Italian Easter Recipes

• Serves: 4
• Prep Time: 40 Minutes
• Total Time: 70 Minutes

Ingredients

• * Ingredients for The Meatballs *
• 1/2 pound ground veal
• 1/2 pound ground pork
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 cup fresh white bread crumbs (4 slices
• crusts removed)
• 1/4 cup seasoned dry bread crumbs
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 extra-large egg
• beaten
• Vegetable oil
• Olive oil
• * Ingredients for Spaghetti Sauce *
• 1 tablespoon good olive oil
• 1 cup chopped yellow onion (1 onion)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1/2 cup good red wine
• such as Chianti
• 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• or plum tomatoes in puree
• chopped
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• * Other Ingredients *
• 1 1/2 pounds spaghetti
• cooked according to package directions
• Freshly grated Parmesan

Instructions

1. Combine the ground meats, both bread crumbs, parsley, Parmesan, salt, pepper, nutmeg, egg, and 3/4 cup warm water in a bowl very lightly with a fork. Form the mixture into 2-inch meatballs using your hands. This should yield about 14 to 16 medium size meatballs.

2. Pour equal amounts of vegetable oil and olive oil into a large (12-inch) skillet to a depth of 1/4-inch. Turn the stove on medium low heat and heat the oil. Pace the meatballs in the oil and brown them well on all sides, while flipping with a fork or spatula very carefully. This should take about 10 minutes for each batch. Make sure there's plenty of space between the meatballs. Transfer the cooked meatballs to a plate covered with paper towels. Pour out the oil but don't clean the pan.

3. To start the sauce, heat the olive oil in the same pan. Add the onion and sauté for 5 to 10 minutes over medium heat until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the wine and cook on high heat, scraping up all the brown bits in the pan, until almost all the liquid evaporates. This should take about 3 minutes. Next you want to stir in the tomatoes, parsley, salt, and pepper.

4. Once the sauce is thoroughly cooked add the meatballs into the sauce, cover, and simmer on the lowest heat for 25 to 30 minutes. Do this until the meatballs are cooked through.

5. Cook the noodles according to the directions on the packaging. After the noodle are cooked pour a generous amount of meatballs and sauce on top.

You can never go wrong with this classic Italian dish. Try this and many other Easter Italian recipes; you're sure to have a grand Easter!