Oven Roasted Spaghetti and Meatballs

The whole idea is that you take all of your sauce ingredients and place them in a roasting pan, make your meatballs and set them on top, and then bake for 45 minutes. The meatballs roast and flavor the sauce ingredients, and the sauce simmers and flavors the meatballs and it’s all so very easy.  The meatballs are removed from the pan. The sauce ingredients are run through the blender then mixed with the cooked noodles.

Ingredients:

 

For the Sauce

1  28-oz can whole tomatoes

1  14-0z diced tomatoes
1 medium onion, chopped
3-4 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 tsp sugar
1 ½  tsp salt
1 tsp oregano
2 tsp kosher salt
½ tsp crushed red pepper
 ½ tsp black pepper
a good handful of chopped fresh basil

Extra virgin olive oil for drizzling
1 lb. spaghetti
Parmesan cheese for mixing and serving

For the Meatballs
1 lb ground beef
½ cup italian breadcrumbs
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
½ cup finely chopped onion
1 egg, slightly beaten
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley (I used cilantro)
1 tsp salt
½ tsp fresh ground black pepper 

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425. Place the sauce ingredients in an 11 x 13 roasting or baking pan, breaking up the tomatoes with a fork.  Mix to combine all the ingredients.

Combine the meatballs ingredients and form into ball about the size of a golf ball and place on top of the sauce ingredients.  Drizzle each meatball with a little olive oil.

Place in a preheated oven and bake for about 40-45 minutes, turning the meatballs about halfway through.

While the sauce and meatballs are cooking, cook the spaghetti in lots of boiling, salted water until al dente (about a minute less than indicated on the package).  Drain, but do not rinse.

Remove the roasting pan from the oven and remove the meatballs from the pan, but keep warm.  Puree the sauce ingredients using a blender or food processor.  If using a blender, you will want to do this in 2 batches, do not over fill, and be very careful. Return the pureed sauce to the roasting pan and add the spaghetti.  Stir to combine, mixing in additional parmesan cheese. Serve with the meatballs and more grated parmesan as desired.

Source: adapted from Circle B Kitchen