Simple Spaghetti and Meatballs

I usually take the time to make a home made spaghetti and meatballs , which means i make my own spaghetti sauce .A long time ago i had to admit that i used store bought spaghetti sauce , i guess i didn’t know any better LOL . But i do now !!! I don’t know why i put up with nasty store bought sauce . Knowing how easy to make your own sauce , well you can do a complicated one , or simple one , it’s really your choice . I have few pasta sauce recipe that you can choose , but this is by far the simplest and the quickest one . You don’t need any other equipment such as immersion blender , ( i would need that for my other 2 recipes to mash up the tomatoes ) , and you don’t need to peel and roast garlic ( peeling and roasting garlic isn’t fun , though it makes your house smells so good !! ) . So anyway , if you need a quick spaghetti and meatballs recipe , this is your choice .

For the meatballs :

1 lbs of extra lean ground beef

1 lbs of ground pork

1/2 c – 3/4 c of bread crumbs ( made from bread , whether wheat or bread , pulse it few times in food processor , add little garlic powder and italian seasonings )

1/2 cup of milk

1 egg

kosher salt and pepper

1/2 cup of freshly grated parmesan cheese

chopped fresh parsley

1. In a large bowl , mix the beef and pork , with bread crumbs , eggs , milk and salt and pepper , parmesan cheese and parsley . Mix with your hand . Then shape into balls , made about 15-16 meatballs .

2. In a skillet , heat 2 tbsp. olive oil , cook the meatballs , about 10 minutes total ( it will be cooked again later with the sauce , don’t worry about the inside if it’s not cooked through yet )

3. Set aside

For the sauce :

1 onion, chopped

3 cloves of garlic , minced

1/2 cup of good red wine ( try chianti )

28 oz can crushed tomato

salt and pepper , little sugar to tone down the acidity

1. In the same skillet with leftover oil , cook the onion about 5 minutes , then add the garlic .

2. Cook for a minute or so , then add your red wine , let it evaporates . Then add the crushed tomato , salt and pepper , sugar . Bring to boil , then turn the heat down , add the meatballs back into the skillet with the sauce . Simmer for 30 minutes until meatballs cooked through . Cook your pasta according to the direction on the box .