Want to have moist, tender, flavorful meatballs with a thick, delicious sauce? Ditch the frying pan and roast the meatballs in the oven. You'll have less mess, lower fat, and a richer sauce.
Preheat oven to 450°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place a wire rack on top and coat lightly with cooking spray.
60g / ¾ cup panko breadcrumbs
½ cup buttermilk
Combine breadcrumbs and buttermilk in large bowl. Using a fork, mash and stir until a smooth paste forms.
1 large egg
In a small bowl, lightly beat egg. Add to bowl with breadcrumb mixture and stir to combine.
1 tablespoon cold water
½ teaspoon powdered gelatin
In a small bowl or ramekin, stir powdered gelatin in water until completely dissolved. Add to breadcrumb mixture and stir to combine.
1 pound ground beef (85% lean)
2 ounces prosciutto, chopped fine
28g / ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons fresh parsley leaves, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
½ teaspoon ground pepper, or to taste
Add ground beef, prosciutto, Parmesan cheese, parsley, garlic, salt, and pepper to breadcrumb mixture. Using your hands, gently mix until combined.
Using your hands, take about 2 tablespoons of the beef mixture and form into 1-inch round meatballs (about 1 ounce each). Place meatballs on prepared wire rack over rimmed baking sheet, evenly spacing them as you go. Repeat until all of the mixture has been using, yielding about 18 meatballs.
Roast at 450°F until meatballs have turned golden brown and read 160°F on an instant read thermometer, about 16 to 20 minutes.
Sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
¼ teaspoon oregano
While meatballs roast, heat olive oil, garlic, and oregano in large Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Cook and stir frequently, until garlic is fragrant, about 3 minutes.
1588g / 56 ounces (2 large cans) crushed tomatoes
⅓ cup red cooking wine
½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
½ teaspoon ground pepper, or to taste
Stir in crushed tomatoes, wine, salt, and pepper. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to simmer.
Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until thickened, about 15 minutes.
Combine
Remove meatballs from oven when done. Reduce oven temperature to 300°F.
Using a pair of tongs, gently place meatballs in Dutch oven so that they are submerged in sauce as much as possible. Tightly cover top of Dutch oven with aluminum foil and place lid on top of foil.
Bake at 300°F until meatballs are firm and sauce has thickened, about 35 to 40 minutes.
Pasta
4 quarts water
About 20 minutes prior to meatballs being ready, bring 4 quarts of water to boil in large pot.
1 tablespoon salt
1 pound spaghetti
Add salt and pasta to boiling water. Stir and cook until al dente. Drain pasta and reserve in colander.
grated Parmesan cheese
Place desired portion of pasta with a ladle or two of sauce and meatballs. Serve with Parmesan cheese, salad, and garlic bread.
From MakeBetterFood.com. . (makebetterfood.com/recipes/spaghetti-and-meatballs/). Adapted from Cook's Illustrated.
Preheat oven to 450°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place a wire rack on top and coat lightly with cooking spray.
Combine breadcrumbs and buttermilk in large bowl. Using a fork, mash and stir until a smooth paste forms.
In a small bowl, lightly beat egg. Add to bowl with breadcrumb mixture and stir to combine.
In a small bowl or ramekin, stir powdered gelatin in water until completely dissolved. Add to breadcrumb mixture and stir to combine.
Add ground beef, prosciutto, Parmesan cheese, parsley, garlic, salt, and pepper to breadcrumb mixture. Using your hands, gently mix until combined.
Using your hands, take about 2 tablespoons of the beef mixture and form into 1-inch round meatballs (about 1 ounce each). Place meatballs on prepared wire rack over rimmed baking sheet, evenly spacing them as you go. Repeat until all of the mixture has been using, yielding about 18 meatballs.
Roast at 450°F until meatballs have turned golden brown and read 160°F on an instant read thermometer, about 16 to 20 minutes.
While meatballs roast, heat olive oil, garlic, and oregano in large Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Cook and stir frequently, until garlic is fragrant, about 3 minutes.
Stir in crushed tomatoes, wine, salt, and pepper. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to simmer.
Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until thickened, about 15 minutes.
Remove meatballs from oven when done. Reduce oven temperature to 300°F.
Using a pair of tongs, gently place meatballs in Dutch oven so that they are submerged in sauce as much as possible. Tightly cover top of Dutch oven with aluminum foil and place lid on top of foil.
Bake at 300°F until meatballs are firm and sauce has thickened, about 35 to 40 minutes.
About 20 minutes prior to meatballs being ready, bring 4 quarts of water to boil in large pot.
Add salt and pasta to boiling water. Stir and cook until al dente. Drain pasta and reserve in colander.
Place desired portion of pasta with a ladle or two of sauce and meatballs. Serve with Parmesan cheese, salad, and garlic bread.
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