#ewew cooks Spaghetti and Meatballs

Spaghetti and Meatballs is an Italian-American dish that's very popular here.  If I had to eat pasta, I always eat those in a tomato-based sauce and not so much the carbonara-style (which is usually made with eggs, cheese and cream) as it's too creamy and cheesy for my palate.

 

This Spaghetti and Meatballs recipe is fairly easy to make now that we have a wide range of over-the-counter pre-prepared bottled sauce mix that we can buy...we don't need to make our own sauce, we just simply choose our favourite brand!

[#Tip: I've never made a tomato-based sauce from scratch with fresh tomatoes as I find our local tomatoes too acidic (and not suitable).  And the imported ones in supermarkets are too expensive (coz you need quite a lot to cook down into a sauce).  It's nothing like those good quality tomatoes I see on food shows where they're still attached to the vines.]  So, I just stick to store-bought ones like this common Prego Tomato Sauce with Mushrooms (but you can use any brand that you like).  Sometimes, I use Alce Nero Organic Tomato Sauce with Basil (the one I used for my Borsch Soup).

 

Ingredients:

 

100g minced pork
1/2 a medium onion
3 - 4 stalks Italian parsley
1/2 an egg
4 tbsp fresh breadcrumbs 
Dried spaghetti (enough for one serving)
Tomato-based sauce of your choice
Salt & black pepper to taste

Preparation:

Finely chop your onion and parsley.  To make fresh breadcrumbs, just tear your unconsumed bread (crust and all) into pcs and blitz them up until fine.  [#Tip: I got this tip of putting fresh breadcrumbs into my meatballs from Ina Garten although she uses a combination of fresh and dry breadcrumbs.  I find that the meatballs, using fresh breadcrumbs, keep them juicy and moist.]

Put your minced pork, half your chopped parsley and 4 tbsp of breadcrumbs onto a plate.  Season with salt and black pepper to taste.  [#Tip: You can substitute with beef or chicken mince, whatever you fancy, but since we don't usually get spaghetti with pork meatballs outside, I thought I'll go with pork.]

Add in half a beaten egg (we can afford to use less eggs since we don't use dry breadcrumbs in the mix).  [#Tip: Again, just 'eyeball' it...depending on how much minced meat you use, add in more breadcrumbs if the mixture is too wet or more egg if the mixture is too dry.]

Your combined mixture should look something like this (the consistency should be slightly wet).  There you have it, just 4 simple ingredients and you're on your way to making your own homemade meatballs.

Form into round-shaped meatballs (you can get 10 - 12 small ones).  Don't worry if it doesn't look completely round...hey, it's homemade, so it should look rustic! I like to make small meatballs coz it's easier to cook through than big fat ones.

 

Method:

Cook your dried spaghetti to al dente according to the instructions on the packet.

I shallow or pan-fry my meatballs with just a little olive oil in a non-stick pan (that's another reason why my meatballs are small).  Turn them around constantly until they develop a nice golden colour.

 

Dish up and set aside.  Pour away all the excess oil left in your pan (and there will be excess because of the fat from your minced meat).

 

Add a little olive oil to your pan and sautéed the chopped onions until they're translucent and soft.

 

Add your cooked spaghetti and as much (or as little) tomato sauce as you like.  For one serving, you'd probably need about 5 - 8 tbsp of tomato sauce depending on your definition of one serving ;)

 

Throw in your cooked meatballs and combine until well mixed.  Add a little water (from the water you cooked your pasta in) if it's too dry. 

Add in the remaining half of your chopped parsley, toss and plate up.

And this is my Spaghetti and Meatballs....there seems to be more meatballs than spaghetti, huh?  For those of you who are into cheese, you can sprinkle some grated cheese on top.  This recipe is easy to follow but, if it's too much of a hassle, you can always omit the meatballs :D 

But I wouldn't...as the meatballs were tender and moist (enough) for a home cooked version.

The meatballs are small enough to fit into one bite (or one forkful of pasta)....and that's the 3rd reason why I make my meatballs so small :p

This Spaghetti and Meatballs dish only cost me like under RM7 to make (less than half the price of a restaurant one).....and you can do it with pork meatballs, y'all!!

Serves 1