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Spaghetti with minced meat meatballs

Spaghetti and Meatballs

Quick, simple, and tasty — a perfect family dinner! These spaghetti and meatballs come together in no more than half an hour. No fuss and no long waits, just a delicious, hearty meal on the table. The simplicity and minimal effort make this one especially handy on a weeknight.

Julia

Recipe author

Composition / ingredients

Servings:

Spaghetti

200

Water

Salt

Olive oil

Ground meat

350

Onion (small)

Egg

0.5

Parmesan

Ground black pepper

Broth

Parsley

Translation table of volumetric measures

Nutrients and energy value of the composition of the recipe

By weight of the composition:

Proteins 21 % 3 g

Fats 43 % 6 g

Carbohydrates 36 % 5 g

87 kcal

GI: 17 / 83 / 0

Cooking method

Cooking time: 30 min

Step 1:

How do you make spaghetti and meatballs? Gather your ingredients. Use any ground meat — pork, beef, or a blend; I'm using pork and beef. Any neutral vegetable oil works in place of the olive oil, and any hard cheese can stand in for Parmesan. Choose durum-wheat spaghetti.
Step 2:

Start with the meatballs. Peel and wash the onion, then grate it on the fine side of a grater.
Step 3:

Grate the Parmesan (or other hard cheese) fine.
Step 4:

Wash, dry, and finely chop the parsley.
Step 5:

In a bowl, combine the ground meat, egg, grated onion, cheese, and parsley. Add ground black pepper, salt, and mix well.
Step 6:

Shape the mixture into small meatballs.
Step 7:

Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet and add the meatballs. Fry them over medium heat until lightly browned, which seals in all the juiciness.
Step 8:

Turn the meatballs as they cook so they brown evenly on all sides.
Step 9:

Pour the broth into the skillet — any broth works, or add a little water if you don't have any. Cover and simmer the meatballs over low heat for 10 minutes, stirring now and then. They'll be done by then. Leave the meat juices that gather in the skillet.
Step 10:

Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti. Bring a pot of water to a boil, salt it, and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
Step 11:

Add the spaghetti to the boiling water. Cook over moderate heat, stirring now and then, until al dente — just shy of done. Check the package for the recommended time.
Step 12:

Drain the spaghetti in a colander.
Step 13:

Add the spaghetti to the skillet with the meatballs and toss. Heat everything together for 1–2 minutes.
Step 14:

Before serving, top the spaghetti and meatballs with the remaining Parmesan and some chopped parsley. Enjoy!

How to cook pasta properly: use a roomy pot with about 1 liter of water per 100 grams of pasta — the pasta should float freely. Salt it to taste and bring to a boil. It's important to add the pasta only to boiling water, or it may stick together. Cook over medium heat, stirring now and then, until done or al dente (check the package for the time). Drain in a colander and let the water run off; there's no need to rinse it. If you're not going to toss it with sauce right away, return it to the pot and stir in a teaspoon of olive oil (or a pat of butter) to keep it from sticking.
Use an oil with a high smoke point for frying. Every oil is fine up to a certain temperature — its smoke point — beyond which it starts to burn and form harmful compounds. Unrefined oils mostly have low smoke points, since they're full of unfiltered particles that scorch quickly. Refined oils stand up to heat much better. If you're cooking in the oven, a skillet, or on the grill, reach for a high-smoke-point oil — refined sunflower, olive, or grapeseed are the most common choices.