Baking It 'Til I Make It: Spaghetti & Meatballs

Oh this is the night

It's a beautiful night...

Come on. We're all thinking it.

Here's a classic and a staple for anyone's culinary arsenal.

Spaghetti and Meatballs

adapted from The Barefoot Contessa

yields a ton

Ingredients

For the Meatballs

1 lb. ground turkey

1 lb. ground beef

1 cup bread crumbs

¼ cup seasoned bread crumbs

2 tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley or 1+ tbsp dried parsley

½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

2 tsp salt

½ tsp ground black pepper

¼ tsp nutmeg

1 large egg, beaten

¾ cup warm water

Vegetable oil & olive oil

For the Sauce

½ yellow onion, diced
½ red onion, diced
3-4 heads garlic, diced
1 can, 28 oz., canned plum tomatoes
1 can, 28 oz., canned tomato sauce
3 tbsp tomato paste
Red wine
Oregano, Nutmeg, Basil, Italian spices, your choice of seasoning
Spoonful of sugar
Salt & pepper
Capellini, or Angel Hair pasta

Directions

Start your sauce as early as possible so that it can simmer, bringing out all the flavors.

In the large sauce pan saute the onion. Add in the garlic once the onion softens. Garlic burns very fast so once the garlic is fragrant add in the plum tomatoes, sauce, and some red wine.
Turn down the heat to low.
After 10 minutes or so add in the tomato paste, sugar, and season to taste. Let simmer on the lowest heat, stirring occasionally, while you make the meatballs.

In a large bowl, use your hands to combine all the ingredients. Don't mash the ingredients together. You want to keep the meat - for lack of a better word - fluffy and light. Form small 2-inch balls with your hands.

In a large frying pan, add equal parts vegetable oil and olive oil to ¼ inch depth. Heat the oil on medium-low and in small batches brown the meatballs. Browning on all sides should take 8+ minutes for each batch.