Week 140

Welcome to Week 140 of Mmm Mondays, where we turn Monday woes into Monday whoas!

Header image for week 140 by RDNE Stock project:

Last Week’s Links

Last week had 2 delicious posts.

Barefoot taught us How to Find Peace in a Busy world, in a short personal narrative about all things contricting.

And Charmer showed off her strappy lingerie in Shower Door.

You can read all those Mmm’s and more, here.

Mmm Makers

A list of contributors to Mmm Mondays.

Week 140 Recommended Reading

Mmm’s on Medium

Medium provides another platform for writers of all styles.

This week hosted Marsha Adams with a food inspired tale, Marie Rebelle with a triple decker, and Flure, with advice and an app to help you succeed.

Only available on Medium.

Book of the Month

Week 140 Recipe

Today marks 20 years of being a mother, which ages me yes, but is a glorious reason to celebrate. So, celebrate we shall! My son’s favourite is spaghetti and meatballs, so why not?

Print Recipe

Spaghetti and Meatballs

Spaghetti and Meatballs in homemade marinara sauce

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Cook Time45 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr 5 minutes mins

Course: dinner

Cuisine: American, Italian

Keyword: celebration, family favourite

Servings: 8 people

Ingredients

Meatballs

• 3 slices white bread (crusts removed), diced or torn to pieces
• 2/3 cup cold water
• 1 lb lean ground beef (7%-15% fat)
• 1 lb Sweet Ground Italian sausage casings removed
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese plus more to serve
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 large egg
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour to dredge meatballs
• 3 Tbsp Light olive oil to saute or use vegetable oil

Sauce

• 1 medium yellow onion (1 cup chopped)
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 56 oz crushed tomatoes (from 2 – 28 oz cans)
• 2 bay leaves optional
• Salt & pepper to taste
• 2 Tbsp basil finely minced*

Other ingredients

• 1 lb spaghetti (454 g)

Instructions

Italian Meatballs

• Combine bread pieces with 2/3 cup water and set aside 5 min then mash with a fork.
• In a large mixing bowl add: 1 lb ground beef, 1 lb sausage, 1/4 cup parmesan, 4 minced garlic cloves, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper, 1 egg and mashed bread crumbs. Mix until well combined.
• Form into 1 1/2″ meatballs (about a flat ice cream scoop of meat). Dredge/roll meatballs in flour, dusting off excess. Heat a deep, large, heavy skillet or a Dutch oven over medium heat with about 3 Tbsp oil. Add meatballs in 2 batches without crowding the pan and saute until browned on all sides (about 6 min total or 2 min per side). Remove meatballs and set aside (don’t worry about cooking through at this point).

Marinara Sauce

• In the same skillet over medium heat, add more oil if needed and saute 1 cup chopped onion stirring often until soft and golden (5 min). Add 4 cloves minced garlic and stir 1-2 min until fragrant.
• Stir in 2 cans of crushed tomatoes and 2 bay leaves. Bring to a light boil (stir to make sure it’s actually boiling and not just sending bubbles to the surface).
• Add meatballs back into the pan with tomato sauce, partially cover with lid or cover with a splatter screen to reduce splatter and cook at a gentle simmer for 30 min, turning the meatballs occasionally. Meatballs will be tender and sauce will be thickened. Five minutes before sauce is done, stir in chopped fresh basil and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Spaghetti and Meatballs

• Cook pasta according to package instructions until aldente (or to desired doneness), drain and return to the empty pot.
• Pour sauce and meatballs over spaghetti and toss gently to combine. To serve family-style, transfer to a large platter, garnish with parmesan cheese and fresh basil and serve hot.

Notes

*Basil is nice but optional if your crushed tomatoes jar has basil as 1 of the ingredients.
Recipe and image found at https://natashaskitchen.com/spaghetti-and-meatballs-recipe/

This Week’s Links

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