There are so many wonderful recipes for spaghetti and meatballs out there, but what to do when you are in a rush, and don’t have time to source and blend different ground meats and lots of other ingredients? Don’t resort to take out, try my quick and easy weeknight version of this classic meal! You need very few ingredients, and most of them are probably already in your larder and fridge.
My Spaghetti and Meatballs Recipe
To serve four people very generously you need:
2 tablespoons vegetable oil (I use mild olive oil)
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 cans chopped tomatoes, or 3 to 4 cups passata (sieved tomatoes), preferably organic
1 beef stock cube, preferably organic
1 teaspoon dried basil
½ teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon dried thyme
1 pound of ground beef, preferably pasture raised
1 teaspoon Montreal Steak Seasoning
2 tablespoons fresh bread crumbs
(I use grated English muffin crumbs)
14 ounces (about 400 grams) dried spaghetti
Parmesan cheese, to serve
Heat 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Sauté the onion in the oil until it begins to become translucent. Stir in the tomatoes or passata, crumble in the stock cube and add the Italian seasoning. Stir well, lower the heat, and cover. Simmer, stirring occasionally, while you make the meatballs.
Mix the ground beef, bread crumbs and Montreal Steak Seasoning together well, using clean hands. Form into small meatballs by rolling generous tablespoons of the mixture between the palms of your hands. I usually get 16 large meatballs out of a pound of beef, but how large you make them is up to you. Avoid making them too big though, or it is difficult to get them to cook through.
Heat the remaining oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Fry the meatballs, browning them on all sides. When they are evenly browned, turn the heat on the tomato sauce back up to medium, and carefully add the meatballs to the sauce. Avoid stirring them too much as you do not want them to break up. Leave to simmer, turning the heat down a bit if the sauce begins to boil, while you cook the spaghetti.
Cook the spaghetti in boiling salted water according to package directions. When it is nearly done, carefully remove one of the meatballs from the sauce and check that it is cooked with no pink remaining inside.
Drain the spaghetti and serve with the cooked meatballs and sauce. Serve with grated Parmesan cheese, if you like.
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