| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 1 hr 34 min |
| Prep: | 1 hr 30 min |
| Cook: | 4 min |
| Yield: | 6 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds spaghetti
- Meatballs in BBQ Gravy, recipe follows
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons scallions, thinly sliced
- Grated Parmesan
- For the gravy:
- 1 pound bacon, sliced into lardons
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 carrot, chopped
- 1 stalk celery, chopped
- 1 onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves, minced
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 1/2 glasses Chianti
- 3 tablespoons cider vinegar
- 1 small can tomato paste
- 1 small can chipotle peppers in adobo
- 3 (28-ounce) cans chopped tomatoes
- Sea salt, preferable grey
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 pound ground sirloin
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons Parmesan, freshly grated
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 1 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped basil leaves
- 1 cup onion, finely chopped
- 1 cup fine dried bread crumbs
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- Sea salt, preferably grey
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup water
Instructions
- Preheat a grill on medium-high heat.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, cook pasta about half way according to package instructions. Drain the pasta and toss lightly with olive oil. Using a grill grate, grill the pasta over medium-high heat for about 3 to 4 minutes.
- Transfer the grilled pasta to a serving platter and spoon BBQ Gravy over the top. Place meatballs over the top and around the perimeter of the platter and top with more Gravy. Sprinkle with the sliced scallions and grated Parmesan.
- Heat a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and heat for 1 minute. When the oil is hot, add the bacon and render. When golden brown and beginning to crisp, add minced carrot, celery, onion, and garlic. Add a pinch of salt and saute vegetables to a light brown. Add rosemary and brown sugar and stir. Add Chianti and vinegar to pot, stir and bring to boil. Add the tomato paste, chipotles in adobo, and the chopped tomatoes. Stir and simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, skimming the top occasionally to remove any scum that forms.
- While the BBQ gravy is simmering, make the meatballs.
- In a large bowl, mix together the meat, egg, Worcestershire, cheese, parsley, oregano, basil, onion, bread crumbs, and garlic, and season with salt and pepper. Add 1/2 cup of water. Knead the water into the meat mixture with your hands. Knead and roll meatballs into about 1 1/2-inch balls. Place them in shallow saucepan on stove, add another 1/2 cup of water over them, and cover. Turn heat to medium, and steam for 35 minutes.
- Using a slotted spoon, remove the meatballs from the pan. Drain the juice out of the bottom of the pan, return the meatballs to it and cover them with warm BBQ gravy. Serve on top of Grilled Spaghetti.
Reviews
I stumbled across this recipe last summer and made it. I only put in 2 chipotles as I am the only one that likes the heat around here. My step daughter has been reminding me for weeks now that “it’s that time of year to make the spaghetti!” We really loved it. I took left overs to work and was told by two different people that it was the BEST they ever had. I can’t wait to make it again.
I was intrigued by the BBQ and smoky twist on this dish, so I had to make the entire meal. Absolutely delicious! We love spicy and unique foods, so this has been added to our family favorites list. I took the spaghetti portion to a New Years Eve party, with the caution that it was spicy. Those that like spicy foods also found it to be very good!
I agree it is HOT would us 1 or 2 at the most the 1st time you make this. The Meatballs are the best I will be make to replace meatballs in recipes that call for them .
My family loves hot foods we but found this to be too hot for us! After removing the peppers and diluting the remaining sauce we thought it was very good. The meatballs were great!
The only changes I made to this recipe were that I added the entire can of chipotles and slowly squeezed and removed the peppers one by one so it wouldn’t be TOO spicy, yet would retain a good “kick.” And, that it did.
Additionally, I didn’t make my own meatballs because, well, I’m lazy. So, I just defrosted some Mama Lucia and tossed them into the sauce. They were good enough, but probably would’ve been better if grilled.
Otherwise, this recipe is DEFINITELY a keeper! So glad I found it!
I made this for my family on Easter, and they all loved it. Honestly, I was unsure about the sauce, but in the end, it was great. I’d recommend this to anyone
I Loved this recipe.It may be a little hot for some.
I can eat extremely hot foods and I was a little surprised by the heat but that what I really liked about this recipe.
I can eat extremely hot foods and I was a little surprised by the heat but that what I really liked about this recipe.
this was the best spahetti i ever had in years!
I served this for a family Sunday dinner and WOW! The technique for the meatballs yielded the most moist and tender of any meatball I’ve tried! The sauce with Chipotles made me suspicious, but it was excellent. The slight smokiness and bite didn’t make an Italian dinner any less Italian. I’ll make this sauce all the time! I didn’t grill the spaghetti, but nonetheless, the dish was fantastic!