Spaghetti & Meatballs

Spaghetti & Meatballs, a classic dish with fantastic flavours.

Even though I don’t eat meat I love to make this simple and flavourful dish.

Spaghetti & Meatballs, it has a certain nostalgia to it!

When I was living in Boston, I had a flatmate of Italian heritage. I have to say like most Italians she was passionate and obsessive about Italian food, wine and her heritage, to the point that I wasn’t allowed to clean the wine bottles in the wine rack because her Nona told her that’s how it matures! Once in a while, she used to cook Meatball Sub, a classical American dish and would walk me through all the steps.

So every time I make this Spaghetti & Meatballs I remember her because I did make this once with chicken l and she made fun of me. Although absolutely loved the taste of it and took the whole recipe from me.

These meatballs are made with minced chicken thigh and they are succulent, flavourful and delicious.

I add them in a spicy, rustic tomato sauce and my husband loves it! There are a lot of recipes on the internet but this is my version for it!

Do give this “Spaghetti & meatballs” recipe a try and I am sure you will love it!

Ingredients for meatballs:

• 500g chicken thigh minced
• 2 cloves of garlic minced
• 1 tsp fresh oregano chopped
• A handful of parsley chopped
• 1 tbsp cream or milk
• 1 large egg lightly beaten
• 100g panko or breadcrumbs
• Salt to taste
• Crushed black pepper to taste
• 1 or to taste red pepper or chilli finely chopped
• 25g grated parmesan
• Plain flour or all purpose flour for dusting
• Oil to shallow fry

Ingredients for sauce and spaghetti:

• 250g cooked spaghetti
• 1 tsp butter
• 400g (a can) of  tomato sauce or puree or diced tomatoes
• 50g tomato chopped
• 1 banana shallot finely chopped
• 5 cloves of garlic finely chopped
• 1 or to taste red pepper or chilli finely chopped
• 1 tsp chopped thyme
• A few sprigs of basil chiffonade or finely chopped
• 1 tsp or to taste red pepper powder cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp or to taste crushed black pepper
• 1 dried red chilli crushed or chilli flakes
• 2 tsp brown sugar
• Salt to taste
• 1 ½ cup pasta water or stock
• 1 tbsp olive oil

Instructions:

For the meatballs: Mix all the ingredients mentioned till parmesan. Mix it well. Make small balls and dust them well with plain flour. Fry them till they are golden brown. Keep them aside.

For the sauce, heat olive oil and add in the garlic with crushed red chilli. Saute for 1 minute, add in the shallot, sugar and continue to saute for 3-4 minutes till it gets golden brown.

Add in both the tomatoes, spice powders and red pepper. Cook it you see oil on the top. Season it well.

Add in the fried meatball, toss them well in the sauce. Cook for 5 minutes.

Add in the pasta water or the stock and continue to cook for another 10 minutes. In last 2 minutes, add in the basil and thyme.

For spaghetti: Heat butter and toss the spaghetti in it. Season it with salt and pepper.

Scoop the meatballs and the sauce, place them over the seasoned spaghetti.

Garnish with parsley if you wish. Serve hot.