Despite having an Italian mother, I have never made meatballs before. I’m almost embarrassed to admit it. Whelp, at the age of 26, I believe it is time to finally get my hands dirty and make some meatballs. One of Cooking Light’s
40 Fast Menus in Under 40 Minutes had a recipe for meatballs, so I used it as my base for this recipe.
For the Pasta:
9 ounces refrigerated fettuccine
12 ounces ground sirloin
2 sausages, removed from their casings
1/2 cup panko
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil
2 garlic cloves, minced
3/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 3/4 cups lower-sodium marinara sauce
1 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated
For the Salad:
1 cup chopped red onion
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3 cups torn butter lettuce
1 cup sliced avocado
Because this is a very simple sauce, I’d suggest going for a premium high-quality marinara sauce.
Bring a pot of water to a boil. While waiting for the water to boil, combine the beef, sausage meat, panko, basil, garlic, salt, pepper, and egg in a medium sized bowl. The original recipe did not have the sausage included, but I thought it would add some extra flavor (I used these awesome sausages from
Martin‘s in Reading Terminal- Mozzarella and Basil Sausages, amazing right?)
Shape the mixture into small meatballs. The recipe says to make 16. I ended up with 10. I wasn’t very good at the whole eyeballing-the-right-size-thing.
By now the water should be boiling. Cook the pasta according to directions. Drain over a bowl to reserve 1/3 cup pasta water.
Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs and cook until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. (stir to flip the meatballs so they brown evenly)
Reduce the heat to medium low and add the sauce and 1/3 cup pasta water.
Cover and cook for 11 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked through.
While waiting for the sauce to cook, combine the red onion, olive oil, lime juice, salt and pepper in a bowl. Let stand for 10 minutes.
Add lettuce and avocado; toss gently.
When the sauce is finished cooking, mix in the pasta and cook until heated through, about 2 minutes.
Serve the pasta topped with some Parmesan cheese and the salad on the side.
I love how simple this recipe is but still packs a bunch of flavor! My normal
tomato sauce takes forever to make, so I’m pretty excited to have a quick sauce when I need it.
Oh. And the meatballs? Fan-tastic. I could eat these all day.
The salad was really delicious as well! There was a bit too many onions for my liking, so I might limit the amount next time I make this.
I seem to forget how yummy simple recipes can be, something I need to remember as vegetables and fruits come back in season.
