Recipe

November 16, 2015

Speedy Spaghetti And Meatballs

Recipe: Kristen Eppich

Food editor Kristen Eppich shares her recipe for easy weeknight spaghetti and meatballs.
2015-0928-HHM-0286I love a pan-fried, slow-simmered meatball as much as the next person, but on busy weeknights fast and easy is paramount and shortcuts need to be taken. Here is my speedy spaghetti and meatballs. It’s a family favorite recipe, and as you’ll see, a few simplifications gets this to the table in 30 minutes.

Ingredients

  • 796 ml canned tomatoes, preferably San Marzano
  • 1 680 ml can good quality store-bought pasta sauce
  • ½ lb ground pork, preferably organic
  • ½ lb medium or lean ground beef, preferably organic
  • ½ tsp kosher salt
  • Freshly ground pepper
  • 1 egg
  • ¼ cup water
  • 1 tsp Dijon
  • 1 tsp finely chopped garlic
  • 1 tbsp chopped parsley
  • ¾ cup panko breadcrumbs
  • 1 ½ lb spaghetti or other pasta (reduce to 1 lb for 4 people)

Directions

Yield: 6 servings

  1.  Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Combine canned tomatoes and tomato sauce in a wide pot. Blend with an immersion blender to puree tomatoes. Place pot over medium heat and bring to a simmer.
  2. Crumble ground meat into a bowl. Season with salt and a few grinds of the pepper mill. Lightly beat egg with ¼ cup water, Dijon, garlic and parsley. Stir in bread crumbs. Pour into bowl with ground meat and combine.
  3. Shape meat into balls, about the size of a golf ball and drop into simmering sauce. Partially cover and cook, stirring occasionally for 15 -20 minutes or until meatballs are cooked through. Cook pasta while meatballs are cooking.