. Preheat oven to 350. Heat remaining 2 T oil in same large skillet over medium-high heat. Add meatballs and cook until browned on all sides, about 10 minutes. Transfer to 9x9 inch baking dish. Spoon 2 c of the Pomodoro sauce over the meatballs. Sprinkle with mozzarella and half of the basil leaves. Bake 30 minutes. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions, reserving some of the cooking liquid. Drain pasta and toss with the remaining 2 c Pomodoro sauce, adding cooking liquid if necessary. Spoon meatballs over pasta; garnish with remaining basil and parmesan cheese.


Pomodoro Sauce

2 T extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 cans (28 oz each) whole, peeled tomatoes, drained and crushed by hand, juices reserved (I like to use diced tomatoes so I don't have to crush them and break them up myself)
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 c fresh basil leaves, torn into pieces (I substituted dried basil-a few teaspoons)

Heat oil in large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add onion and garlic and cook until vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Carefully add tomatoes and about 3/4 c of the reserved juices. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until sauce is thick, about 15 minutes. Continue to simmer for an additional 20-30 minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon to break up the tomatoes and adding more reserved liquid if necessary. Stir in fresh basil.