Spaghetti and Meatballs

The Method for Spaghetti and Meatballs

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1. Soak the breadcrumbs in the milk for 5 minutes, then mash to a paste.

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2. Mix the paste with both minces, the egg, Parmesan, two thirds of the garlic, the parsley, salt and pepper. Do not overwork it.

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3. Roll into 20 balls and refrigerate 15 minutes.

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4. Heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a wide pan and brown the meatballs in two batches, 4 minutes a batch, turning. Lift out.

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5. Add the remaining oil and the onion and cook 6 minutes.

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6. Stir in the remaining garlic and the tomato purée and cook 1 minute.

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7. Add the tomatoes, oregano and sugar and simmer 10 minutes.

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8. Return the meatballs, cover, and simmer 20 minutes, turning once.

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9. Boil the spaghetti in well-salted water until al dente and drain.

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10. Serve the meatballs and sauce over the spaghetti with basil torn over and Parmesan at the table.

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Related guide: Prep, cook and total time.

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Keep an Eye on These

1. A milk-soaked panade, always.
2. Handle the mixture as little as possible.
3. Brown for colour, then finish in the sauce.

Changing the Recipe

• An eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder per clove is the stand-in usually given when you are out of fresh garlic; it will not brown the same way, and it burns easily, so add it with the liquid.
• Fresh herbs work in place of the dried oregano at roughly three times the quantity — a teaspoon of dried is about a tablespoon of fresh, chopped.

About This Recipe

Soak the breadcrumbs in milk to a paste before they go into the meat. That panade holds water through cooking and is the difference between a tender meatball and a dense one — breadcrumbs added dry absorb the meat's own moisture instead. Brown them for colour only and finish them in the sauce, where they cook gently and give the sauce their fat.

What to Serve It With

Garlic bread · A green salad · Chianti

Sides from the same cuisine on this site: Rosemary Focaccia, Creamy Parmesan Polenta, Ciabatta.

Storing Leftovers

Meatballs in sauce keep 3 days refrigerated and freeze 3 months.

Questions People Ask

Spaghetti and Meatballs Nutrition

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list with USDA FoodData Central figures (SR Legacy). A calculation, not a laboratory analysis: brands, cuts and how you measure change the real numbers. How the figures are worked out.

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