Classic Spaghetti And Meatballs For A Crowd Food

CLASSIC SPAGHETTI AND MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Break the bread slices into pieces and place in a large bowl. Pour the milk over them and let the bread soak for about 10 minutes.
• To the same bowl add the remaining meatball ingredients. Mix well using your clean hands. Shape the meatball mixture into balls around the size of a golf ball.
• Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the meatballs and saute until brown and cooked through. Turn them often so they hold their shape. You might also need to do this in a couple batches, depends on how big or small your meatballs are and the size of your skillet. It should take about 10 to 15 minutes per batch.
• Transfer the meatballs to a plate and set aside. If there's too much oil in your skillet, drain some of it out. You need about 1 tbsp of fat remaining in skillet.
• Add the onion and garlic to the skillet and cook for about 3 to 5 minutes until onion is soft and becomes translucent. Deglaze the pan with the chicken broth and scrape all the brown bits from the meatballs, this will add flavor to the sauce. Add the crushed tomatoes, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper and basil springs. Stir and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover the skillet with a lid and simmer for about 20 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. The sauce should reduce a bit.
• While the sauce is simmering cook the spaghetti according to package instructions. Reserve about 1 cup of the pasta water.
• If your sauce is too thick, add some of the pasta water to thin it out a bit until desired consistency is achieved.
• Place pasta in a large bowl and add about 1 to 2 cups of the sauce to the pasta and toss well. Add the meatballs to the remaining sauce in the skillet and toss. Serve the meatballs over spaghetti, sprinkled with Parmesan cheese and garnished with parsley or basil.

CLASSIC SPAGHETTI AND MEATBALLS FOR A CROWD

Steps:

• 1. FOR THE MEATBALLS: Place wire racks in 2 foil-lined rimmed baking sheets. Adjust oven racks to lower-middle and upper-middle positions and heat oven to 450 degrees. Combine bread crumbs and buttermilk in large bowl and let sit, mashing occasionally with fork, until smooth paste forms, about 10 minutes. 2.Add eggs, beef, pork, prosciutto, Parmesan, parsley, garlic, gelatin mixture, 11/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper to bread-crumb mixture. Using hands, gently mix until thoroughly combined. Lightly form about ¼ cup mixture into 2-inch round meatball (about 2 ounces); repeat with remaining mixture to form approximately 40 meatballs. 3. Spray wire racks with nonstick cooking spray and place meatballs, evenly spaced, on racks; roast until browned, about 30 minutes, rotating trays from front to back and top to bottom halfway through. 4. FOR THE SAUCE: While meatballs roast, heat olive oil in large Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and golden around edges, 6 to 8 minutes. Add garlic, red pepper flakes, and oregano; cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in tomato juice, crushed tomatoes, wine, 1½ teaspoons salt, and pepper to taste. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until slightly thickened, about 15 minutes. 5. Remove meatballs from oven and lower oven temperature to 300 degrees. Gently add meatballs to sauce, cover pot, and place in oven. Cook until meatballs are firm and sauce has thickened, about 1 hour. 6. Meanwhile, bring 10 quarts water to boil in 12-quart pot. Add pasta and 2 tablespoons salt to boiling water; cook until al dente. Drain pasta and return it to cooking pot. 7. TO SERVE: Stir basil and parsley into sauce and adjust seasoning with sugar, salt, and pepper. Toss pasta with 1½ cups sauce until lightly coated. Serve pasta, passing meatballs, remaining sauce.

CLASSIC SPAGHETTI AND MEATBALLS FOR A CROWD COOK'S ILLUSTRATED. SERVES 12. RECIPE

Steps:

