Spaghetti & Meatballs

These past few days my poor husband has been sick with sinus yuckiness. So I decided I would be nice and make him spaghetti and meatballs since he has been asking me to make it for quite some time. To tell you the truth I have never attempted it because my dad makes the best meatballs in the world. I still have yet to steal the recipe. They turned out good, but of course not as good as when I'm home. 

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs ground beef (80/20 blend)
1/2 cup wheat bread (day old, diced)
2 ounces whole milk
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1 garlic clove, minced
1 shallot, minced
2 tbsp parsley leaves
1 lemon, zested
1/2 tsp coriander, if desired
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp kosher salt
1-2 tbsp olive oil, plus more as needed
1/2 cup basil leaves
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated 

For Tomato Sauce:

1/4 cup olive oil

1 large spanish onion, finely diced

6 garlic cloves, sliced

1 1/2 tsp kosher salt, or more to taste

2 28 ounce cans San Marzano tomatoes, with their juice

1 cup dry white wine

1 bay leaf

1 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 tbsp crushed red pepper flakes

Directions:

For tomato sauce: Heat oil in a 4 quart saucepan or large dutch oven over medium heat, add the onion and cook until translucent, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and salt and cook until everything is soft but not browned, about 4 minutes. 

Squeeze the tomatoes one by one into the pan, pulverizing them by hand and pour in their juice as well. (I cheated and bought crushed tomatoes, same brand) Add the wine, bay leaf, oregano, black pepper and red pepper flakes. Bring the sauce to a simmer, about 5 minutes then reduce the heat to its lowest possible setting and continue to cook for up to two hours, stirring occasionally.    

For Meatballs: Soak the bread in the milk in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, mix the beef with ricotta cheese, garlic, shallot, parsley, lemon zest, coriander, cinnamon, salt, oil, basil and parmesan cheese, and bread. Hello sticky hands!

Once the mixture is well combined, form into 3 ounce balls. Heat olive oil in a large frying pan and add the meatballs. Cook until golden brown on the outside, 2-3 minutes per side. When meatballs are finished, add the sauce to the pan and simmer for 30 minutes.