{"id":257,"date":"2018-06-07T20:26:47","date_gmt":"2018-06-07T20:26:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/trialbyfryer.com\/?p=257"},"modified":"2018-08-03T15:22:26","modified_gmt":"2018-08-03T15:22:26","slug":"meatballs-and-spaghetti","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/trialbyfryer.com\/2018\/06\/meatballs-and-spaghetti\/","title":{"rendered":"Meatballs and Spaghetti"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Sometimes we eat like toddlers.<\/p>\n

Okay. Okay. Now you’re going to yell at me, because fussy meatballs, plus a load of ingredients for a separate sauce, plus maybe another vegetable to get your greens in, is not a weeknight dinner! And… I would have nothing to say back to you. You’re right. Deb from Smitten Kitchen<\/a> (in case you couldn’t tell, my other fangirl cooking crush in addition to Melissa Clark) has an easier, quicker \u201cEveryday Meatball<\/a>\u201d recipe, which doesn\u2019t require you to brown the meat and is, in fact, a much likelier candidate for true weeknight dinners. I\u2019ve also made this, and those meatballs are also delicious.<\/p>\n

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HOWEVER. I\u00a0love<\/em>\u00a0the char you get from browned meat and can\u2019t bear to give it up. So, to compromise, I squish as many meatballs as I can in my skillet, turn up the heat, and fry them for less time. You’ve already seen how I crowd my vegetables<\/a>; now you know I also crowd my meatballs. The last time I made this, I ended up with 24 meatballs, which, annoyingly, necessitated a third batch of browning to brown a puny 3 meatballs. So next time, I would try to aim for 20-21 meatballs, and squish them all together in my 12-inch skillet to brown in two batches. Anyway, even with three batches, the browning, to me, is worth it for the resulting flavor. I also swap out fresh breadcrumbs for Panko here for ease and convenience. The meatballs are still delicious.<\/p>\n

Also, I feel like the other point that I must make in my defense is that this recipe makes a\u00a0mound<\/em>\u00a0of food, like enough for 6-8 servings (24 meatballs, about 3 meatballs per meal = almost 8 meals of meatballs!). James and I (eventually) eat all of it – because meatballs and sauce reheat so well, and I could never tire of carbs, oniony sauce, and tender beefy meatballs even if I have to eat it for four meals throughout the week. Also, I swear that it tastes even better the next day, and the next. So if you feel inspired on a slow Monday (is there ever such a thing?!), or even a Sunday, this humble, filling, hearty dish is for you!<\/p>\n

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We served this with a side of steamed broccoli, and it took me about 2 hours total, from opening my fridge door to sitting down at the table to eat. And now, wine!<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t
Servings<\/th>Fuss Factor<\/th>Total Time<\/th>Prep Time<\/th>Cook Time<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
6-8<\/td>5<\/td>1 hour 45 minutes*<\/td>40 minutes<\/td>1 hour 5 minutes<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n
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Meatballs and Spaghetti<\/h2>\n\t
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Adapted from Smitten Kitchen<\/a> (where it was adapted from Ina Garten)<\/p>\t<\/div>\n\t

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Ingredients<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t
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For the meatballs:<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t