Description
A sweet version of spaghetti and meatballs, just the way I like it. It’s similar to Filipino spaghetti, but without the banana ketchup and red hot dogs— just good ole sugar as a sweetener and super moist and flavorful made-from-scratch beef meatballs.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Meatballs
- 2 slices white bread
- 1/3 cup whole milk (or water)
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 whole egg
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour (to coat meatballs)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil (for frying meatballs)
Sauces and Noodles
- Rao's 28 oz marinara sauce
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 lb dried spaghetti noodles
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- Thinly sliced basil (optional)
Instructions
- Combine bread slices with milk and set aside for 5 minutes, then mash with a fork into small pieces.
- Make the meat mixture: Add ground beef, garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning, salt, sugar, ground black pepper, parmesan cheese, mashed bread, and egg to a large bowl. Mix until well combined.
- Make meatball: Shape the mixture into golf ball-sized meatballs (about 28 in total). Dredge or roll the meatballs in flour, dusting off any excess.
- Pan fry: Heat a wide skillet with olive oil. Add the meatballs and brown them on all sides, about 8 minutes in total. Remove the meatballs and set them aside. Drain off any excess oil, leaving a thin layer in the skillet. Return the meatballs to the skillet and set it aside for now.
- Prepare spaghetti: Cook the pasta according to the package instructions until al dente or to your desired doneness. Reserve ¼ cup of pasta water, then drain the rest. Return the noodles to the empty warm pot. Add butter and toss until the butter is completely melted.
- Prepare the sauce: Back to the meatball skillet, return it to the stove. Add marinara sauce. To the jar, add the reserved pasta water and swirl it around to get all the sauce from the jar. Pour it into the skillet and bring the mixture to a light simmer. Partially cover with a lid or cover with a splatter screen to reduce splatter, and cook for 5 minutes, just enough for the sauce to warm through and finish cooking the meatballs. Season the sauce with sugar.
- Serve: Ladle the sauce and meatballs over the spaghetti. Garnish with more parmesan cheese and fresh basil if desired.
Notes
- Substitute white bread with whole wheat or other soft sliced bread
- Substitute garlic powder with 3 large garlic cloves (mince finely)
- Substitute onion powder with ⅓ cup of finely chopped onion or shallot
- Substitute all-purpose with other starches on hand: rice flour or cornstarch
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Entree
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American