Spaghetti and Meatballs

So this kind of recipe has spoiled me because I've fallen in love with the taste of freshly made sauce for pasta. There's not a whole lot of spices involved but there is flavor where it counts. It is kind of time consuming because you need to prepare the meatballs first. (Of course, you could just be lazy and sub it with frozen ones you can buy at the store too.) What this recipe doesn't communicate though is the metric ton of meatballs that it makes because I filled a large jelly roll pan full of these. In turn, it feels like there is not enough sauce to accommodate said metric ton of meatballs. To remedy that, this time around I doubled the sauce recipe and now the ratio seems right. Serve with green salad and/or garlic bread.

Spaghetti and Meatballs
Makes: 6 servings
From: Betty Crocker

The Sauce:

1

tablespoon olive or vegetable oil

1

medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)

1

clove garlic, finely chopped

1

can (28 ounces) whole tomatoes, undrained

1

can (6 ounces) tomato paste

1/4

cup chopped fresh parsley

1/4

cup water

1

teaspoon sugar

1

teaspoon salt

1/2

teaspoon dried basil leaves

1/4

teaspoon pepper

1

package (16 ounces) spaghetti

Grated Parmesan cheese

The Meatballs:

1 1/2

pounds ground beef

3/4

cup dry bread crumbs

1/2

cup milk

2

tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

1

tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

1

teaspoon salt

1/2

teaspoon dried oregano leaves

1/4

teaspoon pepper

1

medium onion, finely chopped (1/2 cup)

1

egg

Prepare Meatballs. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Cook onion and garlic in oil, stirring occasionally, until onion is tender.

Stir in remaining ingredients except spaghetti and cheese, breaking up tomatoes. Heat to boiling; reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add meatballs to sauce. Cover and simmer 15 minutes. Cook and drain spaghetti as directed on package. Place spaghetti on large platter. Top with meatballs and sauce. Sprinkle with cheese.