Comments on: meatballs and spaghetti

By: Ashley

Ashley — Sat, 05 May 2012 23:27:48 +0000

I’m making these meatballs RIGHT NOW, browning up the last few. HOLY COW, they are YUMMY! i like that this recipe doesn’t chopped onion. I think it messes with the texture. These have so much flavor it’s ridiculous! My new favorite recipe for meatballs. :)

By: Derek Hoover

Derek Hoover — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 00:00:27 +0000

Just now making. My favorite thing ever is to be in the kitchen, with the laptop on the counter, using your recipes. Can’t wait to try this one! Haven’t had any recipes that my partner and I haven’t loved yet!

By: Annie

Annie — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 00:50:48 +0000

Deb, we’ve made this several times before, and it has become our go-to meatball recipe, but I want to thank you for it especially tonight. We’re having Valentine’s Day in, and this was the perfect meal! We were like Lady and the Tramp — spaghetti + meatballs = true romance!

By: Michele

Michele — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 01:28:37 +0000

Dang girl, cooking that marinara in the drippings is pure money. There were raves here tonight. Thanks for a good one! I got a lotion foot rub thanks to you!

By: Alessandra

Alessandra — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 13:15:59 +0000

Nice blog and so many interesting recipes!
I always wondered where this recipe came from.Who combined spaghetti and meatballs first? In Italy we eat spaghetti with tomato sauce and also meatballs but never together in the same dish.First and only time I had spaghetti with meatballs was when I travelled in the U.S.
Is it something brought in U.S. by the first Italian immigrants? Does anybody knows?

The Italian food cooked in the US it is normally different from the food we eat here, and I think this probably be true all over the world. I don’t think the Chinese stuff I eat here in Italy is anything close to the dishes you can eat in China!
By the way when I cook the sauce if it is marinara I put garlic cloves only. If instead I cook a sauce with basil I use onion.
My meatballs recipe is similar but I use fresh bread torn in pieces and dumped for a while in water or milk and no onion in the mix.
In Italy the marinara sauce pasta is never dressed with Parmesan….
Normally garlic or fish dishes are never accompanied by Parmesan.

By: peony1229

peony1229 — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 18:46:21 +0000

I love this recipe. I added garlic powder to my meatballs because I don’t know any other way. Must have garlic. Delicious and simple. I will also never use store bought bread crumbs again! Using homemade bread crumbs made a such a difference flavor wise. I shared my bounty of meatballs with some of my colleagues and they all raved!

By: Cgulotta

Cgulotta — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 23:00:55 +0000

As an Italian Catholic from New Orleans, I’m used to my family’s recipes. Hate to say it but I’ve been converted!! This was outstanding! I followed it to a T but made my own noodles :) i can’t believe how wonderful this sauce turned out and what a great idea to add a little parmesan to the meatballs. You never cease to amaze me Deb!! I’ll be making this regularly

By: Laura

Laura — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 03:36:24 +0000

My boyfriend and I made the sauce for dinner last weekend. Yum! We used rum instead of wine, and made mango sausage instead of meatballs. Thanks!

By: jessica

jessica — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 23:30:11 +0000

Oh sheesh. I just made these and couldn’t figure out why my meatballs were falling apart. I’m not an experienced chef by any stretch of the imagination (twas a mere couple of years ago I was still burning cakes made from mixes) and didn’t realize the bread with crusts removed needed to be chopped up in a food processor or something. A link to how to make fresh breadcrumbs would have been so helpful! I was thrown by your lovely photo of toasting breadcrumbs, so my meatballs have big chunks of toasted bread in them!

Still delicious, just… crumbly ;o)

By: deb

deb — Sat, 12 Mar 2011 00:39:57 +0000

Judy — You should fully, fully heat the pan, then add the oil, fully heat the oil, add the meat (works best if at room temperature) and not move the meatballs until they do so easily. Sooner, they’re not cooked/sealed/browned enough underneath. If you heat the pan, then the oil, the meat will only release when it is time. I struggled with sticking foods for years before using this process, I promise it helps!