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Merry About Town

Spaghetti and Meatballs

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Spaghetti and Meatballs

The last few weeks have taught me one thing….being busy makes eating healthy much, much harder!  I am still trying to cook more often than not but the last couple of weeks have been hard.  Work has been really busy and I’ve had to work a few nights.  Thankfully when Dewey & I have to work Evan stays home with our nanny & eats food from home.

I have been keeping cut up vegetables around the house with dip for all of us to eat.  I really fills in the gaps at meal times and ups our intake of veggies.  I think it is one of the THE easiest ways to eat healthier.  Storing your vegetables already washed & cut up is definitely a must.

Sunday night I needed a quick and healthy meal to fix for supper with the kids.  I flipped open my copy of Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution to see what I could find.  Spaghetti & meatballs?  Perfect!

Spaghetti and Meatballs

Spaghetti and Meatballs

Yield: 4
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes

A family favourite, spaghetti and meatballs is worth the work!

Ingredients

  • 4 sprigs fresh rosemary
  • 12 cream or plain crackers such as Jacobs
  • 2 tsp dijon mustard
  • 1 pound ground beef or pork, or a mixture of both
  • 1 tbsp dried oregano
  • 1 egg
  • salt & pepper
  • olive oil
  • 1 bunch fresh basil
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, diced
  • 1/2 fresh or dried chili
  • 28 oz diced tomatoes
  • 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 1 pound dried spaghetti
  • Parmesan for grating

Instructions

  1. Strip rosemary from the stems and finely chop (throw stems away). Crush crackers. Mix ground meat, rosemary, cracker crumbs, mustard, oregano, egg and salt and pepper. Mold meat mixture into a ball. Divide in quarters. Divide each quarter into 6 pieces and roll into meatballs. This will give you 24 meatballs.
  2. Heat a skillet over medium high heat with a glug of olive oil in it. Put a large pot of salted water on to boil to cook pasta. Add meatballs to the hot skillet and cook. Make sure to check the interior of the meatballs to make sure they are cooked through.
  3. Cook pasta according to package directions.
  4. Heat another skillet over medium heat with olive oil in it. Add onions and cook until soft and translucent. Add garlic & cook for another minute. Strip large leaves from basil and add to skillet. Add diced tomatoes and vinegar. Bring to a boil. Turn to a simmer. Add the meatballs to this sauce once they are cooked.
  5. Drain past but reserve some of the pasta water. Add a bit of the pasta sauce to the pasta & a bit of the pasta water. Serve this pasta with the meatballs & sauce on top.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 824 Saturated Fat: 9g Cholesterol: 121mg Sodium: 242mg Carbohydrates: 105g Fiber: 7g Sugar: 10g Protein: 38g
© Adapted from Jaime Oliver
Cuisine: American/Canadian / Category: Main Dish

Recipe Note:  I used Jacobs crackers but I think you could use plain saltines.  I did not use the chili because Evan doesn’t like things that are too spicy.  Everyone liked this.  Next time I might try to blend the sauce as Will & Nicole REALLY don’t like chunks of onion.

 

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About Merry Kuchle

I like to share my passions, and create content that makes a difference to people, whether that means well-loved recipes, helpful travel advice, or personal stories about my life, family, and mental health story. Does your brand fit well with this vision? Email me at yycmerry@gmail.com and we can get planning!

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Comments

  1. Scattered Mom says

    I found some chilis at IGA and when I seed them, they really don't add heat, but just a bit of flavor. I think it would depend on what you could find and would take some experimentation.

    I gotta get going on my own Food Revolution post for tomorrow! I have this really great, heartfelt one of Hubs and I but I'm waiting for my phone to charge so I can add the picture. Gah! Maybe should just do FRF instead.

    Reply

  2. Audrey says

    I have made this recipe and it is fantastic! Great photos! I have yet to find a bad recipe in that book!

    Reply

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