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Spaghetti and Meatballs

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This dish was served at Cafe di Napoli in Minneapolis, Minnesota for nearly seven decades.
Servings 4

Ingredients

Sauce

  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • ¼ cup salad oil
  • ½ pound coarsely ground beef
  • ½ cup onions, chopped
  • 2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
  • 4 (6 ounce) cans of water
  • 1½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 3 pinches of black pepper
  • 1 bay leaf

Meatballs

  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1 cup very dry diced white bread, soaked in milk
  • ¼ cup onions, diced
  • 4 cups bread or cracker crumbs
  • 3 tablespoons Italian cheese, grated
  • 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 pinch of black pepper

Other

  • 1 pound thin spaghetti, cooked
  • Parmesan cheese

Instructions

Sauce

  • Sauté garlic in oil for 15 seconds. Add ground beef and brown. Add onions.
  • When onions have cooked, add tomato paste, water, salt, sugar, black pepper and bay leaf.
  • Simmer for 1 hour, stirring frequently to prevent scorching.

    Meatballs

    • Soak diced bread in milk for around 5 minutes. Lightly squeeze off excess milk.
    • Combine all ingredients and roll into 10-12 balls the size of golf balls. Brown in a frying pan or oven.
    • Add meatballs to the sauce in the last 20 minutes of cooking time.
    • Serve sauce and meatballs over cooked spaghetti noodles. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese, if desired.