Spaghetti with Meatballs

Meatballs is one of those dishes that you can prepare and cook in advance, freeze and thaw when you want to cook it.

I have been in a freezing spree this past few days. I've actually been separating meat and vegetables in freezer bags for quick cooking. I also repacked lettuce (not for freezing!) for salad in individual portions so I won't have to touch the other ones since lettuce even left in the fridge wilts easily.

For this recipe, I didn't refer to recipes online since I have done it several times before.

Spaghetti with Meatballs Recipe

Ingredients (meatballs)
half kilo ground lean beef
1 large brown/yellow onion, minced
4-5 cloves of garlic, pureed or minced
2-3 tbsp worcestershire sauce
1 egg
1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs
celery salt or any type of salt
pepper
chives (optional)

1. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl, making sure it's seasoned well. Form into a ball.

2. If baking, place an aluminum foil in a baking pan then oil it. Make sure to use the foil for easy cleanup. I didn't use one and it was messy.

3. Bake it for about 20-25 minutes at 200 degrees C. You can turn the meatballs halfway if you want to brown all sides, but it's not necessary.

4. Completely cool before storing it in a freezer bag or container.

You can freeze them as is or in several sauces (gravy, marinara, sweet and sour). I made a simple marinara sauce.

Ingredients (marinara sauce) 2-3 servings
1 tbsp olive oil
canned chopped tomatoes
2tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp sugar
salt and pepper
half cup pasta water
10pcs meatballs

1. Make sure to keep at least half a cup of the water where you boiled your pasta. The starch in pasta water will make the pasta cling easier to the sauce and it helps in thinning the sauce. I find that it also adds flavor specially if you add salt to your pasta water.

2. Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil and pour in canned tomato with its juice.

3. As it thickens, add half of the pasta water and 2 tbsp tomato paste. Add additional as necessary pasta water if sauce is too thick.

4. Add sugar, salt and pepper to taste.

5. Pour meatballs in the pan and cover with sauce. Let it simmer for 2 minutes.

6. Pour cooked pasta in the sauce and mix together until all the pasta is covered with sauce.

7. Plate in an oven safe container if you are baking it with cheese or just plate accordingly and grate some cheese on top.

Do we have the same spaghetti with meatballs recipe? Please leave a comment below if you do anything differently. Would love to hear from you!

Thanks a lot and happy cooking!