Homemade meatballs

Spaghetti and meatballs. Homemade comfort food that is up there with macaroni cheese. My parents live next to a great butchers shop in Cornwall, and whenever they’re coming to visit I put in an order for a portion of their meatballs. The quality compared to the packaged supermarket versions is undeniable.

But when there are no Cornish meatballs winging their way to you, and you have a craving for some authentic American cuisine (you will not, unfortunately, find spaghetti with meatballs in Italy), there’s only one thing to do. Make your own. 

This recipe for everyday homemade meatballs from Smitten Kitchen is perfect. I halved the ingredients to make enough for 2, but otherwise pretty much stuck to the recipe. I did switch up the tomato sauce with some different ingredients though; my version is below.

Serves 2 (generously) Makes approx 16 1.5 inch meatballs

You’ll need:

For the meatballs:

• 500g minced beef – not lean or it will be too dry
• ¼ cup panko or bread crumbs
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
• 1 tablespoon grated parmigiano reggiano
• 1 teaspoon ground salt
• Pinch of crushed chillis/red pepper flakes
• A couple grinds of black pepper
• ¼onion, finely chopped (you’ll use the rest in the sauce) or ¼ teaspoon of onion powder
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 egg

For the tomato sauce and spaghetti:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ¾ onion, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 red chilli, diced
• ½ teaspoon dried thyme
• ½ teaspoon dried basil
• 1 400g can tomato passata or crushed tomatoes
• 1 beef stock cube
• Dash of balsamic vinegar
• Freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 300g spaghetti
  

Place all of your meatball ingredients into a large bowl and mix together using a fork until evenly combined. 

Using your hands, form the mixture into 1.5 inch meatballs and place on a tray. You should have enough to make around 16 meatballs. You’ll want them to all be a similar size so that they cook at the same rate.

If you have time, cover the tray in cling film and put in the fridge for 30 mins to help the meatballs set and maintain their shape when cooking.

In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil and then add the onion, garlic and red chilli. Mix in the thyme and basil, then cover with a lid and leave to simmer on a low heat for 5 minutes. 

Add the tomatoes, followed by the stock cube and vinegar. Mix everything together. Cover and leave to simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add grinds of black pepper to your taste.

Add the meatballs gently to the sauce one at a time, to prevent them losing their shape. Keep the heat at a low simmer, and cover the pan with a lid. Do not disturb for 20 mins, or you risk your meatballs breaking up!

After 20 mins, give the meatballs and tomato sauce mixture a stir. At this stage it should be almost ready; keep it on a low heat whilst you cook the spaghetti.

Boil a large pan of salted water and cook the spaghetti to packet instructions. Once cooked, drain and return to the pan. Now add 3-4 ladles of the tomato sauce mixture into the spaghetti, and stir to evenly coat. 

Now plate up the spaghetti, and place the meatballs on top. Add extra sauce on top to your preference.