Not Your Mama’s Spaghetti and Meatballs

Ingredients

MEATBALLS
½ pound ground beef
½ pound ground pork
½ pound ground lamb
¾ cup breadcrumbs
1 egg
¼ cup milk
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon salt
10 grinds fresh ground pepper
3 tablespoon olive oil

SAUCE
1 large yellow onion, diced
salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
3 tablespoons olive oil
5 cloves garlic, chopped
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 ( 6 ounce)can tomato paste
3 (28 ounce) cans whole plum tomatoes, crushed by hand
1 cup of water
2 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon dried oregano
12 fresh basil leaves, chopped
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
¾  pound spaghetti

Directions

FOR MEATBALLS:
Combine all meatball ingredients, except olive oil, into a large bowl and mix with hand until blended.  Form into twelve meatballs.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add meatballs and cover.  Turning every few minutes to brown on all sides. Add to tomato sauce, recipes to follow.

FOR TOMATO SAUCE:
Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.  Add onions, season with salt and pepper and cook until translucent and soften. Add tomato paste, garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes until paste starts to caramelize.  Add tomatoes to a bowl and crush with hands.  Add crushed tomatoes, water sugar, oregano and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Stir and bring to a simmer over medium low heat.  Add meatball and let simmer for 20 minutes.  Add basil and parsley and let simmer for 5 more minutes.

While sauce is cooking, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Add spaghetti and cook for about 8 to 10 minutes until al dente.  Drain from water and add back to the pot.  Add a few ladles of sauce and mix.  Transfer to a large serving bowl and top with more sauce.  Transfer the remaining sauce and meatballs to a large bowl and serve along side the spaghetti.

 Yield: 6 servings