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Prep Time: 30 Minutes Cook Time: 45 Minutes |
Ready In: 75 Minutes Servings: 6 |
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An Italian-American creation that is a classic. Ingredients:
1 large egg |
1/3 cup milk |
1 1/2 cups soft bread cubes (torn or cut from plain slices of white bread with crust) |
1 lb ground beef |
1/2 cup grated pecorino romano cheese, plus extra for serving |
1 teaspoon very finely minced garlic |
1/4 cup very finely minced parsley |
1/4 cup olive oil |
6 cups tomato sauce, warmed (longer-cooked, very garlicky marinara sauce) |
1 lb spaghetti |
2 tablespoons butter |
Directions:
1. In a large bowl, beat the egg; then blend in the milk. 2. Add in the bread cubes, stirring to coat them well; let sit for 15 minutes. 3. Using a fork, mash the bread cubes until they’ve formed a rough paste. 4. Add in the ground beef to the bowl; working with your hands, incorporate the rough paste into the beef. 5. Add in cheese, garlic, and parsley; blend in evenly; add salt and pepper to taste. 6. Using wet hands, form the meat into balls the size of golf balls or a little smaller. 7. Add olive oil to a large heavy skillet over med-high heat; add in the meatballs to brown them on all sides—don’t crowd them in the pan; you may have brown them in batches. 8. Transfer meatballs to the saucepan that holds the warmed tomato sauce; bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 45 minutes. 9. When the meatballs are nearly done, drop the spaghetti into a big pot of boiling salted water. 10. Cook spaghetti until al dente, about 8-9 minutes. 11. Drain spaghetti in a colander; then return it to the pasta cooking pot over medium heat. 12. Ladle in enough sauce to just coat the pasta; stir well. 13. Add in the butter and stir well. 14. Keep the pasta in the pot for a total of about 1 minute. 15. Divide the pasta among six wide, shallow bowls; top each mound of pasta with a few meatballs, then ladle some more sauce over all. 16. Serve with grated Romano cheese on the side. |
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