Father's Day Recipes: Old School Spaghetti and Meatballs for Dad
Submitted by Sisu
Here's a Father's Day recipe that will bring dad back to his grandmother's kitchen. Old school meatballs and spaghetti are a family favorite, but baking the meatballs instead of frying them to brown them will create less mess, and keep you free to dote on dad on his special day. You can give dad a break from piggy back rides with this Father's Day recipe, too—the kids can stay busy in the kitchen by helping roll the meatballs (with squeaky clean hands!).
- For the meatballs:
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1/2 pound ground pork
- 1/2 pound ground veal*
- 1 cup fresh white bread crumbs (approximately 4 slices, whirred in a mini-food processor)
- 1/4 cup seasoned dry bread crumbs
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 extra-large egg, beaten
- Cooking spray
- *substitute 1 pound ground turkey for the veal and pork, if desired
- For the sauce:
- 1 tablespoon good olive oil
- 1 cup chopped yellow onion (1 onion)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1/2 cup good red wine (feel free to use leftovers from last night!)
- 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- For serving:
- 1 pound spaghetti, cooked according to package directions
- Freshly grated Parmesan
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Place the ground meats, both bread crumbs, parsley, Parmesan, salt, pepper, nutmeg, egg, and 3/4 cup warm water in a bowl. Combine very lightly with a fork. Using your hands, lightly form the mixture into 2-inch meatballs. You will have 14 to 16 meatballs.
Spray a sheet pan with cooking spray and place meatballs on the pan, leaving space between them. Place pan in the oven and bake for approximately 20 minutes or until browned. The meatballs will not be fully cooked at this stage, so resist the urge to pop one in your mouth! Remove meatballs from the pan and place on paper towels to absorb grease.
While the meatballs are baking, start the sauce. Heat the olive oil a dutch oven. Add the onion and saute over medium heat until translucent, 5 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the wine and cook on high heat, until almost all the liquid evaporates, about 3 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, parsley, salt, and pepper.
Place the meatballs to the sauce, cover, and simmer on the lowest heat for 25 to 30 minutes, until the meatballs are cooked through. Serve hot on cooked spaghetti and pass the grated Parmesan.
- Make a double batch of this Father's Day recipe and freeze some for later. Serve the meatballs and sauce on slider rolls with a slice of mozzarella or provolone for mini-meatball subs.
This recipe makes a great meal for Father's Day or ANY day!
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