Spaghetti and Meatballs

I absolutely LOVE these bowls. My future mother in law gave me these bowls at my very first bridal shower. It was a bowling bridal shower in Austin last month, so much fun!

Let me tell you about these hand painted bowls! Parisian artist Marc Lacaze drew upon childhood memories of the Mediterranean countryside to create a series of watercolor landscapes for this serving set. Made in Italy, exclusively for Williams-Sonoma, the earthenware pieces create a memorable presentation of risotto, pasta or salad. Each bowl in the set is decorated with a different image. The set includes a huge 14" diameter serving bowl and four 10 1/4" diameter individual bowls. Jim's favorite part...they are dishwasher safe.

After a long day at the office, Jim and I made homemade meatballs together. I wish I had pictures to share, especially because we ate out of these beautiful new bowls from his mother. The meatballs we made together were hands down the best meatball I have ever made. Jim claims it is because he helped. I made the meat mixture, he rolled the meatballs for me. His technique was amazing!

I've made homemade meatballs before, you can see the recipes and pictures here. The chipotle meatballs are delicious but SPICY! This is a more traditional recipe for homemade meatballs that are truly yummy and great for freezing.

After reading a recent PW post on Tasty Kitchen about spaghetti and meatballs I started thinking about revising my recipe again. I wanted to use some of P-Dubs elements and incorporate some other ideas also. Her recipe looked very good but I wanted more flavor and spice in each of my meatballs, after some online research, I found the perfect recipe for me. It was awesome, and best I've ever made...with Jim's help of course.

Other recipes I consulted were Ina Garten's Real Meatballs and Spaghetti. I loved how straight forward her recipe was. I did not like that it calls for Veal, Pork and Beef. Who has that on hand? I wanted to make meatballs without going to the store. I just used a pound of ground turkey! I also didn't like the FRESH white bread crumbs. I used storebought Italian breadcrumbs and panko crumbs (see my recipe below).

HWM Homemade Meatball Recipe

1 pound ground turkey

3 cloves garlic, minced finely

1/2 cup Italian breadcrumbs

1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs

1 egg, beaten

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/4 cup flat leaf parsley, minced

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmet

2 tablespoons milk

2 tablespoons olive oil

Mix all the above ingredients gently by hand. Form into 2 inch meatballs and freeze on a cookie sheet for 10-15 minutes. Jim formed exactly 20 meatballs. Heat equal amounts of vegetable oil and olive oil in a large dutch oven (or skillet). My oil was only 1/4 inch tall in my dutch oven. Very carefully, in batches, place meatballs in the oil and brown them well on all sides over medium-low heat. Don't crowd the meatballs, I only browned 5 at a time, then removed them to a plate with paper towels to let drain a little.

I removed a little bit of the oil, but I didn't clean the pan. Next, I made my AWESOME sauce!

HWM Homemade Tomato Sauce Recipe
1 chopped yellow onion
2 teaspoons minced garlic
3/4 cup good red wine
1 (14.5-ounce) can stewed tomatoes

1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes

1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce

2 tablespoons flat leaf parsley, chopped

1 teaspoon dried basil leaves
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes

In the same pot I used for the meatballs, I add the chopped onion and let it cook to translucent for about 5 minutes, stirring often. Then I add the garlic and cook for a minute. Pour in the wine, cook for a minute. Add all the cans of tomatoes. Add salt, pepper, sugar, basil, red pepper flakes, and parsley. Stir to combine and cook over medium heat for 20 minutes.

Add meatballs to the sauce and stir in gently. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes, stirring very gently a couple of times during the simmer.

Serve meatballs and sauce over cooked pasta! And in a special Italian bowl if your mother in law is as special as mine and gifted you a beautiful set.