Pantry Challenge: Spaghetti and Meatballs

I know I haven’t been updating my weekly dinners page but this time of year dinners are pretty spontaneous, despite my best intentions. Nevertheless, we are having dinner. Last night, I raided the pantry and freezer for ground beef, italian sausage, and some whole wheat spaghetti. I figured a quick spaghetti and meatballs would really hit the spot before settling in to watch the Christmas specials on TV. I used my meatloaf recipe as a guide for the meatballs because I nearly always have those ingredients on hand and made a simple tomato sauce to go along with them.

Spaghetti and Meatballs

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 small onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced, as desired
• 2 (28 oz) cans crushed tomatoes
• 1/4 cup carrot puree
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 lb ground chuck
• 1 lb italian sausage or 4 links
• 2 eggs
• 3 cloves garlic, finely minced or made into a paste
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup dried parsley
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
• salt and pepper
• spaghetti noodles
• crusty bread

1. Heat oil over medium in a large pot. Saute onion until clear then add garlic and cook until soft.
2. Add tomatoes, carrot puree, and season with some salt and pepper. Simmer while making the meatballs
3. In a large bowl, use a fork to thoroughly mash and combine beef, sausage, eggs, garlic, bread crumbs, parsley, and parmesan cheese.
4. Form walnut sized meatballs and sear in a large, hot skillet. Once all sides are browned, deglaze with a splash of red wine.
5. Add meatballs, gently, to sauce to finish cooking. Add red wine and parmesan cheese to sauce.
6. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add a handful of salt and spaghetti noodles.
7. Once noodles are al dente, 8-12 min depending on your noodles, reserve 1 cup of water from the pot and drain.
8. Add water to sauce as needed to thin. Taste and season with salt as needed. Serve!

I am assuming most of you won’t be hanging around here much next week and neither will I.  Considering I have purchased exactly one Christmas gift for my three children, I have some shopping to do!  I will be back after the holidays, probably with even more Pantry Challenge posts, since it seems we have, eh, overextended ourselves this year.  I will also be ringing in the New Year with some diet tips since I have already overextended my waistband as well.