Spaghetti and Meatballs or Meatball Sandwiches

This little guy below is a stick mixer made by Cuisinart. It is an amazing kitchen tool. I use it for blending sauces, such as marinara, to get a smooth consistency. Much easier than pouring into a blender while the sauce is hot. Just place the end of the stick into the pan, and Presto! Smooth sauce in seconds. Great for gravy too. No, I don't work on commission.

We love spaghetti and meatballs. I love to let the meatballs sit in the sauce all day and simmer, so little bits of the meat fall into the sauce. I'm not a big fan of leftovers, but this dish is so good as a leftover meal. Take the extra meatballs and sauce, heat up with a slice of mozzarella, put it on a crusty bun, and you have... Guy Food. You could serve it with a salad, but I guarantee you most men would rather just have another sandwich if you give them the option.

We should talk about Guy Food.  As opposed to Chick Food. Reasons why Grant is no longer allowed to go to the grocery store for me:  Little Smokies, Cheese Whiz, sardines, Spam, Vienna Sausages.  He loves to load up the cart with this stuff. Guy Food in bottles.
The Super Bowl is coming up soon. I am always amazed at the big hype over a game! Sheesh, get a hold of yourselves, people. In the next few weeks, I'll post some tried and true "Manly Man" food. Meatball sandwiches definitely qualify as a Super Bowl worthy main dish.

Spaghetti and Meatballs
A Bountiful Kitchen
print recipe

Meatballs:

1 1/3 pounds Lean ground beef

1 lb Italian Sausage, ground

1 1/2 cups bread crumbs, plain

3 eggs, beaten

2-3 teaspoons dried thyme

1 small onion, chopped

Combine all of the ingredients in a stand mixer, or by hand. Shape the meatballs into 1 1/2- 2 inch inch balls. Brown the meatballs in a small amount of vegetable or olive oil, turning to brown evenly. This takes about 8-10 minutes. When all of the meatballs are cooked, gently add to marinara sauce and simmer for 2 or more hours.

Marinara Sauce:

1 onion chopped

olive oil

1 28 oz can chopped tomatoes

1 15 oz can tomato sauce

1 6 oz can tomato paste

2 cloves garlic, chopped

2 Tablespoons oregano, dried

2 Tablespoons basil, dried

2 Tablespoons parsley, dried

2 teaspoons thyme

1 teaspoon sage

salt, pepper, Tabasco, sugar to taste. (I use about 5-10 drops of hot sauce, and about 1/4 cup of sugar)

Saute onion in olive oil until soft. Add the undrained tomatoes, sauce and paste. Add the remaining ingredients. Season to taste. Simmer for 2-4 hours for best flavor. Blend sauce with hand mixer before adding the meatballs. Or you can pour into a blender, and whirl just until smooth.