When talking to friends, I find most people want to enjoy spaghetti squash but are afraid to make it or actually don’t know how. I have a recipe here for making the squash, but know there are many cooking options and you can find them here.

I used this Paleo Italian Meatball recipe. You can use any meatballs you wish. This recipe doesn’t have any bread, keeping the whole dish very low-carb, healthy, and keto friendly.

The sauce is made with one can of Italian tomatoes, a little garlic and olive oil, keeping it real simple. I opted to add some mozzarella and bake it in the oven for 15-20 minutes.

Use Your Favorite Italian Meatballs

Make your own meatballs or use one of these recipes.

• Veal Meatballs Stuffed with Ricotta
• Paleo Meatballs
• Keto Meatballs
• Italian Meatballs in my Spaghetti/Meatballs Recipes

You can also add in ricotta cheese in dollops for extra creaminess.

Spaghetti Squash is actually pretty versatile adapting well to Italian dishes. It will add a little bit of sweet so you will want to make sure you add enough savory flavors and something salty like pecorino Romano cheese.

It’s not hard to make and can be made a day in advance, making weeknight meal preparation easy.

More Spaghetti Squash Recipes

• Spaghetti Squash, Sausage, Mushrooms and Cream
• Three Cheese Spaghetti Squash Lasagna
• Spaghetti Squash Carbonara
• Italian Shrimp with Spaghetti Squash
• Spaghetti Squash Bolognese Ricotta
• Spaghetti Squash Hashbrowns

Kitchen Equipment

• Serving Spoons
• Casserole Dishes of various sizes
• Oxo Box Cheese Grater

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Spaghetti Squash and Meatball Casserole

Spaghetti Squash with Paleo Meatiballs, Keto Friendly, Low Carb. Paleo, Gluten free.

Course Keto Entree

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 40 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Calories 337kcal

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 2 cups quick tomato sauce recipe below
• meatballs recipe below
• 1 spaghetti squash
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese
• 3/4 cup pecorino romano or parmesan
• parsley
• red chili flakes
• salt
• pepper

Quick Tomato Sauce

• 1 can San Marzano Tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/4 onion

Easy Paleo Meatballs

• 1 pound Ground Beef (can mix with beef and pork)
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 small egg
• 1/2 cup pecorino romano or parmesan cheese grated
• 3 garlic cloves minced
• 1/2 cup parsley chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

Make Spaghetti Squash

• Roast spaghetti squash
• Soften spaghetti squash by microwaving for five minutes.
• Or you can just cut in half, lengthwise.
• Scrape out seeds and stringy parts.
• Put face down in pot. Add water up to about 3 inches.
• Roast for 40 minutes or until softened.

Make Meatballs

• Pour milk over ground beef.
• Season meat with parsley, 1/4 cup grated pecorino cheese, egg, garlic, salt and pepper.
• Shape into medium sized meatballs. Bake for 15-20 minutes at 400 degrees F.
• Add to sauce and simmer on low, while you are preparing spaghetti squash.

Tomato Sauce

• Crush tomatoes with hand.
• Heat olive oil.
• Add onion and garlic. Add tomatoes to pot. You may need to add a little bit of water.
• You can choose to smooth out the sauce using a stick blender.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Cook uncovered for 30 to 40 minutes while squash is baking. Add meatballs as soon as they are ready.

Assemble

• Shred spaghetti squash with a fork.
• Paper towel moisture off of squash.
• Arrange in casserole dish.
• Slice meatballs and arrange in dish.
• Toss with Sauce. You may not use all of the sauce, depending as to how much you have.
• Add mozzarella cheese.
• Bake for 30 minutes at 375 degrees F. or until all cheese is melted.
• Allow to cool about ten minutes. Serve with extra Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese.

Notes

You can use ground beef, loose Italian sausage or a mix of of beef/pork.

Net cabs: 7 with Six Servings

Nutrition

Calories: 337kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Fat: 20g | Fiber: 2g

The post Spaghetti Squash with Meatballs appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

You can keep this grain free or serve with orzo. I served the orzo on the side, as this makes this soup a lot more family friendly (Without the pasta, it’s a perfect keto or low carb soup).

While this is a simple soup, it’s a hearty rustic soup that requires a little bit of finesse.

