Fancy Pants Spaghetti

Break out your dress pants- this is not your ordinary spaghetti dinner. This is nice-bottle-of-wine,-impress-your-guests,-and-have-some-good-bread-on-hand-to-sop-up-the-goodness-when-your-plate-is-empty kind of spaghetti. (Because while it may be a fancy dinner, you have to be yourself...)

Like a lot of our dinners, this was a challenge to ourselves. Could we make spaghetti and meatballs from scratch and would it actually taste better than what I used to make from a jar..... Of Course, it was. That's why it became our Fancy Pants dinner. And, the good news is that it cooks the same in Europe and the US. Yeh!  (Some recipes will be given US/Europe methods in the near future now that I have made them in both places)

The recipe is a big blend of several that I found and pulled into one big, good, meal. Feel free to make any adjustments that you like for the sauce or meatballs. I know everyone has their own favorite things in Spaghetti- throw in some mushrooms, more celery, more zucchini, less carrots- make it your own Fancy Pants meal.

Spaghetti and Meatballs
Ingredients
Meatballs:
1 lb. Ground Beef (Or ground turkey, or a mixture of beef and sausage. Up to you!)
1/2 Freshly grated Parmesan
4 Tablespoons freshly chopped Parsley
1 Whole Egg
3 cloves Garlic
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Ground Pepper
Dash of Herb D'Provence (or italian seasoning)

Sauce:
1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 large Onion (chopped)
3 cloves Garlic
1 stalk Celery (chopped) 
2 small Zucchini (chopped)
2 small Carrots (chopped)
Salt and Ground pepper to taste
1 32oz can Crushed tomatoes
1 15 oz can Diced tomatoes
2 Bay Leaves
Herb De Provence to taste


Methods
Meatballs: 
Drop everything in a large mixing bowl and mix well by hand. Using a medium sized cookie scoop, spoon out and form by hand. Place onto a cookie sheet, and refrigerate for an hour or two so flavors will blend. While they are in the fridge, start on the sauce.


Sauce:
In a large casserole pot, heat Olive Oil. Add onion, cook until translucent. Add the rest of the vegetables to the pot, saute until tender crisp. Add tomatoes and spices, bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat. Simmer for around 45 minutes before you.....


- Cook meatballs until just browned on the outside. I will either 1- fry them in a large skillet or 2- grill them. Once they are browned on the outside, they can be placed in the sauce to finish cooking. Let cook for around 45 minutes more. 

- While sauce is finishing, fill a stock pot with water, add a teaspoon of salt and bring to a boil. Add noodles and cook until al dente. Drain and serve with a few meatballs and sauce!