Spaghetti with Italian Sausage Beef Meatballs

You know me, if it’s Thursday, then it’s Tuscan Thursday. That means anything Italian will do. And as luck would have it, today is also National Herbs and Spice Day. You can’t very well cook Italian without herbs and spices.

One of Hubby’s favorite meals is Spaghetti and Meatballs. I will confess, most night’s I take the easy (aka lazy) way out and use premade Meatballs from the Frozen Food Aisle. Every now and again, guilt gets the better of me and I feel I owe him the real deal. He works hard, and his hard work allows me to be fully retired.

Hey, we get to kill two birds with one stone. First, enjoy a great meal and second cook with herbs and spice. Okay, the second one is a gimme. I mean, who cooks without flavor? Aside from my first boyfriend’s mother. But she couldn’t help it – she worked as a cook in a hospital her entire life. Unfortunately her home cooking was the same as her professional cooking. I don’t know why I thought of her. Essie was a good woman, just a bland cook.

Focus – let’s get to cooking. I really love both the flavor and texture you get when you blend ground meats. Straight beef, needs more seasoning. Straight Italian Sausage, needs more beefy flavor. But the two together, now we’re talking. Usually when I make meatballs, I bake them before adding the meatballs to the sauce. This time around I did a sear-fry. It gave the meatballs a nice crust, then cooked them off in the sauce. Yum! Enjoy!

Spaghetti with Italian Sausage Beef Meatballs
Meatballs
1 lb Ground Beef
1 lb Bulk Italian Sausage
1/2 cup Panko Breadcrumbs
2 teaspoons Italian Seasoning (Herbs)
Kosher Salt to taste (Spice)
Black Pepper to taste (Spice)
1/4 cup Olive Oils

In a large bowl, mix meats, breadcrumbs and seasonings. Do not over mix. Shape meat mixture into 1 inch balls and place on cookie sheet, set aside.

Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Lower meatballs into hot oil in batches, about half at a time depending upon size of Dutch Oven. Do not overcrowd the pan. Sear each meatball on all sides for about 2 minutes per side, turning as needed. Remove meatballs from pan and add next batch.

Once seared, set aside and prepare sauce.

Pasta Sauce
1 jar Pasta Sauce
1/4 cup Red Wine
1 can Diced Tomatoes
1 tablespoon Italian Seasoning (Herbs)
1 teaspoon Roasted Minced Garlic

To the empty Dutch Oven, add pasta sauce. Add wine to the empty pasta jar, swirl to collect any remaining sauce, then pour into the pot.

Add diced tomatoes with juices. Season with Italian Seasoning and Roasted Minced Garlic. Add meatballs to the sauce, gently stir to submerge into the sauce.

Bring to a rolling boil. Lower heat, cover and summer 20 minutes for flavors to marry. While the meatballs simmer, cook the pasta.

Pasta For Serving
1 lb Spaghetti Pasta
Grated Parmesan Cheese as desired

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add pasta, season with salt. Cool al dente, about 12 minutes. Drain, keep warm while serving

Pile desired pasta in the center of a dinner plate. Ladle with pasta sauce and meatballs. Garnish with Parmesan Cheese, twirl and enjoy!

Perfect with warm bread and a nice salad.