The original soup had chunky tomatoes, but I refined the broth to a tomato broth using a hand blender. The original soup had arugula, which I love a lot, but I thought kale would hold up much better, and it did. You could use any green you prefer, but I wouldn’t use spinach, unless you only add it raw as you serve it, so it doesn’t disintegrate.

I didn’t make the meatballs super small or bite-sized, because I wanted them to be tender. I made them slightly smaller than usual, baked them for 15 minutes, and added them to the soup about 30 minutes before serving.

The result of this super easy to make recipe was nothing short of spectacular.

The broth is a light tomato broth, the meatballs are grain free and orzo is an option to add in for those in the family who eat pasta.

When I fed it to the family, I added in some cooked orzo. The key to this soup is tender meatballs, sultry tomato broth, greens, and lots of Pecorino Romano cheese.

I talk about this cheese all the time and how we are addicted to it. It’s a sheep’s cheese, whereas Parmesan is a cow’s milk cheese. It aged, dry, salty, tangy and often okay for people who are lactose intolerant. You could even add a dollop of ricotta cheese.

Warm yourself up with this delicious easy soup.

NOTES: You can keep the orzo separate and serve it as an option. This way those who are gluten free or carb counting can thoroughly enjoy this soup too. Let me know how much you’ve enjoyed this soup.

More Ideas for Italian Meatball Soup

• Add any macaroni, such as dittalini, or tiny shells.
• Replace kale with arugula, or spinach.
• Add dollops of ricotta.
• Add rice or cauliflower rice.
• Add a can of white cannellini beans.
• Add any leftover vegetables.
• Add a little heavy cream to the broth.

Soup Bowls

These soup bowls (amazon) are perfect for this soup.

More Italian Style Soups from Spinach Tiger

• Italian Summer Vegetable Soup
• Italian Sausage Lentil and Kale Soup
• Spicy Italian Soup with Sausage
• Italian Eggplant Soup
• Lentil Sausage Soup
• Quick and Easy Ministrone Soup
• Ribolita, a Tuscan Soup

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Homemade Italian Meatballs Soup

Italian Meatball Soup

Course Soup

Cuisine Italian

Keyword keto meatballs

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Baking Meatballs 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds grass fed beef
• 1/2 pound ground pork or more beef
• 1 large egg
• 3/4 cup freshly grated pecorino romano divided
• 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh Italian Parsley divided
• 2 cloves garlic finely minced
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 quarts boxed chicken broth
• 28 ounce San Marzano Tomatoes (can)
• 2 cups kale or spinach
• 1 cup dry orzo optional

Instructions

• Season meat with salt and pepper
• Add remaining ingredients (except greens and orzo )and very loosely, gently mix together. You don't want the meat to be compacted, as that will make the meatballs tough. (Save some parsley for garnishing. Have extra pecorino for topping soup.)
• Form into medium sized balls. You can make these into bite sized meatballs, but I prefer larger meatballs, which are more tender.
• Place foil or parchment paper on baking sheet.
• Bake meatballs for 15 minutes at 375 degrees or until outsides seems browned. Set aside.
• In soup pot, add just enough olive oil to cover bottom of pan. Add can of tomatoes, crushing with your hands. Add in broth. Cook on medium heat until tomato broth is hot. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Use immersion blender to blend the tomatoes to make a cleaner broth.
• Cook orzo al dente according to directions in separate pot minus one minute. You can also use small macaroni. Add to broth to finish cooking.
• Add in meatballs and optional greens.
• You can choose to serve orzo on the side or put into the soup.
• Serve with parmesan or pecorino romano. Garnish with more parsley.

Notes

Milk: You can skip milk. Do not substitute with almond or coconut milk as it will affect the taste. If you do skip milk and are using grass-fed beef, add a few tablespoons olive oil. Another way to add in some fat and flavor is to add in some chopped proscuitto, about a slice per pound.

 

The post Italian Meatball Soup in Tomato Broth appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

Edamame pasta doesn’t taste like edamame beans and it has a nice bite to it. Unlike the many rice flour, gluten free pasta on the market, this pasta does not fall apart. It has body, heft and holds up to any sauce.

