When I met my husband, over 30 years ago, one of the first meals I ever had at his parent’s house was spaghetti and meatballs with French fries. Yes, French fries. They were and still are a double starch family. It’s weird, but you should try it.
In all those years, despite having watched my mother-in-law make her meatballs a dozen times, I’ve never been able to perfectly replicate her them. So, normally, I don’t even try anymore. I just let her do her thing because she’s clearly better at it than I am and I don’t like my family being disappointed with their meals.
But, a couple weeks ago I was hungry for meatballs so I decided to whip these up. No thoughts. No trying to recreate anything. I was simply hungry for meatballs so I went for it. And, as frustrating as it is, sometimes things work out when we’re not trying too hard.
I was so pleasantly surprised when my husband thought I had gotten the recipe from his mom! He talked about these meatballs for a week.
I was really glad I had written down how I made them! I used both pork and beef because I love the balance of flavors and I love what the pastured pork texture does to the pastured ground beef. It lightens it and makes it more tender.
Since these are gluten-free and I can’t add bread crumbs like my mother-in-law used to do, I opted for one egg and some parmesan cheese – both additions add to a lighter flavor and texture.
I used my MIL’s technique of cooking the meatballs in the sauce. I don’t bake them first. Instead, I carefully place each of them in the boiling liquid raw, making sure that they are all submerged. Again, this helps with texture because sometimes when you bake them, the outside develops a crust.
This is such a simple recipe, feel free to alter the ingredients to your tastes – add some basil or use a different kind of cheese. These would be amazing with asiago or sharp cheddar. Just make sure to grate it fine so that it incorporates well. Below are some notes for you.
NOTES:
• I choose to use pastured meets exclusively. The benefit to the animal and the environment are very important to me. As far as pork goes, I think you’ll see a big difference in the texture and quality of the fat. Pastured beef also tends to be be more flavorful and a richer quality of meat. I like to buy directly from the farmer or a local market. Here’s how to find it in your area (of the US.)
• I use an organic spaghetti sauce with no added sugar. Any brand will work but if it contains extra sugar, you might want to forego adding any extra to the recipe.
• Tinkyada rice pasta is my favorite. You can buy it here. But, you should take a look at the website for a little chuckle and trip back in web time. Sorry, but it’s just funny. Not updated since 1997 but they still make THE BEST rice pasta!
• This would be great on zoodles (zucchini noodles) too!
[tasty-recipe id=”4248″]