Classic Spaghetti & Meatballs

Will said that he wanted spaghetti meatballs last week -- so I decided to take on the challenge of making an Italian classic.

To make the meatballs, I first chopped up about a 1/4 cup of onion.

I also wanted to add some garlicky goodness -- so I cut 2 cloves in half.

I sauteed the onion and garlic in olive oil.

I love my garlic press!!

Don't you just love the smell of browned garlic and onion?! I set aside the onion/garlic mix to cool.

I mixed 1 cup of breadcrumbs...

... and 1 cup of milk...

... in a bowl. Let it sit for about 5 minutes.

The breadcrumbs should absorb the milk and it will be used to keep the meatballs moist.

To the breadcrumbs I added 3/4 cup of Parmesan cheese.

I also added 2 eggs, the onion/garlic mix, oregano, parsley, salt and pepper. 

(Side note: at this point, you could also add lemon zest for a great kick!)

All mixed together!

For the meat portion of these meatballs, I wanted to add sausage meat as well. I used 2 italian sausage links.

I mixed the sausage meat with about 1 pound of ground chuck.

I added the bread mixture into the meat mixture and combined them together.

I used my hands to incorporate them together. I was careful not to overmix the meat.

Then, I sprayed a large sheet pan with non-stick spray.

I used my cookie scoop to portion out the meatballs into 1 1/4 - 1 1/2 inch balls.

It yielded about 25 meatballs.

In a non-stick skillet, I browned the meatballs in olive oil.

I did it in 2 batches.

I turned them over and browned both sides.

During this time, I took advantage of my down time to do some dishes!

I made some pasta sauce to finish off cooking the meatballs.

After the sides were browned, I added the meatballs into the sauce. It's okay if the meatballs weren't entirely cooked because they would finish cooking in the sauce.

I added in the second batch and regularly stirred the sauce.

I raided the fridge for all of the vegetables I had and made a fabulous garden salad.

All done!! I served the sauce over fettuccine pasta and garlic bread :)

>> If you end up making this for dinner, tag me in an Instagram post -- @marriedtodavis or #marriedtodavis