If I ever ask my husband what he wants me to put on the menu, 98.5485% of the times he requests Spaghetti. But when we were first married we always made it with ground beef in the sauce, and that was something I couldn't do when pregnant the first time around. I will spare you the details. After that I had a aversion to ground beef mixed in the sauce. However, Steven kept requesting it and still does. So I decided we need to go with meatballs. So after trying and trying several recipes, I finally created my own variation that we love. This is the only way I like to eat Spaghetti now! And to be technical it's always Angel Hair pasta, I like it more than Spaghetti.
These meatballs are
waaaaaay better than any frozen meatballs you can find in stores. And
my favorite thing about making these, is I usually make enough for 3+
meals, so I freeze my own for quick/easy future dinners. When I can do this with any meal that we love it becomes an instant favorite! Having those frozen meatballs in the freezer on nights that I just don't want to cook or don't have time is a lifesaver! I simply heat them in my favorite spaghetti sauce on the stove and there are done in about the time the pasta is! It's easy, simple, fast, and tasty! Those are 4 things I just NEED sometimes! We like to serve the Spaghetti and meatballs with these bread sticks and a green salad.
I hope you enjoy!
Homemade Meatballs {For Spaghetti & Sauce}
Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground turkey
4 slices of bread, broken into small pieces
⅔ cup buttermilk
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon basil
½ teaspoon black pepper, fresh ground
1 egg
½ cup parmesan cheese, grated
Cooked pasta (spaghetti or angel hair)
Spaghetti sauce (my favorite is Hunt’s Garlic and Herb)
Directions:
1. Break bread slices into small pieces and place in a large mixing bowl. Mix bread pieces with buttermilk to form a paste. Add the garlic, salt, oregano, basil, black pepper, egg, and parmesan, to the bread mixture and stir until smooth.
2. Add the ground beef and turkey to the mixture and mix with a large fork or with your clean hand (I like to use disposable kitchen gloves so I don’t have to this all over my hand) until it’s mixed well.
3. Form meatballs into 1 - 1½ inch balls and place on a foil lined and greased baking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 20-30 minutes, turning once about halfway through. Test meatballs for doneness with a meat thermometer. They should reach at least 170 degrees F.
4. Heat your favorite pasta sauce and add the cooked meatballs and heat until hot. Serve over cooked pasta.
Notes:
You can also cook them in a large nonstick skillet on the stove until done. I prefer doing the oven for ease and less babysitting. I add the spaghetti sauce when they are done and simmer until hot.
Source: Leesh & Lu's Recipe Box, by Lu, with inspiration from ATK & yummly.com
These sound yummy!! I haven't made meatballs in forever, so we'll have to give these a try.
ReplyDeleteYou can also cut your squash in half, and put it in a casserole dish in the microwave to cut down on time. Put the squash in the dish face down, and add about an inch of water to the dish. It will only take about 10-15mins depending on microwave strength. Love this recipe, can’t wait to try!
ReplyDeleteKelly Hubbard