Name: Spaghetti and Bison Meatballs
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 lb ground bison, or beef; 1/2 medium onion, diced; 5 garlic cloves, finely chopped; 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil; 1/2 cup bread crumbs; 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese; 2 large eggs; 1/2 tsp dried oregano; 1/2 tsp dried basil; 1 1/2 tsp salt; 1 28 oz can diced tomatoes, drained with juice reserved; 1 medium onion, finely chopped; 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped; 1 Tbsp dried basil; 1 Tbsp dried oregano; 1 tsp salt; 1 tsp black pepper; 1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil; 1/4 cup red wine, optional; 1 lb whole wheat spaghetti

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Spaghetti is a no fail dinner in our house. Everyone loves and eats it….even Evan. Homemade bison meatballs and homemade sauce made this a dinner to remember. Great flavor and pretty easy to boot.

Bison is a great choice for dinner. Across all cuts it is lower in calories and fat but higher in protein. However, if you can’t find bison or prefer beef, they are pretty much interchangable in most recipes. Use either in this one for a great result.

Not interested in having pasta? You can make bison meatballs and cover them with your favourite bbq sauce for an easy main dish or appetizer.

Spaghetti and Bison Meatballs

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes

Homemade bison meatballs and spaghetti sauce. It's what's for dinner!

Ingredients

Meatball Ingredients:

1 lb ground bison, or beef
1/2 medium onion, diced
5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 large eggs
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried basil
1 1/2 tsp salt

Sauce Ingredients:

1 28 oz can diced tomatoes, drained with juice reserved
1 medium onion, finely chopped
6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 Tbsp dried basil
1 Tbsp dried oregano
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup red wine, optional
1 lb whole wheat spaghetti

Instructions

Prepare meatballs

Heat ~1/2 Tbsp olive oil in a non-stick skillet on medium high heat. Add garlic and onions and cook until softened (about 5 minutes). Preaheat oven to 400°
In a large bowl, mix garlic & onions, ground meat, cheese, bread crumbs, eggs, spices and salt. Mix with your hands!
Brown meatballs in skillet with remaining 1/2 Tbsp oil. Place browned meatballs on baking sheet covered with parchment paper and bake for 15 minutes.

Prepare Sauce:

Heat olive oil in a non-stick skillet on medium high heat. Add garlic and onions and cook until softened (about 5 minutes).
Stir in tomatoes. Simmer uncovered for about 10 minutes stirring occasionally.
Add spices adn the tomato juice and cook for 5 more minutes. Add additional water, broth, etc if you want the sauce to be thinner.
Cook pasta according to package directions. Serve pasta with sauce on top & meatballs on top of that.

Notes

This turned out super yummy! I had never tried cooking with bison before. I found that it was really tasty and very lean. Evan loved this dish. It got thumbs up all around!