RECIPE

Spaghetti with meatballs

By Anthea Dawson

As the leaves fall and the weather starts to turn, so do my menus. Our overused barbecue gets covered for the season and out comes the stock pots and slow cookers and classic comfort food.

Pasta is a favourite in our house for an easy, weeknight dinner on a cold blustery night. It’s a hit for all, minus the sauce for my youngest food critic 🙄🙄.

Homemade meatballs are a nice change from straight-up Bolognese, and easy and quick to throw together. This recipe can be made with ground beef, veal, pork, chicken or turkey - whichever you choose, try to opt for the organic option.

I try to add lots of chopped vegetables to the mix to bulk up the flavour and nutritional content - kale or Swiss chard are great additions and can be passed off as herbs to picky, keen eyes. You can bake or fry these meatballs - baking is for sure the healthier option, but frying them adds extra flavour and texture and is always the vote in my house!

Ingredients

HOMEMADE MEATBALLS

• 2 pounds organic ground beef (or veal, pork, chicken or turkey)
• 2 egg yolks
• 4 tbsp panko breadcrumbs
• 2 tbsp milk
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 medium-sized carrot, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 celery stalk, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup kale or Swiss chard, stalks removed and finely chopped
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
• 2 tbsp chopped parsley (curly or Italian)
• 1 tbsp fresh organic, chopped
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
• Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste
• 3/4 cup olive oil (if frying)

Preparation

In a large bowl, mix together the meat, yolks, and breadcrumbs, adding the milk to moisten as you mix. Add the chopped onion, garlic, celery, carrot, kale, basil, parsley, oregano, Parmesan and salt and pepper. Gently mix together the mixture with your hands until everything is well combined.

Prepare a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Shape mixture into evenly sized meatballs, about 1   inches. If baking the meatballs, preheat your oven to 400 F degrees and bake for 10 minutes per side, or until cooked through. If frying, heat olive oil in a large skillet and fry meatballs in batches (making sure not to overcrowd your pan) until golden brown, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels to drain.

Once the meatballs are baked or fried, add them to your favourite simmering tomato sauce, either store-bought (Costco’s White Linen Collection Marinara Sauce is an easy, yummy grab) or homemade (Marcella Hazan’s Tomato Sauce will change your life.

Let the meatballs and sauce simmer together for at least 10 minutes while you boil the pasta.

Serve the meatballs and sauce with your favourite cooked pasta and lots of freshly grated Parmesan. Enjoy!