Make the meatballs...
0 Preheat your oven to 425 degrees
2 In a large bowl, combine 16 ounces of ground beef with 1/2 cup of panko breadcrumbs, 1/4 cup of milk, 1 egg, 3 cloves of finely minced garlic, 1/4 cup of finely chopped parsley, 1/4 cup of grated yellow onion, 1/2 cup of finely grated parmesan, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of dried Italian herbs, a pinch of black pepper and a pinch of red pepper flakes
3 Form 2 tablespoons of the mixture into golfball sized meatballs and place them onto a lightly greased rimmed baking sheet
4 Bake the meatballs for 25-30 minutes or until they golden brown on the outside and are no longer pink inside
Make the pomodoro sauce...
6 Place a large deep skillet over medium heat and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil
7 Once the skillet is warm, add 1 small finely diced yellow onion and cook for about 5 minutes or until they are slightly translucent
8 Add 4 finely minced garlic cloves and cook for 60 seconds, stirring constantly
9 Add 2 tablespoons of tomato paste and 1/2 cup of red wine or beef stock and stir to combine
10 Add two 28 ounce cans of crushed tomatoes, 1/4 cup of finely chopped fresh parsley, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of dried oregano, 1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper and 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper and bring to a low simmer
11 Cover the skillet with a splatter guard or lid and simmer until the sauce begins to thicken
12 Add 8 large basil leaves torn to small bits before adding the meatballs
Cook the pasta...
13 While the meatballs are baking and the tomato sauce is simmering, bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil
15 Add 1 tablespoon of salt and 10 ounces of dried spaghetti
16 Cook according to manufacturers instructions
17 Once the pasta is cooked, drain, return to the empty pot you cooked it in (off of the heat) and add a few ladles of your tomato sauce
18 Stir the pasta until all of the noodles are lightly coated in sauce and then cover the pot to keep the pasta warm for now
Assembly...
20 Once the meatballs are finished, add them into the skillet with the remaining tomato sauce
21 Spread the spaghetti over a large platter and top with meatballs and tomato sauce (alternately, you can divide the elements between four dinner plates)
22 Garnish with finely shredded parmesan and fresh parsley
