Spaghetti and Meatballs

Home Cookin'

Mike, my boyfriend, is also a fourth year med student.  He wants to do urology and he’s doing his sub-internship this month.  It is super hard on him because he works for at least 12 hours a day and he still has to study when he comes home.  A few days ago, he worked for 19 hours!  So, being the good girlfriend that I am ;), I decided to cook for him this week.  Earlier this week I made maple-pecan pork chops, mashed sweet potatoes, and roasted broccoli.  Unfortunately, I didn’t take any pictures, so next time I make that meal, I will be sure to post!  Last night, I made spaghetti with meat sauce and meatballs.  Nice, comforting, home food.  I don’t have a lot of time to make my own marinara sauce, so I took a little help from the store and used a jarred sauce. But I added some meat, herbs, and spices so it wouldn’t taste like it came from a jar.  I usually make my sauce with ground turkey, but Mike can always tell, so last night I made it with beef.  The meatballs can be made with turkey as well, but they won’t be as moist as beef meatballs. It's really good and you can't even tell that jarred sauce was used after you add the meat, herbs and spices.  I hope you enjoy!

Meat sauce

Serves 4
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Ingredients

1 jar (24 oz) spaghetti sauce

2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

½ medium onion, diced

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 tsp sugar

½ lb ground beef (or turkey)

½ tsp onion powder

½ tsp garlic powder

½ tsp kosher salt

¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 tbsp basil, chopped

Directions

1. On medium heat, heat onions and garlic in olive oil until onion begins to become transparent, about 5-7 minutes.

2. Turn heat to medium high. Add ground beef (or turkey) and break up well. When meat is broken up, add 1 tsp of sugar, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper.  Taste and adjust seasonings when meat is fully cooked

3. Add jar of sauce and turn down to medium.  Add 1 tsp of sugar and any additional salt and pepper to taste.

4. Simmer for 20 minutes. Add basil. Enjoy!

Meatballs

Serves 8 (I halved the recipe)
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Ingredients

¾ lb ground beef

¼ lb ground sausage

1 clove garlic, minced

½ tsp salt

1 egg

scant ½ Italian breadcrumbs

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375.

2. Combine all ingredients (be careful not to overmix!) and form into 1.5 inch balls.

3. Bake for approximately 15 minutes until meatballs are firm. 

4. Toss into sauce if desired.

I just served this with 1/2 lb of spaghetti noodles and I will have enough leftovers for dinner tomorrow!  The sauce is versatile and can be used for baked ziti, lasagna, or any other pasta. This recipe can be pretty healthy too!  Just make it with turkey and serve on whole wheat pasta. Yum!