Esther’s Spaghetti and Meatballs
My youngest child asks for these at least once a week. I have often complained over the years that she can be annoyingly picky. However, I have tried multiple iterations of this dish, and she is very definitive about which has been a success and which is destined for the trash. This one is a winner. I should probably give her more credit for her discerning palate than I do…
Notes:
Make ahead, make extra:
It’s really easy to double this recipe, shape the meat balls, place on a baking sheet and freeze for future use. Once frozen, just throw in a freezer bag until you’re ready to cook. I place them frozen directly into the tomato sauce, and just cook about 15 minute longer than when prepared fresh.
Mixing your meat:
Do not over mix your meat! Yes, you want the ingredients evenly distributed, but you should still see little chunks of ground beef in your mixture. If over mixed it will look like pate. You will end up with a dense meat ball that Esther will reject. No one wants that!
Fresh versus dried herbs:
If I have fresh Basil and oregano available I will add them to the meatball ingredients. But if all you have on hand is dried basil and dried oregano, it will be equally delicious. Parsley is another matter. I unapologetically insist that you must use fresh parsley for these meatballs.
In the tomato sauce, I actually prefer the dried herbs. I’m sure there’s a fancy-schmancy chef out there that knows the reason that dried herbs taste better in cooked tomato sauce, but I am neither fancy nor a chef and so I have no idea. Just take my word for it.
Garlic:
Don’t even think about using granulated garlic or garlic salt in lieu of the real deal. Seriously? I can’t believe you would even ask!
Tomato sauce:
I like to start with whole canned tomatoes, but if all you have on hand is diced tomatoes, those will work as well. Do not use “crushed“ canned tomatoes as this is essentially already a slushy sauce. once everything starts to cook down I use my immersion blender to break up the whole tomatoes and make a chunky sauce. If you start with crushed tomatoes you won’t get any of the odd tomato chunks here or there that makes this extra delicious.
Simmer, don’t stir:
Once the sauce is made and you have nestled your meatballs gently into the sauce, do not stir the mixture! Cover the pot with a lid and adjust the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Occasionally shake the pot to ensure that the meatballs don’t stick to the bottom. But under no circumstances will you stir the mixture. This will break up the meatballs and you’ll end up with a meat sauce not discrete meatballs in sauce.
Esther’s Spaghetti and Meatballs
Equipment
- 1 8 quart stock pot
- Immersion blender
Ingredients
Meatball ingredients:
- 2 pounds ground beef
- One medium to large yellow onion finely minced
- 5 to 10 cloves fresh garlic finely minced
- 1 cup chopped parsley
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
- Two eggs
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano or 2 tablespoons dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil or 2 tablespoons dried basil
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon red chili flakes
Tomato sauce ingredients:
- 3-4 tablespoons olive oil
- 4-6 cloves fresh garlic
- 2 28 oz cans whole peeled tomatoes
- 1/2 of a 6 ounce can tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons dried oregano
- 2 tablespoons dried basil
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1-3 teaspoons red chili flakes
Instructions
Mix the meatball ingredients:
- Gently fold all ingredients together, taking care not to over mix the meat. The end result should be a heterogeneous mixture. If overmixed, the meatballs will have a dense, undesirable texture.
- Placed the prepared meatball mixture in the refrigerator while you make the tomato sauce.
Make the tomato sauce:
- Heat the olive oil in your quart stock pot until hot. Add the garlic and fry only momentarily. Do not let the garlic brown or burn. If it does brown or burns, throw it away and start over as the resulting sauce will be bitter.
- After you’ve let the garlic mingle in the hot oil for a moment, add the canned tomatoes, tomato paste, dried herbs, spices and salt. Let everything start to heat up and bubble.
- Next use an immersion blender to break up the whole tomatoes and make a chunky sauce. Keep the sauce at a simmer while you form the meatballs.
Shaping the meatballs and adding to the sauce:
- You can scoop up the mixture with your hands to make meatballs about 1 inch in diameter. My husband, who prefers to get every dish in the house dirty when cooking likes to use an ice cream scooper. your choice – depending upon who does the dishes in your house.
- Gently place each formed meatball into the simmering sauce so it is covered with the sauce on all sides.
- Gently nestle each meatball in next to its neighbor so that they don’t break apart while they are still raw.
- Cover and adjust the heat to maintain a simmer. Occasionally shake the pot on the stove to ensure that the meatballs don’t stick to the bottom. Do not stir this mixture!
- Simmer for 30 minutes.
- Serve over your favorite pasta, or just ladle some sauce and meatballs into a bowl and serve with freshly grated Parmesan.