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Ingredients
- For the meatballs you will need:
- 2 lbs ground beef
- 1 lb ground pork
- 1/2 cup bread crumbs (I use fresh)
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- 1 tsp pepper
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion salt
- 2-3 T Italian dried seasoning
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
- 1 lb chunk of mozzarella cheese (cubed, you will use some to stuff meatballs and some to spread out over the sauce below them)
- For everything else you will need:
- 1 lb spaghetti, linguine or fettuccine. *no angel hair or thin spaghetti*
- 1/2 grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 eggs
- 1 jar of your favorite or homemade marinara
- 1 regular size can of diced tomatoes.
- 1 16 ounce package of grated mozzarella cheese
Preparation
Step 1
I gave you the ingredients for each part, instead of all together and dividing them. Make sure to go down the entire recipe for what you will need. This freezes beautifully, it can be made a day or 2 in advance, and it gets better the longer you reheat leftovers, just like real spaghetti, in my opinion!
I used jarred sauce. Don't even make that "face", sometimes, I do it, I own it, and I do it proudly! If you have homemade, or want to make your own for this, go ahead. I just felt like the meatballs were the star, so the sauce wasn't going to get all my time and effort!
Combine ALL ingredients EXCEPT mozz cheese, and roll into 24 meatballs. They will be big! When you roll a meatball, stick a small cube of mozz in the center and completely seal it back up. If you do not take time to make sure they are sealed, the cheese WILL leak out and the fun stops there. HA! I used a little water on my hands to make sure they were sealed good! In a skillet with olive or vegetable oil, brown the meatballs on all sides.
Preheat your oven to 375. Boil your pasta for the lowest cooking time recommended. Drain. Run under cold water, to cool it quickly. In a bowl with a clean hand, mix together the pasta, egg, and grated Parmesan cheese.
Now in the same or a clean bowl mix together your marinara sauce and diced tomatoes. I gussied mine up a bit, but when you are ready, pour it over the top of the pasta evenly.
Place on a baking sheet to catch any potential drips, bake for 30-45 minutes.
Remove, and sprinkle cheese on top, bake for another 15-25 minutes, until cheese is melted and meatballs are cooked all the way through. Make sure to check your meatballs!! When it is done, let it sit for 15 minutes before serving. It will cut just like a cake, because of the egg in your pasta. Perfect pieces!
I hope you can make it!
Instead of using water to help roll meatballs, dip them in Marsala wine and roll. It adds a nice flavor.
This sounds great! Can I make it the day before I bake it or no because of the eggs?
Hi Michele! I don't think I would recommend making this one ahead. You could certainly cook the pasta and make the meatballs ahead but I don't think I would recommend putting it all together ahead of time (before baking) Thanks for reading!
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