Italian Spaghetti with Meatballs
Servings: 4
Calories: 618kcal
There's no pasta more iconic than Spaghetti with Meatballs - This Italian comfort food is an all-time favorite among kids and grown-ups!
Print Recipe
Ingredients
- 12 oz spaghetti
For the meatballs:
- 1 lb. ground lean beef
- 1 slice ciabatta bread
- Milk
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese
- 1 small minced white onion
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoon finely chopped basil
- 1 ½ teaspoon lemon zest
- 2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoon Extravirgin Olive Oil
For the tomato sauce
- 2 cans peeled tomatoes chopped, seeds and juice discarded
- a bunch of basil leaves
- 1 bay leave
- 1 garlic clove gently crushed
- 2 tbp extravirgin olive oil
Instructions
- For the meatballs, take the ciabatta roll and cut it in small cubes. Put in a bowl, cover it with milk and let soak for a while.
- In a large bowl mix all the remaining ingredients beside the olive oil.
- Grab the bread and squeeze it to release most of the milk. Then add it to the bowl and mix all together until all ingredients are combined.
- Form the meatballs. Use around 2oz of meat. Put the meat in the palm of my hand, make it round and then press it to make it a bit flat.
- Take a very large frying pan. Add the olive oil and get it screaming hot. Add the meatballs and don’t touch them for at least 3 minutes. You want a nice crust before turning them otherwise they’ll fall apart.
- Turn them on the other side and let cook for 3 minutes. Use the juice that is coming out from the meat to baste the meatballs When you have seared both sides, turn the heat off. They will continue to cook with the sauce.
- Meanwhile, prepare the tomato sauce: heat a sauce pan with 2 tablespoon of oil and garlic.
- Gently stir-fry the garlic until golden then discard, reduce the heat and add chopped tomatoes and a couple of basil leaves. Season with salt, pepper and a pinch of sugar, and cook for about 10-15 mins.
- half-way through cooking time, add the meatballs and finish to cook all the ingredients together.
- In the meantime cook the spaghetti in a pot of lightly salted boiling water, for about 8 mins or al dente, according to pasta type.
- Drain the pasta and toss into the pan with the meatballs sauce. Stir all together, grate fresh Parmesan cheese on top and serve immediately. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Calories: 618kcal | Carbohydrates: 68g | Protein: 42g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 120mg | Sodium: 1494mg | Potassium: 632mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 246IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 195mg | Iron: 5mg