Kicking Up The Classics

Who doesn't love spaghetti and meatballs? The awesome thing about spaghetti and meatballs is that there are thousands of different recipes for the sauce, the noodles, and the meatballs. But in the end.. it's still one the most loved food classics.

I made spaghetti on Friday night for my husband, who had a long and draining week. It has taken me years and dozens of different variations of this recipe. I'm really pleased with how the meatball ingredients turned out... this was the first time I tried it this way and it worked out the best so far. I've heard good things about Vodka Sauce (no, it's not what you think it might be) so I wanted to give it a try. Vodka Sauce is essentially a tomato sauce with half & half. I thought it was a great change from the typical tomato sauce but, I'm not sure that I'd try it again.

Mara's Spaghetti & Meatballs
Prep Time = 20 minutes
Cook Time = 30 minutes

Meatballs
- 1 lb of ground lean meat (turkey is healthy but not quite the same - I used a combo of lean beef and pork)
- 1 tbsp grated onion (I substituted this for the egg that is typically used for meatballs.. and this seemed to keep the meat moist without letting it fall apart)
- 1/4 cup minced sweet onion
- 1 tbsp fresh basil
- 1 tbsp parmesan cheese
- 2 tbsp bread crumb (Italian)
- 1 clove grated garlic (I use a micro-plane and highly recommend it)
- Italian seasoning
- Salt, pepper
- Combine together in a bowl (don't be afraid to use your hands - soap and water works wonders). Roll into the size a little larger than a ping-pong ball. Place a cookie sheet and bake at 450 for 10-13 minutes. The only negative thing that I can see about baking the meatballs is that one side will get a little charred if they aren't flipped. But, it is the healthiest option in comparison to frying in a pan.

Spaghetti
- Add a box of spaghetti noodles to a large pot, boil, and drain. Set the noodles aside.
- Add 1 jar of Vodka Sauce to the same pot. At this time you can also add 1 chopped fresh tomato - we received about 8 garden fresh tomatoes from our neighbors. This gives the sauce a little more texture. If you prefer no texture.. that's okay too.
- Heat the sauce until it bubbles and then stir in the noodles and meatballs.
- Simmer together for approximately 10 minutes. Serve and enjoy.

Honey, Balsamic Vinaigrette

- 1 tbsp of honey (it's a pain to measure honey though so I suggest not doing that)

- 1 tbsp of balsamic vinegar

- 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil

- Salt and pepper

- Whisk rapidly until completely combined and add to the top of your desired salad

Field greens, sweet onion, salt and pepper

My dinner - Paired with a light glass of Chardonnay

This was my own little version of Italian cooking. If my husband has been through a rough week.. I like that he can come home, eat some dinner and melt his cares away. It brings me joy. 

I hope you try this and enjoy it as much as we did. 

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