Spaghetti and Meatballs
This dish was served at Cafe di Napoli in Minneapolis, Minnesota for nearly seven decades.
Servings: 4
Print Recipe
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.
