Spaghetti and Meatballs

INGREDIENTS:

1 box (1lb) of spaghetti

MEATBALLS:

1lb Ground beef

4-5 pieces of italian bread

2-3 cups of whole milk

2 Garlic cloves, chopped finely

3 tablespoons Parmesan Cheese, grated

2 eggs

Salt 

Pepper 

Parsley 

Oil 

SAUCE:

2 cans/jars of crushed tomatoes

1 small onion, diced

2 Garlic Cloves, chopped finely

Oil 

Crushed Red Pepper

Oregano 

Parsley 

Dried Basil 

2-3 Basil leaves

2 Bay leaves

DIRECTIONS:

SAUCE:

1. Get a deep/tall sauce pot

2. Put olive oil in it to cover the bottom

3. Put in the chopped onion, garlic, and crushed red pepper, then saute until the onions are translucent 

4. Add the 2 cans of crushed tomatoes, salt, pepper, oregano, parsley, basil, 2-3 fresh basil leaves, and 2 bay leaves, then mix together 

5. Bring to boil, then put on simmer and cover, then cook for 45 mins-1 hour

6. When the oil begins to rise and you see it towards the top, it should be done.

MEATBALLS:

1. In a large bowl, let the bread and milk soak together

2. While it is soaking, put the meat, garlic, cheese, salt, pepper, parsley, and ONE egg into another medium/large mixing bowl

3. Take the crust off of the bread and squeeze the excess milk out of the bread, then add the bread to the mixture. Make sure to break off pieces of the bread, so that they don’t go in as clumps

4. Mix all of the ingredients together and if the mixture is dry, add another egg

5. Roll the mixture into balls

6. In a non-stick pan or skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Put the balls into the oil and fry until they are golden brown on the outside and cooked on the inside

PASTA:

1. Boil water for the pasta and add salt

2. Once at a rolling boil, add the pasta and cook for however much time the box says

3. Once pasta is done cooking, strain the water and put it back into the pot or another dish and add some oil so that it doesn’t stick together

EVERYTHING:

Once everything is cooked, mix it all together, plate nicely, and enjoy! 

SONGS:

I decided to choose these songs because whenever my family would make this dinner on Sundays, we would either listen to Italian or country music. However, I believe that Italian music fits this better, so these are my top songs that I loved listening to because they give me a flow of memories back.  

In the mood by Glenn Miller

Just a Gigolo by Louis Prima

Bella Italia by Bruno Bertoli

A Sunday Kind of Love by Etta James

I decided to choose this meal because of the memories associated with it. Since I can remember, each Sunday my family would make some version of this meal and it would be a team effort. My mom was always in charge of the sauce because she had a special touch that would make it taste amazing. That meant that my dad, my sister, my brother, and I were on pasta and meatball duty. This meal can easily show my family’s growth. I remember when my siblings and I used to play with the meatball mixture instead of actually rolling it and when we used to be grossed out from mixing it with our hands. Now, I’m able to reminisce on these memories since my siblings are gone at college. Since it is just my parents and I at home, we haven’t been doing these dinners recently; however, it makes them more special for when my siblings get home because we are able to recreate these memories along with new ones just from one dish. This dish is more than just a recipe to my family, it's a bond.