Basic Spaghetti & Meatballs

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This is a very basic dish and yes… I Know that it isn’t that difficult to make scratch meatballs but, frankly, I like having the frozen ones on hand… they are quick and easy and pretty darned tasty. I keep a bag in the freezer to use for all sorts of dishes. One thing I don’t always like in the spaghetti sauce is the meatballs texture so I wanted to try something different this time.

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The sauce is pretty much my usual:  chopped green & red peppers, onions, mushrooms – I keep the chunks fairly big so they won’t  disappear in the simmering process, lightly browned in olive oil. One can chopped tomatoes, drained and a small can of tomato paste added. Chopped garlic, 3Tbsp dried Italian seasoning, and a hearty splash of red wine (probably about 1c). I keep this at a fairly hard simmer so that it will reduce. Browned the meatballs thoroughly in olive oil and put them to the side instead of adding them to the sauce.

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When my Heart got home from skiing, I served up the cooked spaghetti (rice pasta) topped with the browned meatballs and then the sauce. The meatballs had the more solid consistency I was looking for – I think it worked out quite well. YUM!

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