Spaghetti was a common dinner in our home growing up. We had it 3-4 times a month…
Now I don’t have a problem with Spaghetti. I actually really love pasta. But I just kind of got tired of it.
When I moved out, I didn’t make Spaghetti at all for about 7 years. Yikes!! That makes me feel old, I moved out 9 years ago.
That was a crazy train of thought.
Back to Spaghetti! Then one day I was trying to figure out what to eat and I randomly decided on Spaghetti, but I wanted to revamp my mom’s delicious marinara sauce and try making homemade meatballs.
It was a success. And now we have Spaghetti every so often, but whenever we have it, we have meatballs, too! So now its more of a special meal for us, instead of our go-to in a pinch meal.
It’s so delicious, I just don’t want to get tired of it again! However, it is super easy and from start to finish… meatballs to sauce… You can make Spaghetti and Meatballs in less than 30 minutes!!
Add a quick salad and you are done! So if you are looking for a meal in a pinch, this could be a great one for you!
- For the Meatballs:
- ½ lb. ground turkey
- ½ lb. Italian sausage
- ¼ c. dry bread crumbs
- ½ tsp. pepper
- 2 Tbsp. dried onion
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 tsp. basil
- ½ tsp. parsley
- 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp. salt
- For the Marinara Sauce:
- 1 16 oz. can tomato sauce
- 1 16 oz can diced tomatoes
- 1 12 oz. can tomato paste
- pinch of baking soda (to help balance acidity)
- ½ tsp. black pepper
- 1 Tbs. oregano
- ½ Tbs. Basil
- 1 Tbs. garlic
- 2 Tbs. parsley flakes
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 Tbs. sugar
- pinch of red pepper flakes
- 3 Tbs. Parmesan cheese
- Mix all of your meatball ingredients together gently and shape into 1 inch balls. Place on a cookie sheet. We like them small because they cook quicker and you get more (we freeze the leftovers and save them for another night).
- Broil for about 8-12 minutes or until they start to brown. Watch them very closely!! If you are picky about your meat being cooked well (I am) then double check one by cutting it in half to see if its done. Set aside.
- While the meatballs are broiling start your pot of water and bring to a boil. Once boiling add the spaghetti (or linguine) noodles, I usually use half of a 16 oz package to serve 4. After they are cooked, drain the noodles and toss with a little olive oil to prevent them getting sticky!
- Make sure to get your sauce going as soon as you can. I usually start my sauce at the same time as the boiling water.
- Combine all the sauce ingredients and simmer for about 20-25 minutes. Serve over hot pasta.
Delicious!!
Want some more pasta favorites??
Lemon Chicken and Zucchini Pasta
Creamy and Tangy Summer Sausage Pasta Salad