I call my low-carb pastas bake an almost lasagna because I mix in dollops of ricotta cheese and plenty of meatballs and sausage all smothered in mozzarella cheese. Who wouldn’t love this?



Quick Tomato Sauce from Scratch

I made the sauce from scratch. This is a lot easier than you think it is and so much better than jarred. Please trust me on this. You CAN make authentic tomato sauce. It’s not necessary to cook a sauce for hours. You can make a quick sauce in 45 minutes. The easy comes in the form a an immersion blender.

Take a few cans of San Marzano tomatoes and put them in a pot. I like the Cento brand.  Simply squeeze the tomatoes and if there is any pulp that is too woody, take that out. Of the two cans, I had about a tablespoon of pulp I discarded. If you use a cheaper  Cook for thirty minutes with olive oil, a cup of water,  salt and pepper. Use the immersion blender to bring it into a smooth sauce.

The most labor intensive of this dish is making homemade meatballs. To keep this grain free, make these paleo meatballs. I actually added some left over grain free biscuits to the mix this time, but that makes it a whole different recipe, which I’ll post in the future. If you want to skip meatballs, add Italian sausage (or both like we do).

Bake Italian sausage for about twenty minutes at 400 degrees F. (Use a fork to poke holes).

The Cheeses in the Low Carb Pasta Bake

Add an 8 ounce container of ricotta cheese.  Look for whole fat and our favorite brand is Polly O. As far as mozzarella, it’s easy enough to find grated mozzarella that will melt easily.

There’s one more cheese I want to discuss here. Pecorino Romano, which is sheep’s cheese, whereas Parmesan is Cow’s milk cheese. It’s sharper, saltier and it’s the cheese the twins will eat as a snack. Not kidding. There’s nothing cuter to me than two boys who are not Italian asking for their Pecorino Romano.

 If You’re New Here

Not every recipe is low carb at Spinach Tiger, but most recipes promote well being and food made from scratch with real ingredients.  Sometimes I post ingredients that other members of the family eat, as I eat sugar free, gluten free and grain free almost all the time. It’s the life style that makes me feel the best!

Nutrition Remarks

I am not going to include nutrition values here as there are a lot of variables in making this recipe. As far as edamame pasta, a little goes a long way, and expands more than regular pasta. One ounce per person is enough for us and what you see in the large cast iron pan is about 7 ounces of pasta.

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Low Carb Pasta Bake with Edamame Pasta and Paleo Meatballs`

Low carb, Italian dinner with meatballs, keto friendly pasta and three cheeses.

Course Entree

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Ingredients

• 7 ounces edamame pasta
• 2 cans San Marzano Whole Tomatoes 16 ounce
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 pound Paleo Grain Free Italian Meatballs RECIPE HERE
• 1 pound Italian Sausage Option or Addition
• 1 handful fresh basil if available
• 8 ounces mozzarella cheese shredded
• 8 ounces ricotta cheese
• 1 teaspoon salt plus more for pasta
• 1 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

• Add oil to heavy bottomed pan for sauce. Break tomatoes up with hands. Discard the small ends that don't break up. It's important here to use a high quality brand that specifically says San Marzano, so you don't end up with a lot of pulp.
• Cook on medium for thirty minutes.
• Use a blender or immersion blender to make the sauce smooth.
• If using Italian sausage, fork, and bake for twenty minutes at 400 degrees.
• Add meatballs and sausage into sauce, while pasta is cooking.
• Cook pasta according to directions.
• Drain pasta, arrange in baking dish, with sliced meatballs and or sliced sausage, ricotta cheese. Sprinkle with parmesan or pecorino romano. Top with mozzarella.
• Bake at 375 degrees F. until cheese is completely melted, about twenty minutes.

Notes

You can use a canned sauce or your own favorite tomato sauce. I like this as it's so fresh tasting, easy and doesn't have sugar or additives. 

You can skip the meat or add it in however you choose. 

You can make your own decision as to how much ricotta cheese to use. 

This is a very easy recipe to make your own.

 

The post Low Carb Edamame Pasta Bake with Keto Meatballs appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

This is what being a food blogger is all about. I have over 1,000 recipes here at Spinach Tiger and yet new recipes come into my head all the time. Why haven’t I made Greek meatballs before?

