These meatballs were inspired by my mom and Tyler Florence. From my mom I borrow the finely chopped spinach and the oven method of cooking the meatballs (browning them in a pan is a pain in the butt and doesn’t really add anything for me). From Tyler I borrow the measurements.

I made them several weeks ago (picture was an afterthought) and am ready for some more. Aaron actually said, “these are the best meatballs I’ve ever had.” (sorry, Mom) THIS IS HUGE!  For those of you who know Aaron well, he can be a bit hard to please in the food department and will often offer advice when I’m not really looking for any. In the past, the meatballs I’ve made have been too firm and bland. These came out tender and flavorful –perfect to serve with spaghetti or as a meatball sandwich. I am still surprised at how delicious these are given the simplicity of the ingredients.

These are pretty darn easy to make and freeze fabulously.  We got at least four meals out of them. Definitely freeze about 6 meatballs separately to make two meatball subs for lunch or dinner.

I cannot guarantee they will be as delicious if you use just one meat, but you could always try.  I really believe it’s the combo of meats I used that made them so tender and flavorful. My local butcher shop sells a tri-mix of equal parts veal, pork, and beef for this very purpose. If you can’t find it pre-mixed, mix your own. However, this just might be a great opportunity to get acquainted with your local butcher. If you have a problem with using veal, just use equal parts pork and beef (that’s what Tyler does).

Ingredients

• 3 lbs ground meat (1 lb each of ground veal, pork, and beef)
• 1 egg
• 1/2-3/4 cup grated parmesan/Romano blend (at TJ’s)
• 4 thick slices firm white bread, crusts removed and torn into pieces (I used 1/2 loaf of par baked French baguette from TJ’s)
• 1 good size onion finely minced (keep it raw –I had my reservations about this, but mom insisted)
• several large handfuls of spinach -(I pulsed it in my food processor to get a very fine chop –you could do it by hand)
• small handful of basil (threw it in with the spinach)
• 2-3 cloves of garlic, pressed
• 1-2 tsp kosher salt
• fresh ground pepper
• 2 cans of TJ’s Tuscano Marinara sauce or other sauce of choice.

*If you are out of garlic, you could always use some garlic salt in place of the kosher salt.

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 and take out a sheet pan.

Pour enough milk over the bread in a bowl to moisten and let it soak. Combine the meats in a large bowl. Add the egg and cheese and season generously with salt and pepper. Use your hands to squeeze the excess milk out of the bread and add that to the bowl along with the remaining ingredients. Gently combine all the ingredients with your hands or with a spoon until just mixed together. Don't overwork or the meatballs will be tough.

Using a large ice-cream scooper (the kind with the spring) or your hands, form meatballs into golf ball size and place even spaced on a large sheet pan. You might need two sheet pans depending on how large yours are. Cook in oven for approx 30 min. If using two pans you can rotate them half way through to achieve a more even cooking outcome. Don’t over cook. They are going to simmer in your tomato sauce for two hours, so it’s better to under cook them because they can always finish cooking in the sauce.

While meatballs are cooking, heat your tomato sauce of choice in a large pot. When meatballs are done cooking, place in the pot and simmer, almost covered for 2 hours. Serve over your favorite spaghetti or on a baguette with melted mozzarella.

*I can’t remember, but I think this made more than 24 meatballs, sorry :(

Aaron often requests this dish because it’s hearty and satisfying. I love this dish because I usually have everything on hand.  The pancetta, unopened, can last a month in the fridge.  Frozen peas last a really long time, and my pantry is always stocked with a variety of pastas. The only thing I might need to pick up at the store is the cream. I decided to add the peas to Emeril’s version because I felt like it needed some color and a veggie.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter (I’m sure salted would be just fine)
• 1 small yellow onion, minced
• 4 ounces pancetta or prosciutto, diced (TJ’s sells 4oz containers in the meat section)
• 1 pound fresh linguine (I’ve never used fresh, although it would probably be delicious. I usually just use a package of spaghetti –angel hair would not be a good choice for this dish (too thin)
• 1-2 cups of fresh or frozen peas (depends on the ratio you want. TJ’s organic peas are my favorite frozen pea)
• 3 large egg yolks, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup heavy cream, at room temperature (I use half milk/half cream to trim some calories) 
• 3/4 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, at room temperature
• Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook your pasta of choice according to the package directions (try not to over cook because an al dente past works best for this dish).

Meanwhile, heat oil and butter in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the onion and pancetta and cook until the onions are translucent and the pancetta is beginning to crisp. At this time I throw in the peas and put the lid on (the peas just cook in the pan –no need to defrost) After throwing in the peas, immediately remove from the heat and set aside.

Drain pasta in a colander (reserve a small amount of the cooking liquid in a small bowl) and return pasta to the pot (I just throw the pasta in my large skillet with the pea/pancetta, onion mixture –use whatever is easiest to stir) . Stir to coat and make sure the mixture is over medium heat before the next step.

In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and heavy cream and add to the pasta, along with the Parmesan. Remove the pot from the heat and toss the pasta until it is well-coated. Season with salt (use kosher or sea salt –please never use table salt to season your food –it’s WAY too harsh) and freshly ground black pepper, to taste. If needed, add a bit of the reserved pasta cooking liquid to help toss the pasta if it is dry. Serve immediately.