Spaghetti sauce gets flavor from simmering meatballs
I grew up eating spaghetti, but its one of those meals I don’t
often order at a restaurant. I’m picky when it comes to my pasta
sauce and to the meat that is served with it. I like a sauce that
has a lot of flavor and chunky texture, whether it is from
vegetables or meat. I often start off my pasta sauce with a base of
Prego spaghetti sauce, but then add in wine, herbs, diced tomatoes
and mushrooms to fill out the sauce.
Last weekend, I decided to try my hand at making the sauce more
robust with some meatballs. I couldn’t find a recipe I liked, since
most of the ones I saw incorporate some mixture of ground beef,
veal and pork. I decided to come up with my own recipe using just
ground beef and some other ingredients for extra flavor. Eggs and
breadcrumbs helped to keep the mixture together while cheese, fresh
garlic, onion and Italian seasoning gave the meatballs a lot of
flavor. I browned the meatballs in a pan before adding them to the
sauce, and allowing them to cook for 30 minutes. The meatballs
stayed tender and gave more flavor to the sauce.
Spaghetti sauce gets flavor from simmering meatballs
I grew up eating spaghetti, but its one of those meals I don’t often order at a restaurant. I’m picky when it comes to my pasta sauce and to the meat that is served with it. I like a sauce that has a lot of flavor and chunky texture, whether it is from vegetables or meat. I often start off my pasta sauce with a base of Prego spaghetti sauce, but then add in wine, herbs, diced tomatoes and mushrooms to fill out the sauce.
Last weekend, I decided to try my hand at making the sauce more robust with some meatballs. I couldn’t find a recipe I liked, since most of the ones I saw incorporate some mixture of ground beef, veal and pork. I decided to come up with my own recipe using just ground beef and some other ingredients for extra flavor. Eggs and breadcrumbs helped to keep the mixture together while cheese, fresh garlic, onion and Italian seasoning gave the meatballs a lot of flavor. I browned the meatballs in a pan before adding them to the sauce, and allowing them to cook for 30 minutes. The meatballs stayed tender and gave more flavor to the sauce.
I also decided to try another dish at home that I don’t often like in restaurants. I rarely ever order beef with broccoli because I don’t like the sauce that is used in most Chinese restaurants. But my mom found a recipe that used a few ingredients we already had at home to make a low-calorie version of the meal. We added in some extra vegetables and the sauce turned out perfectly for my palate.
Spaghetti and Italian meatballs
1 jar marinara sauce
1-15 oz. can tomato sauce
1-15 oz. can diced tomatoes
Olive oil
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped and divided in half
1 yellow onion, finely chopped and divided in half
10 button mushrooms, sclied
½ c. white wine, such as Pinot Grigio
2 lb. ground beef
½ c. bread crumbs
½ parmesan cheese
4 tbsp. Italian season, divided in half
2 eggs
1 box whole wheat spaghetti, cooked according to package instructions
In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add half the garlic and onion, sauteing until the onions turn translucent. Add in marinara sauce, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, wine and half the Italian seasoning. Place a lid on the sauce.
In a large bowl, combine the hamburger, eggs, bread crumbs, cheese, and the rest of the garlic, onion and Italian seasonings. Heat a large pan on the stove to medium heat. Roll the meat into small balls, just smaller than a golf ball. Place six to seven in the pan, turn them after a few minutes to brown each side. Once the meatballs are browned all the way around, add to the sauce. The mixture should make about 36 meatballs. After all the meatballs are finished, add the mushrooms to the sauce. Keep the lid on it. The sauce should cook for half an hour without the meatballs, and half an hour with the meatballs to let all the flavors mix.
When the sauce is almost done cooking, boil a pot of water for the pasta and cook according to package instructions. Serve the pasta on a large serving tray, with sauce and meatballs on top. The recipe makes enough to serve six to eight. For smaller dinner parties, cut the portions in half or freeze half of the sauce and meatballs for another meal.
Chinese beef with broccoli
Recipe courtesy of Food Network Magazine
2 tbsp. cornstarch
4 tbsp. soy sauce
2 tsp. sugar
5 tbsp. peanut oil
1 lb. flank steak, thinly sliced against the grain
1 tbsp. oyster sauce
1 1/4 c. low-sodium chicken broth
4 thin slices peeled ginger
1 head broccoli, cut into florets
1 large onion, halved and sliced 1/2 inch thick
3 plum tomatoes, quartered lengthwise
2 cloves garlic, minced
Cooked white rice, for serving (optional)
Whisk 1 tablespoon cornstarch, 3 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 teaspoon sugar and 1 tablespoon peanut oil in a large bowl. Add the steak and toss to coat; refrigerate until ready to cook.
Whisk the remaining 1 tablespoon each cornstarch and soy sauce, the oyster sauce and chicken broth in a small bowl; set aside.
Heat 1 tablespoon peanut oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the ginger, broccoli and the remaining 1 teaspoon sugar and stir-fry 3 to 4 minutes; transfer to a plate. Heat 1 more tablespoon peanut oil in the skillet, add the onion and stir-fry 2 to 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook, turning gently, 2 minutes. Transfer the onion and tomatoes to the plate with the broccoli.
Reduce the heat to medium high; add the remaining 2 tablespoons peanut oil to the skillet. Add the garlic and steak and stir-fry 1 minute. Whisk the sauce mixture, then add to the skillet and simmer 1 minute. Return the vegetables to the skillet; cook until the meat is cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes. Serve with rice, if desired.
Per serving: Calories 404; Fat 24 g (Saturated 6 g); Cholesterol 45 mg; Sodium 1,055 mg; Carbohydrate 18 g; Fiber 4 g; Protein 30 g
