Most food historians agree that spaghetti and meatballs hit its stride in the USA and that the first restaurant to put it on the menu was run by Italian immigrants to the States. So, I don't feel like I'm insulting my Italian ancestors by adding American flavor notes to my version. Great thing is, you can make this in a pressure cooker as easily as in a slow cooker.
1 2-lb. chub of ground beef
1 envelope onion soup mix
½ cup water
1 egg
1 heaping tablespoon garlic powder
1 heaping tablespoon Italian seasoning
2 oz. (about ½ cup) seasoned breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons Italian seasoning (substitute fresh herbs if desired)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
1 teaspoon Creole seasoning (Tony Chachere's or Zatarain's)
1 bulb of garlic, peeled and separated into cloves
1 large onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 sweet bell pepper; seeds, stem and white pithy ribs discarded; coarsely chopped
1 6-oz. can tomato paste
2 14.28-oz or 1 28-oz. cans San Marzano plum tomatoes in puree
1 14-oz. can beef broth
1 lb. of spaghetti or other pasta, cooked al dente
Knead together ground beef, onion soup mix and water. Divide into two equal portions. Put away half for a future recipe (freezes and thaws nicely, and the flavor actually gets better). Knead in egg, garlic powder, Italian seasoning and breadcrumbs until dry ingredients are uniformly dispersed. Divide into 4 equal portions, roll into balls and place in a shallow baking dish or oven-save nonstick skillet (I use an Infinite Circulon 3-quart sauté pan). Put into a cold oven, set the temperature for 350 degrees and roast for 45 minutes.
While meatballs roast, combine remaining ingredients in a slow cooker. Be sure to use the beef broth to rinse the remaining puree from the tomato cans. Stir for about 2 minutes to combine. Add roasted meatballs (no need to submerge) and cover.
At this point, the slow cooker can be refrigerated overnight.
Cook on low for 8 hours. Remove meatballs and puree the sauce until smooth with an immersion blender. Submerge meatballs in sauce and keep warm until serving time.
Pressure cooker method:
After adding the roasted meatballs, lock on the lid and bring to pressure. Maintain for 10 minutes, remove from heat and let the pressure drop naturally. Finish as above.
Toss the cooked pasta with about a cup of sauce. Ladle extra sauce as desired over each serving.
And, of course, you liberally shower each serving with Parmegiano Reggiano.
Mangia! Mangia!
1 2-lb. chub of ground beef
1 envelope onion soup mix
½ cup water
1 egg
1 heaping tablespoon garlic powder
1 heaping tablespoon Italian seasoning
2 oz. (about ½ cup) seasoned breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons Italian seasoning (substitute fresh herbs if desired)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
1 teaspoon Creole seasoning (Tony Chachere's or Zatarain's)
1 bulb of garlic, peeled and separated into cloves
1 large onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 sweet bell pepper; seeds, stem and white pithy ribs discarded; coarsely chopped
1 6-oz. can tomato paste
2 14.28-oz or 1 28-oz. cans San Marzano plum tomatoes in puree
1 14-oz. can beef broth
1 lb. of spaghetti or other pasta, cooked al dente
Knead together ground beef, onion soup mix and water. Divide into two equal portions. Put away half for a future recipe (freezes and thaws nicely, and the flavor actually gets better). Knead in egg, garlic powder, Italian seasoning and breadcrumbs until dry ingredients are uniformly dispersed. Divide into 4 equal portions, roll into balls and place in a shallow baking dish or oven-save nonstick skillet (I use an Infinite Circulon 3-quart sauté pan). Put into a cold oven, set the temperature for 350 degrees and roast for 45 minutes.
While meatballs roast, combine remaining ingredients in a slow cooker. Be sure to use the beef broth to rinse the remaining puree from the tomato cans. Stir for about 2 minutes to combine. Add roasted meatballs (no need to submerge) and cover.
At this point, the slow cooker can be refrigerated overnight.
Cook on low for 8 hours. Remove meatballs and puree the sauce until smooth with an immersion blender. Submerge meatballs in sauce and keep warm until serving time.
Pressure cooker method:
After adding the roasted meatballs, lock on the lid and bring to pressure. Maintain for 10 minutes, remove from heat and let the pressure drop naturally. Finish as above.
Toss the cooked pasta with about a cup of sauce. Ladle extra sauce as desired over each serving.
And, of course, you liberally shower each serving with Parmegiano Reggiano.
Mangia! Mangia!
