Those of you who "know" my Grumpy - well, you know very well that if I make that comment as I just did above, he will come back with "your the tramp." ha! However, in the Disney movie, Tramp was a male dog and I don't hesitate to let him know that.
Everytime I eat spaghetti I think of Lady & The Tramp - the romance story of a sheltered Cocker Spaniel and a streetwise downtown mutt....huh. I guess you could compare Grumpy & I the same way....and believe me, I was sheltered. I do like to think that I've taught Grumpy some finesse, while I am certain he has opened me up to the world of what's real out there too!
This spaghetti is a recipe I saw on my blogging buddy Katrina's blog, Baking with Boys. I'm crazy about pasta dishes - and I admit I am much happier when the pasta is the fresh kind and not out of a box....but this time I did cook the pasta from the box. I heard from Grumpy the exclamation "you didn't use fresh?!" and knew then and there that he is totally spoiled. ha!
I didn't have ground chicken or turkey, but I did have ground 90% lean beef so I went ahead and used that. Next time however I would go with the ground chicken or turkey for sure. I made a some changes in how it was assembled also - make sure you check out Katrina's blog for her version!
Uptown Spaghetti & Meatballs
adapted from Baking and Boys
Meatballs:
Cooking Spray
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups (firmly packed) arugula finely chopped (Katrina steamed hers, I didn't)
1 pound 90% lean ground beef (I suggest you go with the chicken as I will next time!)
½ cup seasoned italian bread crumbs
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Sauce:
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 large shallots, minced
¼ cup white wine (you can use chicken stock)
3-14.5 ounce cans diced fire roasted tomatoes with garlic, whizzed in a food processor
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Mix meatball ingredients all together and fry in a pan coated with cooking spray until browned on all sides. Remove from pan and set aside.
Saute shallots in olive oil until softened. Add white wine and tomatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer on low about 20 minutes, until sauce starts to thicken some. Season to taste with salt & pepper.
Serve over your favorite pasta. In the future I will use fresh spaghetti! 🙂
Thanks Katrina!
Leslie says
ohhh..I loved that movie.
Carrian says
I love me some pasta!
Kathleen says
This is my kind of meal!
Pegasuslegend says
Arugula yum! What a great addition!
teresa says
mmmm, so good! i love that it has arugula in it!
5 Star Foodie says
These meatballs sound excellent, I like the addition of arugula, very neat!
Julie M. says
I love Katrina's blog! This dish of hers looks delicious. And I have to say that while we don't have it all the time either, I absolutely adore fresh pasta. It just doesn't compare with the boxed stuff.
Fight the Fat Foodie says
Love spaghetti and meatballs! Yours look great. One thing I like to do is to simmer the meatballs in the sauce for 10-15 minutes before serving. The sauce and meatballs add their flavors to the other. Yum.
Cristine says
Looks delicious!!!
honeyb says
Yum! I just love these meatballs. I saute the spinach/arugula mostly so I can soften the garlic a little. I don't like putting raw garlic in the meatballs.
There are so many possibilities with these though.
I just made them on Sunday and sauteed some finely chopped mushrooms and put those in, too. Biggest thing with sauteing anything is to let it cool before adding it to the meat.
I've never made homemade pasta, but want to/need to give it a try so I can spoil my guy. 😉
Thanks, Shelby.
nanny says
I love pasta, esp. spaghetti....this recipe makes my mouth water.....it's funny, I think of Lady and Tramp too, with spaghetti!!!
Fallon says
Love spaghetti! I always make my meatballs with ground turkey. I'm making some angel hair tonight with a roasted garlic balsamic sauce and sauteed chicken breasts.
Mateja ^_^ says
Wonderful dinner plate! I bet that the fire roasted tomato made the sauce rich in taste and the arugula addition to the meatballs sounds interesting and yummy! Thank you for sharing 🙂
Lana @ Never Enough Thyme says
Yum! I love pasta in any way, shape or form. I don't think I've ever had arugula in meatballs before, but it sure does sound great!
ann says
Nothing is better than spaghetti and meatballs! Nice post.
Deeba PAB says
Wish I could say I'd make fresh pasta, but I know it isn't going to happen, but the meatballs will soon. Delicious meal dear girl!YUM!!