| Level: | Easy |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
Ingredients
- For the tomato sauce:
- 3/4 cup minced garlic
- 3/4 cup olive oil
- Two 1 pound 8 -ounce cans of crushed, peeled tomatoes with their juice
- 2 tomato cans of water
- 1 teaspoon ground pepper
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
- 2 heaping teaspoons salt
- Sugar to taste
- For the meatballs:
- 1 1/2 cups soft white bread cubes
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1 small egg
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1/2 cup grated Romano cheese
- 1/2 teaspoon finely minced garlic
- 1/4 cup finely minced parsley
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound spaghetti
- 1 tablespoon butter
Instructions
- Tomato sauce:
- Heat oil in a casserole. Add garlic and stir until lightly golden. Then add the crushed tomatoes with their juice, 2 tomato cans of water, the ground pepper, chopped parsley, chopped fresh basil and salt. Then taste it. If it seems a little acidic, add a little sugar
- Bring to a boil and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 45 minutes.
- Meatballs:
- In a bowl mix together the milk and egg. Add mixture to bowl of bread cubes. Toss to coat.
- Let the bread stand for 15 minutes.
- Mash the bread cubes and add to a 1 pound of ground beef, grated Romano, garlic, and parsley. Mix together. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- With wet hands form walnut size balls. Brown the meatballs lightly in olive oil. Add meatballs to 6 cups sauce bubbling in pot. Simmer 45 minutes.
- Cook the spaghetti in boiling, salted water for the length of time specified on the box. Drain spaghetti by lifting it out of its cooking pot in a strainer/colander, pour the water out of the pot, transfer some cooked spaghetti from strainer/colander to pot in which it was cooked.
- Ladle some sauce over pasta. Stir to coat. Add a knob of butter and toss again. Add meatballs and toss. Plate the pasta on 4 serving plates or pasta bowls. Add more sauce on top. Serve immediately with a block of Parmigiano-Reggiano and a cheese grater on the side.
- Suggested wine: Montevina Barbera, Amador County, 1994
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 4 servings |
| Calories | 1407 |
| Total Fat | 82 g |
| Saturated Fat | 21 g |
| Carbohydrates | 122 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 11 g |
| Sugar | 21 g |
| Protein | 47 g |
| Cholesterol | 143 mg |
| Sodium | 1558 mg |
Reviews
Long before Pinterest or Allrecipes allowed us to save recipes online, home cooks could only print their favorite FoodTV (Food Network) recipes. This is one of the first recipes I ever printed and to this day I make these meatballs over and over. They are as fabulous as David Rosengarten. Absolutely love them. The only change I make is Parmigiano-Reggiano instead of Romano cheese. I sometimes skip the saute (not always) and dunk them straight into sauce to simmer. I make a double batch and freeze half for meatball subs or whatever else I fancy.