Spaghetti and Meatballs

I was craving pasta so I decided to make a batch of spaghetti and meatballs. I used leftover roasted garlic and basil marinara sauce that I had in the freezer to make this meal extra simple to make. The meatballs turned out really moist and tender and were a huge hit with all of us, especially my daughter. If you don't feel like making your own marinara, your favorite jar of sauce would work great too. This meal was fast and simple to make and perfect for the cool rainy day we were having.

Spaghetti and Meatballs:

Recipe and photos by For the Love of Cooking.net

• 4 cups of Roasted Garlic and Basil Marinara Sauce
• 1 lb lean ground beef (I used 93/7)
• 7 button mushrooms, diced finely
• 1/4 sweet yellow onion, diced finely
• 1/4 cup of Italian style breadcrumbs
• 2 tbsp Parmesan cheese, shredded
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
• 1/2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 tsp fennel seed, crushed
• Sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper
• 1 tsp olive oil (for cooking)
• 8 oz whole wheat spaghetti noodles
• Parmesan cheese
• Fresh basil, chiffonade

Put the onions, garlic, Parmesan cheese, and mushrooms in a food processor to chop, otherwise chop them as small as you can. Combine the meat, mushroom mixture, bread crumbs, egg, parsley, basil, fennel seed, sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste then mix together gently. Form into small meatballs and set aside.

Once the meatballs are prepared. Heat a skillet over medium heat with 1 tsp olive oil. Cook the meatballs until golden brown on all sides. Remove from skillet and place the cooked meatballs in the roasted garlic and basil marinara. Simmer the meatballs in the marinara for 30 minutes.

Cook the spaghetti per instructions. Serve the spaghetti with the sauce and meatballs on top. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and fresh basil. Enjoy.

Click here for a printable version of this recipe - For the Love of Cooking.net