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Spaghetti and Meatballs

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Spaghetti and Meatballs

Sauce:

  • Cooking spray
  • 1 cup finely chopped onion
  • 3 garlic cloves — minced
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 14 ounces less-sodium beef broth
  • 56 ounces whole peeled tomatoes — undrained and chopped

Meatballs:

  • 1 ounce white bread
  • 8 ounces links sweet turkey Italian sausage — casings removed
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
  • 1/3 cup chopped fresh basil
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
  • 2 tablespoons egg substitute
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 garlic cloves — minced
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 pound ground sirloin

Remaining Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
  • 1/3 cup chopped fresh basil
  • 1 pound hot cooked spaghetti
  • 1/2 cup grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano — (2 ounces)
  • Fresh parsley sprigs — (optional)
  1. To prepare sauce, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add 1 cup onion; sauté for 3 minutes. Add 3 garlic cloves, and sauté 1 minute. Add tomato paste; cook 1 minute. Stir in 1/4 teaspoon salt and broth. Cook 4 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes. Reduce heat, and simmer 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  2. Preheat broiler.
  3. To prepare meatballs, place bread in a food processor, and process until fine crumbs measure 1/2 cup. Combine the breadcrumbs, sausage, 1/2 cup onion, and next 8 ingredients (through sirloin) in a bowl. With wet hands, shape sirloin mixture into 32 meatballs. Place meatballs on a broiler pan. Broil 15 minutes or until done. Add meatballs to sauce; simmer 15 minutes. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup parsley and 1/3 cup basil. Serve over spaghetti. Sprinkle with cheese; garnish with parsley sprigs, if desired.
  4. Wine note: Spaghetti and Meatballs is terrific with red or white wine as long as the wine has good acidity to mirror that of the tomatoes and act as a counterpoint to the meatballs. Because our recipe has fresh herbs, I prefer white wine with the dish–in particular, an herbal dry white from southern Italy such as Feudi di San Gregorio Greco di Tufo 2004 ($22). -Karen MacNeil

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