Posted at http://mynew30.blogspot.com
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon of Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon of Slap Ya Mama Cajun seasoning
2 bay leaves
Dash of red pepper flakes
2 large (26.5 ounce) cans of spaghetti sauce (recommend Del Monte or Hunts)
1 can (14.5 ounce) sliced stewed tomatoes
1 pound package of fully cooked meatballs, homemade meatballs (recipe follows), or 1 pound of ground beef for meat sauce
1 pound package of thin spaghetti noodles
3 large pinches of kosher salt for the pasta water
Heat the oil over medium heat in a large saucepan or a small stockpot. Add the onion and cook until softened. Add the garlic and continue cooking for about 3 or 4 minutes. Add the Italian seasoning, Cajun seasoning, 2 bay leaves, and a couple dashes of red pepper flakes, stir in and cook for about 2 minutes. If you are making a meat sauce instead of using meatballs, add the ground beef here and cook until browned. Add the stewed tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes. Add the 2 cans of spaghetti sauce, bring to a boil, reduce to a medium simmer and cook covered for 30 minutes. Add the meatballs, stir to mix in well, cover and cook an additional 25 minutes, or per the package instructions. If doing meat sauce, you can finish the sauce with the first 30 minute simmer. If you are short on time, go ahead and add the meatballs right away, and they should be finished with that first 30 minute simmer. The sauce can go as short as 30 minutes with any method, or for several hours on a very low simmer, if you have the time.
Season the pasta water with 3 generous pinches of kosher salt and bring to a boil. Cook the pasta according to the package direction for al dente, drain and return to the pasta pot. Scoop out some of the spaghetti sauce and add it to the spaghetti noodles. Stir until pasta is well coated. Transfer spaghetti noodles to a platter and top with the sauce and meatballs.
Homemade Meatballs
Posted at http://mynew30.blogspot.com
1 pound of ground beef
1/2 cup of bread crumbs
1/3 cup of onion, finely minced
1/4 cup of milk
1 egg
1 tablespoon of fresh parsley
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2-3 tablespoons of canola oil, more or less, as needed
Mix the ground beef, bread crumbs, onion, milk, egg, parsley, salt, pepper, and Worcestershire. Gently shape into 1-inch balls.
Heat the canola in a large skillet and brown the meatballs, turning to brown on all sides. Remove the meatballs, and set aside.
Leftover Meatballs
The leftover meatballs from this sauce make a fantastic meatball sub sandwich! Warm the meatballs in the microwave, just enough to take the chill off. Preheat the broiler. Get a good French roll or sub roll, open it up, cut a few meatballs in half and lay them on the roll. Be generous! Spoon a little sauce on top of the meatballs. Cover with sliced mozzarella cheese and place under the broiler just long enough to toast bread and melt the cheese. For a softer roll, warm the meatballs in the microwave and prepare as above except wrap tightly in aluminum foil. Place into a preheated 350 degree oven for 20 to 30 minutes or until warmed completely through.
