Homemade Spaghetti and Meatballs

Spaghetti is comfort food to me. Not because I am instantly drawn to eating pasta when I am having a tough day but because spaghetti and comfort after a long difficult day will forever be engrained in my brain as synonymous. Back in highschool and college, if I had a bad day, I seemed to always come home and spaghetti was on the menu for dinner. My family would force me to sit down and eat and the meal would sink into me and warm me up inside. So, everytime I eat spaghetti, I instantly feel comforted.

Now that I am a married adult, it is my turn to establish a delicious recipe for spaghetti. My mom has a version and my grandpa another version. So, I decided to step out and create a spaghetti recipe all my own. Can I say that it is yummy?!?! IT IS YUMMY! Anyway, it is delicious and easy and, as my husband says, way better than premade jars at a store (that's right Ragu, I'm talking about you!).

Here it is:

Makes 4-6 servings

Sauce Ingredients:

1.5 Tsp Better than Bouillon (Beef)
1 Tsp Oregano
1Tsp Salt
1Tsp Pepper
1 Tsp Basil
1/2 Tsp Garlic Powder
2 Tbs Olive Oil
3 Large Garlic Cloves (Minced)
2 Cans Diced Tomatoes
1 Can Tomato Paste
1 Medium Sized Onion (Diced)

Meatball Ingredients:

1/2 Lb Ground Beef
1/2 Lb Sausage (either italian or breakfast, I only had breakfast and I couldn't tell at all!)
1 Egg
1 Tsp Salt
1/2 Tsp Pepper
1/2 Tbs Onion Powder
1/2 Tsp Garlic Powder
Olive Oil

To make the sauce, brown the garlic and onion together until transparent. Next, add the remaining incredients and seasonings and let cook on medium for 15 minutes. Now, here is my secret trick to speed the whole process up considerably. Poor all the cooked ingredients into the blender and blend until you reach a nice sauce consistency (to each his [or her] own). Return the sauce to the pan after blending and heat for an additional 10 minutes on low or until ready to serve. This is a good time to boil the water and cook the spaghetti noodles while making the meatballs.

To make the meatballs, combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well with your fingers. Next form into balls. My meatballs were approximately 2 inches in diameter. But, the size can be adjusted depending on how many or how few you would like. Coat the bottow of a pan in olive oil and heat. Place the meatballs in the pan and cook on medium twisting the meatballs to be browned on all sides with tongs occasionally until completely cooked (approximately 10-minutes). After the meatballs are cooked and browned on all side, place the meatballs in your spaghetti sauce and keep warm on simmer until ready to serve.

My recommendation is to serve this meal with either green beans or a nice salad with a side of garlic bread. However, as you can see by my picture, I was lazy (after my not-so-great day) and only made some garlic toast. However you like to serve your spaghetti, I hope you enjoy the meal!