• 1. FOR THE MEATBALLS: Place wire racks in 2 foil-lined rimmed baking sheets. Adjust oven racks to lower-middle and upper-middle positions and heat oven to 450 degrees. Combine bread crumbs and buttermilk in large bowl and let sit, mashing occasionally with fork, until smooth paste forms, about 10 minutes. 2. Add eggs, beef, pork, prosciutto, Parmesan, parsley, garlic, gelatin mixture, 11/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper to bread-crumb mixture. Using hands, gently mix until thoroughly combined. Lightly form about ¼ cup mixture into 2-inch round meatball (about 2 ounces); repeat with remaining mixture to form approximately 40 meatballs. 3. Spray wire racks with nonstick cooking spray and place meatballs, evenly spaced, on racks; roast until browned, about 30 minutes, rotating trays from front to back and top to bottom halfway through. 4. FOR THE SAUCE: While meatballs roast, heat olive oil in large Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and golden around edges, 6 to 8 minutes. Add garlic, red pepper flakes, and oregano; cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in tomato juice, crushed tomatoes, wine, 1½ teaspoons salt, and pepper to taste. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until slightly thickened, about 15 minutes. 5. Remove meatballs from oven and lower oven temperature to 300 degrees. Gently add meatballs to sauce, cover pot, and place in oven. Cook until meatballs are firm and sauce has thickened, about 1 hour. 6. Meanwhile, bring 10 quarts water to boil in 12-quart pot. Add pasta and 2 tablespoons salt to boiling water; cook until al dente. Drain pasta and return it to cooking pot. 7. TO SERVE: Stir basil and parsley into sauce and adjust seasoning with sugar, salt, and pepper. Toss pasta with 1½ cups sauce until lightly coated. Serve pasta, passing meatballs, remaining sauce, and grated Parmesan separately.

CLASSIC SPAGHETTI AND MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Place bread in medium bowl; cover with milk. Let stand until bread is soft, about 10 minutes. Place meat in large bowl. Mix in 2 tablespoons cheese and next 5 ingredients. Squeeze bread almost dry; discard milk. Blend bread into meat mixture. Using 1 rounded tablespoon for each, shape mixture into 24 meatballs.
• Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add meatballs; sauté until brown and cooked through, turning often to hold shape, about 15 minutes. Add meatballs and drippings in skillet to pot of Tomato-Sausage Sauce. Simmer to blend flavors, about 10 minutes.
• Place pasta in large bowl. Add 1 1/2 cups sauce and toss to coat. Top with meatballs and remaining sauce. Serve with additional Parmesan cheese.

SPAGHETTI AND MEATBALLS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, beat the egg; then blend in the milk.
• Add in the bread cubes, stirring to coat them well; let sit for 15 minutes.
• Using a fork, mash the bread cubes until they've formed a rough paste.
• Add in the ground beef to the bowl; working with your hands, incorporate the rough paste into the beef.
• Add in cheese, garlic, and parsley; blend in evenly; add salt and pepper to taste.
• Using wet hands, form the meat into balls the size of golf balls or a little smaller.
• Add olive oil to a large heavy skillet over med-high heat; add in the meatballs to brown them on all sides-don't crowd them in the pan; you may have brown them in batches.
• Transfer meatballs to the saucepan that holds the warmed tomato sauce; bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 45 minutes.
• When the meatballs are nearly done, drop the spaghetti into a big pot of boiling salted water.
• Cook spaghetti until al dente, about 8-9 minutes.
• Drain spaghetti in a colander; then return it to the pasta cooking pot over medium heat.
• Ladle in enough sauce to just coat the pasta; stir well.
• Add in the butter and stir well.
• Keep the pasta in the pot for a total of about 1 minute.
• Divide the pasta among six wide, shallow bowls; top each mound of pasta with a few meatballs, then ladle some more sauce over all.
• Serve with grated Romano cheese on the side.

EASY MEATBALL SANDWICHES FOR A CROWD

Steps:

• Put the meatballs in a large crockpot on high.
• Add the jars of spaghetti sauce. I like Bertolli brand.
• Add the additional seasonings and the bay leaves, if you so choose.
• Cook on high for one hour, turn down to medium or low and cook for several hours. If you don't have that much time, leave it on high and cook for 4 hours.
• Thaw the frozen bread about one hour before serving the meatballs (or just put it in a 375 degree oven for about 20-25 minutes straight out of the freezer).
• About 10 minutes before serving, put the loaves of bread in a 350-degree oven for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and slice the bread loaves horizontally, then into suitable slices big enough for open-face meatball sandwiches.
• Top sandwiches with choice of cheese.