Easy Spaghetti & Meatballs

I love my kids – Lord knows I do – but I am sick & tired of them not eating what I cook for dinner. I beg, I plead, my husband threatens.. to no avail. Thankfully this is one recipe our whole family can agree on. Simple and delicious, inexpensive, and as long as you have the ingredients on hand, something you can whip up anytime. Who doesn’t like spaghetti & meatballs? NO ONE (even vegetarians). Case closed. PS: These meatballs freeze beautifully too, so feel free to make several batches at once and stock up for emergencies. Like. tomorrow night.

Serves 4.

SODIUM CONTENT: 172 mg per serving

INGREDIENTS

1 lb. extra lean ground beef
1 medium onion, grated
2 cloves garlic, grated
1 egg, beaten
1/2 c. salt free bread crumbs
1 T. grated Parmesan cheese
1 t. dried basil
1/2 t. dried oregano
1/2 t. dried thyme
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 T. olive oil
2 c. no salt added pasta sauce
1 lb. dried spaghetti

DIRECTIONS

Place ground beef in a mixing bowl and add the grated onion and garlic. Mix together using your (freshly washed) hands. Add the egg, bread crumbs, cheese and seasonings, and mix thoroughly with your (they better be clean) hands. To make the meatballs, I find it’s very helpful to use a small ice cream scoop. This keeps the balls evenly sized and shaped and will ensure they cook at the same rate. (Plus they look pretty.) But if you don’t have a small scoop, simply pinch off a tablespoon or two of the meat mixture and roll between your palms to achieve a nice globe. Set the meatball aside and repeat with remaining meat mixture, until you have roughly 22 – 2-inch meatballs.

Heat the olive oil in a large saute pan or skillet over medium heat. Add the meatballs and brown on all sides. Once the meatballs have browned, add the pasta sauce, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 20 minutes, stirring or shaking the pan every so often.

Bring a stock pot of water to boil over high heat. Once boiling, add the spaghetti and cook according to directions on the package (for dry pasta about 10 minutes). Once the spaghetti is cooked, drain and then serve hot with the meatballs & sauce. Manga!