Spaghetti and Meatballs
Tender beef meatballs with Parmesan and parsley in a smooth marinara, served over spaghetti with fresh basil.
Recipe in testing: I'm cooking it in my TM7™ and will update the steps and the photo with my own.
Spaghetti and meatballs is the Italian-American Sunday classic: tender beef meatballs with garlic, parsley and Parmesan, warmed in a bright tomato sauce and served on a twirl of spaghetti. It is comfort food that kids and grown-ups agree on, and the leftovers are just as good the next day.
The Thermomix® TM7™ grates the Parmesan, chops the onion and garlic and mixes the meatballs evenly without overworking them, then cooks a smooth marinara. The oven browns the meatballs on a sheet pan with no splattering, and the spaghetti boils on the stove. At the end, the meatballs rest in the hot sauce so all the flavors come together.
Made in the Thermomix® TM7™
Spaghetti and Meatballs
Makes: 12 meatballs and about 1 L (4 cups) of sauce, 4 servings
- Prep25 min
- Cook50 min
- Total1 h 15 min
- Serves4
Ingredients
Meatballs
Marinara sauce
To serve
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F) and line a baking sheet with lightly oiled parchment paper.
- Place the Parmesan in the clean, dry mixing bowl and grate 10 sec/speed 10. Transfer to a small bowl.
- Place the onion, garlic and parsley for the meatballs in the mixing bowl and chop 5 sec/speed 5. Scrape down the sides, then add the breadcrumbs, milk, egg, half of the Parmesan, salt, oregano and pepper and mix 10 sec/speed 3. Add the ground beef and mix 30 sec/reverse/speed 3, until evenly combined.
- With wet hands, shape 12 meatballs of about 70 g (2 1/2 oz) each and place them on the baking sheet. Bake in the oven 18 to 20 minutes, until browned and 71°C (160°F) in the center. Rinse the mixing bowl.
- Place the onion and garlic for the sauce in the mixing bowl and chop 5 sec/speed 5. Scrape down the sides, add the oil and sauté 4 min/120°C (250°F)/speed 1.
- Add the tomatoes, salt, sugar, oregano and basil, place the simmering basket on the lid instead of the measuring cup and cook 20 min/100°C (212°F)/speed 1. Put the measuring cup back in place and blend 20 sec/speed 5-8, increasing speed gradually, until smooth.
- Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti in a large pot of boiling salted water on the stove following the package directions. Drain it, saving 1 cup of the pasta water.
- Add the meatballs to the sauce in the mixing bowl and heat 5 min/90°C (195°F)/reverse/speed soft, so they warm through and stay whole.
- Toss the spaghetti with a ladle of sauce, adding a splash of pasta water if it looks dry. Serve it in shallow bowls with more sauce, 3 meatballs each, the rest of the Parmesan and fresh basil.
Tips
- For juicier, more tender meatballs, use half ground beef and half ground pork.
- Shape the meatballs with a 60 ml (1/4 cup) scoop so they are all the same size and bake evenly.
- Baked meatballs freeze well for up to 3 months. Warm them straight from the freezer in the sauce for 15 min/90°C (195°F)/reverse/speed soft.
- Leftovers keep 4 days in the fridge, with the meatballs and sauce stored apart from the pasta.
