Giant Meatballs and Spaghetti

One of Miss F's most favorite foods is meatballs. She loves them, I don't. The nice part of meatballs is that unlike a meat sauce (which I also don't love,) I can easily leave them off my plate. These were C and Miss F approved, both battling over the leftovers for their lunches. I used ground sirloin because it was on special at the grocer, but any ground meat combination you like would work just fine in these meatballs.  These meatballs are huge and Miss F could easily have taken down five in one sitting, that is how much she loves them.  On our last visit to Chicago, the hotel served meatballs as one of the dishes for the complimentary appetizers.  My kid ate an embarrassing amount of meatballs, but still had plenty of room for daddy pasta after.

Giant Meatballs and Spaghetti

1 pound ground sirloin
¼ cup bread crumbs
2 tablespoons grated parmesan
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning

½ onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
½ cup red wine
1 six-ounce can of tomato paste
2 14.5-ounce cans of diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon dried basil
½ teaspoon dried oregano
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper

¾ pound spaghetti

In a bowl combing the sirloin, bread crumbs, egg, garlic and Italian seasoning. Mix well to combine and form meat into meatballs, about 2-inch around. Refrigerate for a half hour.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat and cook meatballs until well browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer meatballs to a paper towel-lined plate. Drain all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the skillet.

Add the onion to the skillet and sauté until soft, about three minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Deglaze the pan with the red wine, using a wooden spoon to scrape up the brown bits in the pan. Add the tomato paste and cook for two minutes more. Add tomatoes, sugar. basil, oregano, red pepper, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Return the meatballs to the pan and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes more.

Meanwhile, prepare the spaghetti per package directions. Drain and toss the spaghetti with the meatballs and sauce. Serve.

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