Meatballs and Sauce - Grandma Maroni

By pattie_d

Try chef Mike Maroni's family recipes when you're craving classic Italian fare.



INGREDIENTS

Makes 14 meatballs.

Ingredients

• Olive oil or nonstick cooking spray
• 1 pound ground beef chuck
• 1 1/2 cups finely grated Pecorino Romano cheese
• 1 1/2 cups fresh breadcrumbs
• 3 large eggs
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/2 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
• 1/2 small onion, grated
• 3 tablespoons minced garlic
• Coarse salt
• 1 pound spaghetti
• Maroni's Tomato Sauce
• 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, julienned
• Freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese, for serving

Details

Servings 14
Preparation time 30mins
Cooking time 75mins

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat a baking sheet with olive oil or nonstick cooking spray; set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together beef, cheese, 1 cup breadcrumbs, eggs, milk, herbs, onion, and garlic; season with salt. If mixture seems too loose, mix in remaining 1/2 cup breadcrumbs as necessary.
Roll meat mixture into 2 1/2-ounce balls; transfer to prepared baking sheet. Transfer to oven and bake until beef is cooked through and lightly browned, 25 to 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Generously salt water and return to a boil. Add spaghetti and cook until al dente, according to package directions; Drain.

Heat sauce in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Transfer meatballs to sauce and cook for at least 15 minutes. Transfer meat balls and 1 cup of sauce to a bowl and set aside. Remove remaining sauce from heat. Stir in basil and add drained spaghetti; toss to combine. Transfer spaghetti to a large serving platter; top with meatballs and reserved sauce. Serve immediately, sprinkled with cheese.