It seems that ground meat has no end to being rediscovered. 

Can I talk to you a minute? Making these meatballs got me thinking about human nature.

Do you know how complex and interesting you are? I’m going out on a limb to say you want new experiences too, but you may not know it. You forget just how alive and fascinating you really are.

If you’re like me, you sit in the same chair at the dining room table, but that doesn’t mean we need to eat the same thing every Wednesday night. It’s in our nature to have adventure, to change things up and expand our world.  I like to do it with food!

While I keep a minimalist kitchen as far as ingredients, leaning towards Mediterranean. Olive oil, lemon, and fresh herbs fly into so many of my dishes, but even with these, there’s probably an infinite number of dishes for me to discover.  I don’t really have to step out of my wheel house to keep growing, and neither do you.

Why not make a decision that the “you” that wakes up tomorrow may be even more exciting and interesting than the “you” that woke up today. God is never finished with us, so why should we be.  I wrote more on us as “creators” in this post, and it gives us all something to think about.

I usually only make Italian meatballs, but why stop there? Greek Feta Lamb Meatballs will add a global flair to the table. Now I’m thinking Swedish meatballs, Korean meatballs.

If any of you have any interesting meatball recipes, please send them my way. 

Greek Feta Lamb meatballs with the pesto is simply an amazing bite of food.

Even meatballs can be more than meatballs. You can make them appetizer size and wow your guests or stuff them into pita bread for hearty sandwiches for the big eaters.

You can keep them keto friendly, which was my intention, because there’s lots of fat packed into them and no grains.

I love a good feta cheese as long as it’s all sheep’s cheese. I especially love it when it comes in a liquid brine. The salt and brine offer a very umami type experience. I made an amazing and unique dandelion pasta salad with feta here or feta olive salad here.

Feta and Pistachio Perfect for Lamb Meatballs

When the feta warms inside the meatballs, the flavors escalate.

The pistachio mint pesto simply adds another layer of flavor, texture and color and these are amazing!

Three More Ways You can Serve Greek Feta Lamb Meatballs

• You could make these cocktail size for a party. As soon as they come out of the oven, stick a skewer, top with pesto and serve. Your guests will applaud you.
• You could serve these between pita bread with arugula.
• Serve on top of a Greek Salad with more feta, tomatoes, Greek olives and instead of pesto, use this lemony vinaigrette. 

Greek Feta Meatballs with Lamb and Beef or All Beef

The first version was made with all beef, which was at least 15% fat. The fat is important for moisture. If you’re using a lean ground beef, soak with a little milk to tenderize the meat. Make sure you don’t pack your meatballs tight, which makes them tough.

The second version was made with half lamb and half ground grass fed beef. Grass fed is very lean and ground lamb is often tightly packed, so do add in some olive oil to bring some extra moisture, because these do not have any bread crumbs.

As far as flavoring, you can add some fresh rosemary or fresh or dried oregano, plus some red chili flakes.

The key to a good meatball is tenderness. I bake mine in the oven at 400 for 15-20 minutes.

Mint Pistachio Pesto

Last summer I made Pistachio Pesto which inspired me to make a mint version. This would also be amazing with any lamb dish, but try it on vegetables too. In this recipe I added a little butter (because I had made it too lemony). In the version for my leg of lamb, I kept it chunkier, less creamy.

NOTE: You can substitute blanched almonds for pistachios.

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There are never ending ways to make meatballs, and I’m hoping to bring you several new meatball recipes. Before today, my most interesting meatballs were the prosciutto meatballs with a savory blueberry pear shallot compote. 

This was the picture I put on Instagram, and many are waiting for the recipe. Don’t let them be the first to see our cooking. Please follow us at SpinachTiger.

