Spaghetti and Meatballs

One of the reasons I offered a year ago to do most of the cooking is because I was tired of having the same thing every week. Spaghetti and meat sauce, steak and baked potatoes, plain baked salmon and canned asparagus... I was simply getting bored and wanted to try new things. So now, when I make spaghetti, I actually WANT spaghetti. This time I am making meatballs instead of just a meat sauce.

Spaghetti with Meatballs (adapted from a recipe by Tyler Florence)

• Extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, smashed
• Dried Parsley to taste
  
• 1 cup milk
• 4 thick slices firm white bread, crust removed
• 2 pounds ground beef
  
• 1 pound ground pork
  
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  
• Good quality tomato sauce
  
• Shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 pound spaghetti

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

- Heat 3 tablespoons oil in an ovenproof skillet over medium heat.

-Add the onion, garlic, and parsley and cook until the vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes.

-Allow the vegetables to cool

-Pour enough milk over the bread in a bowl to moisten and let it soak. Squeeze out the excess milk before adding it to the bowl of cooled onions.

-Combine the meats in a large bowl. Add the egg and Parmigiano and season generously with salt and pepper.

-Gently combine all the ingredients with your hands until just mixed together (don't overwork or the meatballs will be tough). Divide into 10 equal pieces and shape them into 10 nice looking meatballs.

-Heat oil in the frying pan over medium heat and brown the meatballs on all sides, about 10 minutes.

-Put them into a baking dish and spoon some of the tomato sauce over them. Shower with the mozzarella and drizzle with olive oil.

-Put the meatballs in the oven and bake until the meatballs are cooked through, about 15 minutes.

-Serve meatballs over spaghetti and the rest of the sauce, along with additional grated Parmesan cheese and garlic bread.