Not-So-Traditional Spaghetti And Meatballs

See dozens of ways to combine these two dinner winners.

Recipe Summary Not-So-Traditional Spaghetti And Meatballs

Everyone will wonder what you did differently this time around. The secret is cilantro. Cilantro is wonderful in guacamole but it takes on a whole different flavor in these delicious meatballs. Trust me, I've made these for many potlucks and everyone always loves them. Even people who swear they hate cilantro. Serve the meatballs and sauce over spaghetti.

Ingredients | Recipes With Chicken Meatballs And Pasta

2 pounds ground beef

2 tablespoons kosher salt

2 tablespoons dried oregano

2 tablespoons dried basil

1 ½ tablespoons ground black pepper

1 tablespoon dried rosemary

1 tablespoon chili powder

2 eggs

½ cup finely chopped onion

¼ cup finely chopped cilantro

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 cup Italian-seasoned bread crumbs

1 (45 ounce) jar traditional-flavor pasta sauce

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Place wire racks over 2 baking sheets lined with aluminum foil.

Combine beef, salt, oregano, basil, black pepper, rosemary, and chili powder in a large bowl. Stir in eggs, onion, cilantro, and garlic until evenly distributed. Gradually incorporate bread crumbs until mixture is moist but not gooey.

Scoop up meat mixture using a mini ice cream scoop and shape into balls that are slightly smaller than golf balls. Arrange meatballs on prepared wire racks.

Bake in the preheated oven until golden, about 30 minutes. Flip and continue baking until browned on the other side, about 15 minutes more.

Transfer meatballs to a large pot; pour in pasta sauce. Bring to a simmer; cook until flavors combine, at least 30 minutes.

Your onion, garlic, and cilantro must be finely chopped or you'll have big chunks sticking out of your meatballs. I chop everything by hand; I tried using a food processor before and it turned my onion into mush. Everything should hold easily when you try and form your meatballs without having to press the mix together too much. Too dry? Add more egg. Too wet? More breadcrumbs.

If you need to, you can use up to three 24-ounce jars of Prego(R) to cover all the meatballs you have made. The meatballs will give the sauce you use a wonderful flavor.

These are great for making a day in advance; they taste even better the next day.

Instead of baking the meatballs, you can also cook them on the stovetop in a lightly-oiled skillet over medium heat until they develop a nice dark color. You'll have to work in batches. Drain on paper towels to remove excess oil.

Info | Recipes With Chicken Meatballs And Pasta

prep: 30 mins cook: 1 hr 15 mins additional: 15 mins total: 2 hrs Servings: 8 Yield: 8 servings

TAG : Not-So-Traditional Spaghetti And Meatballs

Main Dish Recipes, Pasta, Spaghetti Recipes,