Saturday, August 15, 2009

Spaghetti & Meatballs

A couple of years ago my sister and her husband invited my wife and me over for dinner. When we walked into their house our noses were bombarded with the smell of deliciousness. Tim was making us meatballs. He graciously gave me the recipe and now I am giving it to you. I made it when we were up in the San Juan Islands this past weekend and we went to our stomachs' limit on this one. The secret to this recipe isn't the jarred sauce (choose whichever you prefer) it's letting the balls of joy simmer away for 3 hours, flavoring the marinara and making everything taste so good. Be cautious when you make this. You can easily eat too much.

Tim's Meatballs
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 lb. hot Italian sausage (casing removed)
1 egg (slightly beaten)
1 cup breadcrumbs
1 T garlic powder

1 diced yellow onion
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 sprigs fresh rosemary & thyme

  • Mix the first five ingredients together by hand. Be careful not to overwork the meat.
  • Form the mix into balls about the size of a small egg.
  • Add a few tablespoons of olive oil to a large-bottomed pan (one that can also accommodate the sauce later) on medium low heat.
  • Lightly brown each side of the meatballs. If your pan isn't big enough to fit all the balls with a little space around them, do this in two batches.
  • After all the meatballs are browned, transfer them to a platter to rest.
  • Saute the onion in the same pan (with the oil & meat juices).
  • When the onions are translucent, add the garlic.
  • When the onion & garlic are sauteed, pour in 2 jars of a simple tomato sauce and 1 can of crushed tomatoes.
  • Put the meatballs back into the sauce along with the fresh herbs.
  • Bring the sauce to a boil then turn down to low.
  • Simmer the sauce for at least 3 hours, stirring occasionally to prevent it from sticking on the bottom and burning.
  • Serve with spaghetti and plenty of garlic bread for sopping up the sauce. So good.

2 comments:

  1. Besides having more pasta & meetballs the next day (yum), they make especially delicious meetball sandwiches.

    -Elise

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  2. Your Juicy Lucy hambergers are the same as my dillyburgers. Instead of the cheese and other extras, I lay dill pickles and a slice of onion between the burgers. They are even good to eat without the bun.
    Albert

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