Spaghetti and Meatballs

Rodney requested spaghetti. I was excited to try the Roasted Tomato Sauce again, but Rodney shot it down, implying meat was necessary. I like meat but revved up for something than the standard spaghetti with meat sauce we usually do, looked into my new $2 cookbook and found a recipe for spaghetti I don't recall ever having had before, spaghetti with meatballs!

Spaghetti and Meatballs
adapted from How to Cook Everything, Mark Bittman

3/4 c Parmesan cheese
1 lb ground beef
1 egg
1/4 c fresh Italian parsley, minced
1 tbsp garlic, minced
1/2 plain bread crumbs
salt
2 tbsp olive oil
28-oz diced tomatoes with juice
1 lb spaghetti

Shred cheese into large bowl yielding about 3/4 cup, reserving some for serving.

Add ground beef, egg, Italian parsley, garlic, and bread crumbs to the cheese and combine with a fork.


Roll meat mixture into small balls, approximately 1" in diameter, yielding about two dozen.


Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat until hot; add the meatballs in batches.

Turn the meatballs occasionally to brown evenly over 15 minutes. Set browned meatballs aside.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to boil for the pasta.

Drain majority of fat from skillet and return skillet to heat.


Add onion and cook until browned.


Add tomatoes and their juice to the onions in the skillet. Cook tomatoes, stirring occasionally for 10 minutes allowing tomatoes to break down.


Add meatballs and salt to taste to the sauce and cook 15 minutes or until meatballs are cooked through.


Meanwhile, boil the pasta in water until al dente. Once drained, add the spaghetti to the sauce and meatballs in the skillet; toss to coat.



Making meatballs wasn't nearly a pain as I'd anticipated. The meatballs were little balls of flavor explosion, like meatloaf balls, if that makes any sense. Unusual, but good. The part I didn't care for was the meatball consistency. They were so tender soft.

Rodney said that he prefers a more "meaty" meatball. I wonder if we're both saying the same thing, but in different ways. Next time I'll aim to get the balls a little crusty on the outside for a firmer bite which would pair well with the al dente pasta and trust me when I say my pasta is al dente. We don't have no Chef Boyardee-ish pasta in this joint.

Cost:

• Parmesan cheese: $2
• ground beef: $2.49
• egg: $0.14
• parsley: $0.45
• bread crumbs: $0.27
• diced tomatoes: $1.60
• spaghetti: $0.93

Total: $7.88 or $1.97 for each of four servings.

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