Meatballs with spaghetti in tomato sauce
4 servings
90 minutes
Meatballs with spaghetti in tomato sauce is a classic Italian dish that embodies the coziness of family dinners. Its history traces back to the traditions of Italian immigrants who adapted recipes from their homeland in the New World. The combination of tender meatballs made with aromatic spices and parmesan, paired with thick tomato sauce creates a harmony of flavors – the rich, spicy, and slightly sweet notes of tomatoes perfectly complement the juicy meat. Perfect for a casual dinner or festive feast, this dish is easy to prepare and delights diners with its heartiness and aroma. Serving it with grated parmesan and fresh parsley adds a touch of sophistication, turning a simple meal into a culinary delight.
1
Preparing the filling for the balls: place the filling in a bowl, add an egg, salt, pepper, dried basil, and grated Parmesan (which will be needed later for serving). Soak the bread crumb in water, squeeze it out, and add it to the filling. Mix the filling and set it aside in the refrigerator.
- Ground beef: 500 g
- Chicken egg: 1 piece
- Salt: to taste
- Ground black pepper: to taste
- Dried basil: to taste
- Grated Parmesan cheese: to taste
- White bread crumb: 0.5 glass
2
Preparing the sauce: clean the bell pepper from seeds and cut it into medium cubes. Score fresh tomatoes crosswise and pour boiling water over them, after a couple of minutes peel off the skin and cut the tomatoes into cubes. In a saucepan, sauté finely chopped onion in olive oil until soft, add minced garlic, and when the garlic aroma appears, add the bell pepper and reduce the heat to prevent burning (remember to stir occasionally). Meanwhile, pour the juice from the canned tomatoes into a bowl, peel the tomatoes from the skin and the remaining stem (which is likely soft and edible but looks unappealing). Cut the tomatoes into cubes as well. Add the tomato juice, fresh and canned tomatoes to the bell pepper in the saucepan. Add a little water, salt, and pepper to taste. Add a bay leaf and basil. Cover with a lid and let it simmer.
- Red sweet pepper: 2 pieces
- Tomatoes: 2 pieces
- Tomatoes in their own juice: 1.5 jar
- Olive oil: to taste
- Onion: 1 head
- Garlic: 4 cloves
- Salt: to taste
- Ground black pepper: to taste
- Bay leaf: 2 pieces
- Dried basil: to taste
3
We take the minced meat out of the fridge. We take it out several times and toss it into a bowl to release excess air, rolling balls slightly smaller than a tangerine (this can be left to your discretion) and placing them, for example, on a cutting board. In a pan, we heat oil and fry the balls on both sides, not putting them all at once, but with enough space so they don't turn back into minced meat and are easy to flip. We gently place the fried balls into a bowl. After all the balls are fried, we carefully transfer them one by one into the sauce, so that it covers the balls, cover with a lid, and simmer for another 30-40 minutes.
- Olive oil: to taste
- Ground beef: 500 g
4
10 minutes before the cooking is finished, we boil the spaghetti so they don't cool down.
- Spaghetti: 500 g
5
Place the spaghetti on a plate, make a small indentation so the balls don't roll down, generously pour with sauce, and sprinkle with grated parmesan and chopped parsley. Enjoy your meal!!!
- Grated Parmesan cheese: to taste
- Chopped parsley: to taste