Inspire. Create. Bake.: Spaghetti with meatballs

Spaghetti with meatballs

I've been holding onto this recipe for quite awhile. I found it while flipping through a Williams-Sonoma catalog. They often throw in delicious-sounding recipes alongside the products they are selling. It made over 20 decent sized meatballs so I knew I needed to share them. We had a family dinner with Jake's mom and sister's family. Why yes, that is cheesy goodness running out of the center.

Spaghetti with Meatballs

INGREDIENTS

3 tbsp. olive oil

1 yellow onion, finely diced

kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 cups torn pieces crustless white bread (½" pieces)

½ cup of buttermilk (or substitute ½ cup milk with 1 ½ tsp. lemon juice; let sit for 5 min).

1 lb. lean ground turkey

1 lb. lean ground beef

¼ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

1 tsp. fresh thyme, finely chopped

8 oz. mozzarella cheese, cut into ½ inch cubes

large jar of plain spaghetti sauce

1 small can of low-sodium V8 juice

1 ½ lb. whole wheat spaghetti, cooked and drained

1 bag or container of cherry tomatoes

Parmesan cheese, freshly grated for serving

DIRECTIONS

In a large saute pan over medium heat, warm 1 tbsp. oil. Add in onion and salt; cook 10 minutes. Add garlic; cook one minute. Let cool. In bowl, combine bread and buttermilk. Add beef, turkey, onion mixture, parsley, thyme, 2 ½ tsp. salt and ½ tsp. pepper; mix with hands until well blended. Form into approx. 20 meatballs. Stuff cheese cube into center of each one; re-roll meatball.

In same pan over medium high heat, warm 2 tbsp. oil, brown meatballs in several batches, 8 minutes per batch rotating the meatball several times. Transfer to a plate. Turn oven broiler on, cut cherry tomatoes in half and place on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and fresh black pepper. Cook cherry tomatoes for approx. 10 minutes under broiler, checking often. Remove from oven. Pour spaghetti sauce, V8 juice and cherry tomatoes into pan; add meatballs. Simmer over medium heat turning meatballs once, until cooked through, 25–30 minutes. Serve spaghetti topped with sauce and meatballs. Sprinkle with cheese.