Spaghetti-stuffed meatballs are like Inception for your mouth
Drew Swantak
Hilarious Lady and the Tramp references aside, the act of eating spaghetti and meatballs can be a messy, harrowing experience. In order to avoid having your clothes resemble a blood-spattered crime scene, I’ve tamed the saucy noodles by stuffing them inside a giant meatball. Each bite has just the right meat-to-noodle-to-sauce ratio, so you can keep your clothes clean and leave the unintentional noodle make outs for 1950s Disney dogs.
Spaghetti-stuffed Meatballs Recipe
Total Time: 1 hour, 45 minutes
Yield: 4
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 cups fresh breadcrumbs
- 2/3 cup whole milk
- 1 pound 80% lean ground beef
- 1 pound ground pork
- 1 1/2 cups finely grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/3 cup finely chopped Italian parsley
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped oregano
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 large eggs, whisked
- 4 ounces dry spaghetti noodles
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 6 cups marinara sauce
DIRECTIONS:
- Place breadcrumbs in a small bowl and pour milk over them, making sure to evenly moisten all crumbs. Let stand while you mix the meat.
- Combine beef, pork, 1 cup Parmesan, parsley, oregano, salt, pepper, garlic, and nutmeg in a large bowl. Mix with your hands until incorporated but don’t overmix. Full chunks of ground meat should still be visible. Add eggs and breadcrumbs; gently mix just until all ingredients are combined. Cover and chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- Cook spaghetti according to package instructions for al dente pasta. Drain and drizzle with olive oil to prevent clumping.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a baking sheet and set it aside.
- Lightly oil your hands and roll 1 cup of meat into a ball. With the ball in one palm, create an indentation with your other hand, molding it into a bowl shape. Grab a forkful of spaghetti (about 1/3 cup) and swirl it in the meat bowl until it’s a tight bun, release fork and fold in the edges of the meat bowl so it completely seals the spaghetti inside [PHOTOS BELOW]. Place the meatball on the baking sheet. Repeat until you have 4 meatballs.
- Bake until browned and cooked through, about 30 minutes.
- In a medium pot, bring marinara sauce to a simmer over medium heat (reduce heat if it starts to spit at you).
- When meatballs are done, place each one on an individual plate and top with lots of sauce and remaining Parmesan.
