Spaghetti and Meatballs

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Bowl of Spaghetti and Meatballs
Spaghetti and Meatballs

This recipe consists of two different meatballs. One is a more traditional style and the other is a more of a nugget made from ground pork and spices. This somewhat started out as a splinter of Joshua Weissman’s “Spaghetti and Meatballs, But Better” but gradually grew into a slightly quirkier recipe with the traditional approach of using an Italian soffritto as the foundation for the red sauce.

Ingredients

  • Meatballs (large):
    • ½ lb liverwurst (diced)1
    • 1 lb ground pork
    • 1 lb ground beef (20% fat or more)
    • 1 tsp fennel seeds (ground)
    • 1 tsp thyme
    • 2 tsp black peppercorns (ground)
    • 1 ¾ tsp sea salt
    • 4 cloves of garlic (minced)
    • ⅓ cup Pecorino Romano (finely shredded)
      • opt.: reserve extra for garnish
    • ⅔ cup of panko
    • 1 whole egg
    • 2 tbsp clarified butter
  • Meatballs (small):
    • 1 lb ground pork
    • 1 tsp nutmeg (ground)
    • 1 tsp fennel seed (ground)
    • 2 tsp black peppercorns (ground)
    • 2 tsp salt
    • 1 tbsp clarified butter
  • Sauce:
    • 2 tbsp of clarified butter
    • 2 stalk of celery (finely diced)
    • 2 large carrot (finely diced)
    • 1 medium yellow onion (finely diced)
    • 2 oz. can of anchovies2
    • 4 cloves garlic (minced)
    • 2 cans (28 oz.) crushed tomatoes
    • ¾ lb of italian sausage
    • 1 tsp red pepper flakes
    • salt (to taste)

Instructions

  • Meatballs (large)
    1. To a large bowl, add the salt, fennel seed, pepper, garlic, pecorino, and panko. Stir to combine.
    2. Add the egg and stir it in until it has been absorbed by the mix.
    3. Add in beef, liverwurst, and pork and mix it in until combined. The end result should be something of a meatloaf.3
    4. Using a measuring scoop of choice, form meatballs by scooping the portions out and molding them into smooth balls by hand.
  • Meatballs (small)
    1. To a medium bowl, add the pork and the rest of the small meatball ingredients.
    2. Mix to combine.
    3. Using a long knife or cutter, cut the pork into bite-sized pieces.
  • Searing the meatballs:
    1. In a pot on med-high heat, add the clarified butter sear the meatballs. Remove and place to side.4
    2. In the same pot as the large meatballs, sear the small meatballs. Remove and place to the side.
  • Sauce
    1. Reduce heat to medium and add the olive oil to the pot.
    2. Add the celery, carrot, and onion. Stir and saute until vegetables are soft, then add in the garlic, ginger, and anchovies. Saute until anchovies have dissolved and then add the crushed tomatoes.
    3. Add the tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Let simmer for 15 minutes
    4. Using an immersion blender, puree the sauce to desired consistency. Let simmer for 5 more minutes.
    5. Add the meatballs and red pepper flakes to the sauce. Continue to simmer for 30 minutes.5
    6. Add noodles and a bit of pasta water and toss over med-high heat until thoroughly combined.6
    7. Garnish with pecorino and serve.

  1. Liverwurst is really rich and salty. If you don’t like this or would rather use something more familiar, you can also use ¼ lb of ground sausage, ¼ lb of ham, or ⅛ lb of bologna. ↩︎

  2. Use anchovies that come in oil, not vinegar. ↩︎

  3. Take care not to overwork the meat, else the meatballs will end up dense. ↩︎

  4. Don’t worry to much about the meatballs cooking all the way through. Just worry about getting a good sear. They’ll finish cooking while simmering in the sauce later. ↩︎

  5. Cooking for longer is going to reduce the sauce more, making it more robust and rich. You can cook it for 10-15 minutes to get the meatballs cooked but it won’t taste as good and might even be a bit acidic. ↩︎

  6. This is enough sauce for around 1 lb of dry noodles; however, I personally don’t like mixing in all the noodles at once. I like Making the noodles per serving because if you have leftovers, the noodles don’t keep as well (they bloat) while the sauce only gets better. ↩︎