More Meatball Recipes from Spinach Tiger

• Turkey Meatballs
• Veal Meatballs with Ricotta
• Homemade Italian Meatballs, Grain Free, Paleo
• Keto Meatball Sliders
• Ground Chicken Meatballs
• Meatball Soup (Italian Wedding Soup)
• Spaghetti and Meatballs
• Garden Tomato Sauce with Fresh Basil

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Feta Stuffed Meatballs with Pistachio Pesto (Keto, Paleo, Friendly)

Lamb and Beef combine with feta to make Greek meatballs with mint pistachio pesto

Course Entree

Cuisine Greek

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 18

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 pound ground lamb You can use all beef
• large handful parsley chopped
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 4 ounces crumbled feta not pre-made crumbles
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano or 1-2 tablespoons fresh oregano or fresh rosemary
• 2 cloves of garlic minced
• 1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• Mint Pistachio Pesto Recipe foundHere

Instructions

• If using beef and lamb, mix together, carefully.
• Add remaining ingredients and mix together.
• As far as herbs, if you don’t have oregano, use rosemary.
• Do a “taste test” by frying two tablespoons or so of meat mixture. Adjust seasonings as needed.
• Form meatballs. I use an scooper to make a uniform meatball.
• Bake at 400 degrees for approximately 20 minutes. Check at 15 minutes. Don’t over bake.
• While baking, prepare pistachio pesto.
• Serve immediately.
• Can be refrigerated for three days.
• Can be frozen.
• This makes 18 medium sized meatballs.

Notes

The pistachio pesto recipe is flexible. I added in extra butter in this recipe for the meatballs. You can make it chunky or smoother. That will be up to you. All are good.

Substitute pistachios with blanched almonds.

Feta: Do not use pre-made crumbles which have no flavor.

The post Greek Feta Meatballs with Pistachio Mint Pesto (Keto, Paleo, Friendly) appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

Today is National Spaghetti and Meatball Day. To celebrate such an American comfort food event, I give you a recipe for spaghetti pie. And, yes it has meatballs in it.  This is a dish meant to use leftovers. If you don’t have leftover meatballs, you can, switch out the meatballs for pepperoni or skip the meat altogether, but my favorite recipe for spaghetti pie is with meatballs.

Spaghetti and meatballs is historic and legendary, because it was a dish that was never supposed to happen. Neither was a recipe for spaghetti pie. At least not made with meatballs.

We think spaghetti and meatballs is an Italian dish, but in reality, it’s as American as the Southern biscuit. I’ve eaten all over Italy and Sicily and there are not spaghetti and meatballs on the menu.

The marriage of the meatballs to spaghetti took place in the early part of the 20th century probably in New York and spread rapidly throughout the northeast. If you’re shaking your head because meatballs and spaghetti are clearly Italian, you are right, but the the reason this is an American dish, it’s that it was never eaten together in the same dish.

Meatballs, known as polpette are served as a second course with a vegetable or a salad, after spaghetti is eaten as a first course. Somehow the Italians who brought their delicious and novel cuisine to the American appetite, realized that Americans wanted meat and the marriage of pasta with meat was born. Yes, it’s true that in Italy there are dishes of pasta and meat. For example, a bolognese sauce is used for pasta and lasagna and there are meat stuffed pastas, but when it comes to spaghetti and meatballs, they were never meant for each other.

I grew up here in American as a third generation Italian American, and throughout my whole childhood, we never ate the meatballs with spaghetti, and while Italian restaurants broke those rules, many Italians kept to tradition in their homes.

Today, it’s different. We serve it all together, and I’ll have to agree with the American appetite in that it’s one of the best comfort foods ever invented. It’s one of the most requested birthday dinners for children and adults alike.

Putting this altogether into a recipe for spaghetti  pie is brilliant. Not my invention, nor is it any Italian invention either. This is what I love about America. We just never stop creating new ways to eat the food we love.

The easiest way to make this is with leftover spaghetti and meatballs and sauce. I usually keep a container in the freezer, and when the mood hits and I have a voracious appetite for comfort food, I make a spaghetti pie.

Here is my favorite EASY Homemade Tomato Sauce. (I won’t judge if you use store bought).

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Recipe for Spaghetti Pie

Spaghetti pie made with left over tomato sauce and meatballs, with options to use pepperoni.

