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Recipe: Seeryously Gude Spaghetti and Meatballs

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By Shannon on January 20th, 2008

Recipe: Seeryously Gude Spaghetti and Meatballs

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I come from a VERY blended family, and I actually have my parent’s marriages and resulting step-parents and step-grandparents to thank for my adaptability and many of my positive views on life. None more so than family traditions. What I get to call my family’s traditional crafts and recipes only get richer with multiple marriages.

So despite the fact that I have ZERO Italian blood in these veins, I have an Italian grandmother who makes her “Sauce” every Sunday. Mary Tyminski makes the World’s BEST Meatballs and despite the family feuds, her tomato sauce and meatballs recipe was passed down through her daughter almost-in-law (my mother) to me. My family adores this meal, and so do I because it is actually really easy and really *cheap* to make; yet still leaves everyone looking at me like I am Giada De Laurentiis - ok, maybe I am exaggerating a little.

The Recipe | Seeryously Gude Spaghetti and Meatballs

INGREDIENTS

Not So Traditional Tomato Sauce
6-8 tbs Olive Oil
1 Medium Onion, Chopped
3-5 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 cup Fresh or 2 tbs dried Basil
1/8 cup Fresh Oregano or 1 tbs dried
1/8 cup Fresh Parsley or 1 tbs dried
Kosher Salt/Fresh Ground Pepper to taste
3-4 tbs sofrito (optional)
1 1/2 cups Red Wine
1 Large can of Crushed Tomatoes (with basil if avail)
1 Jar of your favorite tomato sauce
1 1/2 cups of water
Pasta of your choice

Traditional Grandma’s Meatballs
1 - 1.25 lb ground chuck
2 eggs
3/4 cup Italian bread crumbs
1 cup grated Locatelli Pecorino Romano cheese (this will be in your grocer’s deli section)
1/4 cup fresh parsley or 2 tbs dried
1 tbs Kosher salt
1 tbs Fresh ground pepper

Herb Cream Cheese Stuffed Tomatoes
1 lbs cherry tomatoes
Alouette Garlic & Herbs Spreadable Cheese
Salt/Pepper
Chopped Parsley

DIRECTIONS

Gather all of your ingredients. Heat the olive oil in a sauce pan on medium heat. Add the sofrito, minced garlic and chopped onions and cook until just starting to brown. Add in the Basil, Oregano, Salt and pepper and cook for another minute or two.

Turn the heat up to medium-high and pour in the wine to deglaze the pan. Allow to simmer for 2-3 minutes. Turn the heat back down to medium and our in the crushed tomatoes. Stir and allow to simmer for another 2-3 minutes.

Add in your favorite jar of store bought sauce, then fill that jar with 1 1/2 cups of water - shake and pour into the sauce. If you have already started your pasta, you can use your pasta water instead of from the tap.

Allow the sauce to simmer together on medium-low while you make the meatballs.

MEATBALLS
In a mixing bowl, add the ground beef, bread crumbs, Percorino Romano Cheese, Eggs and Spices. Mix together with your hands until all of the ingredients are combined. Take small handfuls and roll hands together to make the meat mixture into a ball that is just smaller than the size you would like your meatballs to be.

Add the meatballs one by one as you make them to the sauce. Once all of the meat has been added, hold your sauce pan by the handles and gently gyrate to incorporate all of the meatballs into the sauce (without having to use a mixing spoon - this protects the raw and sift meatballs from damage). Cover pan and keep heat on medium-low. Allow to cook for 30 minutes. Put a pasta of your choice on to boil about 20 minutes prior to the meatballs being done. Meatballs will be almost fluffy when ready.

HERB CREAM CHEESE STUFFED TOMATOES
Cut the tops off of all of the tomatoes and use the small end of a melon baller or the teaspoon sized measuring spoon to hallow out the tomatoes. Once all of the tomatoes have their seeds removes, sprinkle salt and pepper over them.

Use a regular spoon to fill the tomatoes with the herb cream cheese by using a downward scraping motion to fill the cavity with the cheese. Once all have been filled, sprinkle with chopped Fresh basil. To present these, you can even put balsamic vinegar on the plate as well. SO EASY BUT SO YUMMY.

PRESENTATION
Place your pasta on a platter and cover with tomatoes sauce. Pile the meatballs on another platter along with extra sauce in a serving bowl. Top with extra Pecorino Romano Cheese and crushed red pepper if you like. Server with crusty Italian Bread.