i first prepped a batch of "quick tomato sauce" found on page 562, which includes softening a small minced onion in olive oil and then simmering 1 can of 28 ounce can whole tomatoes, 1/4 cup tomato paste, 1 t sugar, 1 t salt, and 2 t dried basil and oregano.
while that was simmering, i combined the following in a large mixing bowl: 1 pound ground beef, 1 minced garlic clove, 1/2 c chopped parsley, 1/2 c grated parmesan, 1 chopped onion, 1/2 c bread crumbs, 1 beaten egg, 2 T tomato paste, 1 t salt, 1/4 t black pepper, 1/2 t dried oregano.
careful not to overwork the mixture, as handling and compacting the meat too much makes for tough, chewy meatballs, i delicately formed eight 2" meatballs.
the meatballs were then dredged in flour and browned on all sides in olive oil. what i do recommend here is watching your heat level as the excess flour in the pan started to burn by the time the 2nd batch of meat balls were added.
once browned, the meatballs went into the tomato sauce to simmer and cook through. be careful when transferring the meatballs as they are quite heavy and have a tendancy to break apart in the process.
a pound of barilla spaghetti, drizzled with some good olive oil, make the base and 2 meatballs with with a scoopful of tomato sauce make the topper. for veggies, i halved a romaine heart and topped that with feta, balsamic, and olive oil.
this joy of cooking recipe yielded incredibly moist and flavorful meatballs and was surprisingly easy to make. there is a bit of prep time due to all the chopped ingredients, but you could easily cut down on time if you're okay with bottled pasta sauce. and considering we are all a bit short on time during the weeknights, that is a very good idea. just doctor up the sauce with some fresh italian parsley and chopped garlic. the flavorful, chunky meatballs will do the rest.
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