Course Entree

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 50 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 2 cups tomato sauce
• 6 - 8 meatballs or 16 slices of pepperoni recipe for meatballs here Also see body of post for more.
• 1/2 to 2/3 cups cooked spaghetti
• 1/4 cups freshly grated pecorino or parmesan cheese
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 cast iron pan or deep dish pie pan

Instructions

• Make spaghetti according to instructions minus 3 minutes. You will want the spaghetti very al dente, as it will finish cooking in the oven and as it cooks will soak in some of the sauce flavor.
• Slice meatballs, and put half on bottom of pan.
• Mix spaghetti with sauce and half of the mozzarella cheese. You can add more cheese if you want. The cheese will hold the pie together. You don't want it too saucy.
• Layer the spaghetti on top of the meatballs.
• Add the remaining meatballs, and mozzarella.
• Bake at 375 for 30 minutes or until the top cheese is melted.
• Serve with remaining parmesan cheese.
• Allow to sit for 10 minutes before cutting.

The post Recipe for Spaghetti Pie appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

You have to watch this movie clip from The Big Night to understand what I’m about to tell you about spaghetti and meatballs. This is a very funny scene about a topic the Italians take very seriously. And, it’s no mistake that the main characters are called Primo and Secondo.

This Video is Worth and Watch and Hillarious

This is a very opinionated post, and I can’t help myself, and when you think I’ve gone too far, please go back and watch the clip again.

Spaghetti and meatballs is a beloved “American” meal. I say American because you’re more likely to find it on a menu in the States than in Italy. If it’s on a menu in Italy, it’s there for tourists in a restaurant one should probably avoid.

In Italy, meatballs are called polpette and the recipe is very similar to what I grew up with. Polpette are eaten as main course, or in a soup. When the meatballs are made very tiny, (like marbles), they are called polpettine, typically found in the Abruzzo region.

As Italian restaurants popped up in neighborhoods called “Little Italy” all over the east coast in America, they eventually started serving spaghetti and meatballs in one dish. They didn’t start out serving the meatballs with the spaghetti,  but added them to adjust for the culture and the American tradition of eating the meat as the first course.

Hence, dish below m was never served in our home growing up. Although the meatballs would be cooked in a tomato sauce, meatballs would never actually be served with the spaghetti. As Secondo (above) says  in the movie  “sometimes the spaghetti likes to be alone.”

The spaghetti was served first in a shallow bowl that was sitting on a flat dinner plate. We ate spaghetti only with a clean, simple, tomato sauce (flavored by the meat, but not containing meat) and freshly grated cheese. When those dishes were removed, we ate the second course of meatballs (or perhaps others meats) with a salad on the dinner plate.

Spaghetti is never served with a meat sauce and meatballs at the same time. There is no such thing as a tomato meat sauce. There is a meat sauce (called bolognese) that has some (very little) tomato in it and that is served with a wide noodle or bucatini (see pic below) and used for lots of dishes. But, it’s not considered in the same family as spaghetti and meatballs.

There are many more meatball opinions. How to make the meatballs, what size to make them, garlic or no garlic, and how long to cook the sauce, which leads to what type of spaghetti should be served. You would think for such a simple, common, rustic kind of dish, there wouldn’t be so many strong opinions. But watch the movie again, and you’ll understand.

I accepted these “food rules” growing up, because I found my stability inside the rules. Food rules defined for me a “culture” to be a part of, and provided something I could rely on as a constant. I went to eight different grade schools, so my sanity required consistency and tradition.

Sitting at the table, following the food rules brought an hour of predictable sanity. It could be my grandmother’s table which meant good times (usually), or it could be a table in a small apartment with my mom, my brother and I, during one of the times we weren’t talking to the rest of the family, including my father. At least during this predictable hour, I could forget the other twenty-three.

You can play with your meatball recipe, but don’t be tempted to fill a meatball with too much garlic and crazy spices. A good meatball doesn’t do well when one ingredient takes over, either in flavor or in texture. If you add garlic, you must be careful, that it’s not sitting on the edge of the meatball and gets too browned, causing your meatball and your sauce to taste bitter.

This is why I recommend skipping the garlic or just going gently. Remember that as the meatballs sit in the sauce, they are going to become more flavorful, and it’s much more important to use good meat and good cheese.

The Meat for Meatballs

Many recipes have a mixture of pork, veal and beef. Many don’t have the access to affordable ground veal or choose not to eat veal, and in that case double up on the beef. Use high quality meat at least 85/15, but not an extra lean meat. If you do happen to buy extra lean-lean, add in a little olive oil.

