Italian

spaghetti and meatballs
m a k e s 1 2 l a r g e m e at b a l l s ;
s e r v e s 4 t o 6
1/2
1/2
1/2
11/2
marinara Sauce
(recipe on the facing page)
lb. ground beef
lb. ground pork
lb. ground veal
1 clove garlic, minced, plus
1 clove garlic, lightly smashed
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup finely grated imported
Locatelli Romano or
Parmigiano-Reggiano (or half
and half); more for serving
cups plain dry breadcrumbs
1 Tbs. chopped fresh flat-leaf
parsley
Kosher salt and freshly ground
black pepper
1 cup olive oil or vegetable oil;
more as needed
1 lb. dried spaghetti
1/4
cup chopped fresh basil
forming meatballs
If you can’t buy the ground
meats individually, use 11/2 lb.
meatloaf mix, which is often
available in supermarkets.
1. Start making the marinara
sauce. While it’s simmering,
make the meatballs.
2. Break up the ground meat
into a large bowl. Sprinkle on
the minced garlic, eggs, grated
cheese, breadcrumbs, parsley,
11/2 cups water, 1 Tbs. salt, and 1/2 tsp. pepper. Mix with your hands until everything
is nicely distributed, but don’t overmix. Shape into 12 meatballs by gently
scooping up a handful of meat and rolling it into a nice even ball; each meatball
should weigh about 4 oz. and be about 21/2 inches in diameter.
3. Heat the olive oil and the lightly smashed garlic clove in a 10-inch nonstick
skillet over medium heat. (If your skillet is larger than 10 inches, you’ll need to
add more oil; there should be enough to come about halfway up the sides of
the meatballs.) When the garlic is lightly browned, the oil should be hot enough
to start frying. (Remove the garlic from the oil once it becomes fully browned.)
Gently set 6 of the meatballs in the oil and fry until they’re lightly browned
on the bottom half, 5 to 6 minutes. Carefully turn them over using a slotted
spatula and brown the other side. Drain the meatballs on a few paper towels
to soak up excess oil. Fry the remaining 6 meatballs the same way.
4. When the marinara has finished its initial simmer and you’ve seasoned it,
add the meatballs to the simmering sauce and cover the pot. Simmer them
together for 30 minutes to let the sauce permeate the meatballs and the
meat flavor infuse the sauce.
5. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. When the meatballs
and sauce have been simmering for about 20 minutes, add the spaghetti to
the boiling water and boil until it’s just about al dente.
Don’t press the ground meat too hard;
roll it lightly so the large meatballs just
hold together.
6. When the spaghetti is done, drain it and return it to the pot it was cooked in.
Add the chopped basil and a couple of ladlefuls of the marinara sauce to the
spaghetti. Put the pot over high heat and, with a wooden spoon or tongs, constantly
toss the pasta until each piece is coated with sauce, about 1 minute.
Transfer to serving bowls and ladle more sauce over the spaghetti, along with
2 or 3 meatballs (or transfer the meatballs to a serving platter and set it on the
table). Serve with grated cheese and Garlic-Parmesan Bread (recipe on the
facing page). —Frank Pellegrino
PER SERVING: 1,060 CALORIES | 47G PROTEIN | 99G CARB | 51G TOTAL FAT | 14G SAT FAT |
29G MONO FAT | 5G POLY FAT | 170MG CHOL | 4,260MG SODIUM | 12G FIBER
124 p A s ta