While I prefer a beef/pork mixture or veal, you may prefer turkey. You will need to boost that flavor. Recipe Here.q

We also love veal meatballs. Ground veal can be pricey, and I grab it when it goes on sale. Veal meatballs are the most tender and flavorful on their own. You can add veal to your meat mixture (about 1/3), which is a more affordable way to include it.

The Sauce for Spaghetti & Meatballs Recipe

The third most popular at Spinach Tiger is my Grandmother’s Homemade Tomato Sauce. It’s easy and consistently good.

I prefer a clean pureed sauce for spaghetti and meatballs, and will strain good tomatoes making sure there are no seeds.

Some regions of Italy insist on adding carrots, onions and celery to tomato sauce. Save this for bolognese. It changes the flavor and texture of the sauce. It’s like trying to mix the northern and southern regions of Italian cooking together. Sometimes that can work. I don’t think it works for a clean tomato sauce, with one exception. I will add butter to my tomato sauce to make it creamier. It’s not really necessary, but it’s a nice touch, and is a northern Italian influence.

Pasta for Spaghetti and Meatballs

We like an authentic thick spaghetti, cooked al dente. For just a little more money, buy a high quality brand. There are now some good gluten free options too.

How to Cook Perfect Spaghetti

It’s important to get it right, and this post will give you the tips you need

What is Best Cheese for a Spaghetti & Meatballs Recipe

Use only freshly grated parmigiano reggiano or pecorino romano at table. Tip: take cheese down to room temperature before serving. Grate as you use it, as the cheese can dry out within the hour, changing the flavor. You need this cheese for the meatballs also.

Spaghetti with Meatballs

Just recently, after 100 years of tradition in America, we started putting spaghetti and meatballs on the same plate. I am still unsure about how I feel about it, and this is proof of how deep food memories can go and how the food rules have shaped me.

Thus, today I give you the Retro Rose version of a great American tradition: Spaghetti and Meatballs.

More Italian Recipes from Spinach Tiger

• Italian Meatball Soup
• Eggplant Rolatini
• Braciole (Italian Stuffed Steak)
• Keto Eggplant Lasagna
• Ten Different Tomato Sauces
• Stuffed Shells
• Manicotti
• Cheese Stuffed Meatballs
• Italian Eggplant Soup
• Old School Chicken Parmesan
• Spaghetti Pie
• Paparadelle with Prosciuto Meatballs

More Meatball Recipes from Spinach Tiger

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The Big Night and What You Need to Know About Spaghetti and Meatballs

Classic Spaghetti & Meatballs from my Italian Mother.

Course Entree

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 1 hour hour

Cook Time 2 hours hours

Total Time 3 hours hours

Servings 10

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

Meatball Recipe Ingredients

• 1/2 cup milk divided
• 3 large slices left over Italian bread
• 2 pounds ground chuck
• 1 pound ground pork ask butcher to grind fresh (or use all ground beef)
• 1/2 cup finely chopped parsley
• 1/2 cup freshly grated cheese you can mix parmesan and pecorino but don’t use pre-grated cheese or cheese blends
• 1-2 cloves of garlic minced (optional)
• 2 eggs
• sea salt black pepper

Pasta

• 2 Pounds Pasta
• 1/4 cup salt
• 12 quarts water

Tomato Sauce Recipe Found here

Instructions

• Take meat and eggs out 30 minutes before preparation. Put meat in large bowl.
• Mix pork and beef together.
• Soak bread in milk. Squeeze milk from bread. Set bread aside. Use all milk left over to soak meat.
• Add parsley, cheese, garlic, salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly. Add eggs. Mix. Add bread and now mix just enough to hold together. Don’t over mix, as there will be some pieces of bread throughout the mixture, unlike mixing a meatloaf with bread crumbs.
• Do one tester meatball on top of the stove. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. You may need more cheese, salt or pepper.
• Fry until browned all over. Add to tomato sauce.
• My preference is to bake on parchment paper on cookie sheet for 20-25 minutes at 350. They don’t have to be completely cooked through as they will cook in the sauce.

Pasta

• If you don’t have a large enough pot to put in 12 quarts water, cook separately. Each pound of pasta needs six quarts water.
• Boil water. Once boiling add salt. Once water is boiling again, add pasta.
• Cook according to instructions. Drain.

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