spaghetti and meatballs
Spaghetti and meatballs has been ruined by association. The Italian-American version — drowned in red sauce, oversized meatballs on a bed of soft pasta — has very little to do with the dish as it's cooked in Italy. In Abruzzo, the meatballs are smaller, the sauce is simpler, and the spaghetti is the equal partner on the plate.
This version stays closer to the original. Small pork meatballs, a tomato sauce built on a few good ingredients done properly, spaghetti finished in the sauce so the pasta and tomato become one thing. Done well, it proves you don't need to complicate good food.
Ingredients
- Meatballs
- 300 g 20% Fat pork mince
- 40 g Ricotta
- 1 Egg, raw
- 25 g Panko bread crumbs
- 25 g Parmesan, finely grated
- 2 cloves Garlic, finely grated/minced
- 8 g Fresh parsley , finely chopped
- 4.5 g Fine salt
- 1.5 g Black pepper, finely ground
- Tomato Sauce
- 400 g Tinned peeled plum tomatoes
- 3 cloves Garlic, thinly sliced
- 25 g Parmesan, finely grated
- 20 g Olive Oil
- 10 g Butter, chilled
- Pasta
- 150 g Spaghetti, dry
- To Serve
- 20 g Parmesan, finely grated
- 10 leaves Fresh basil
Equipment
- Sauté/saucier pan (stainless) →
- Saucepan
- Sharp knife →
- Fine microplane grater →
- Food mill or blender
Method
Finely grate the parmesan and garlic using a microplane. Mix together with all of the other meatball ingredients until thoroughly combined.
Pinch a grape sized piece of meat from the mixture and roll between your palms to form a uniform ball. Place on a tray or plate and repeat until all of the meat has been used.
Thinly slice the garlic using a sharp knife. Blend or mill the tinned tomatoes until almost smooth. Grate the parmesan for the sauce. Chill the butter.
Heat up your stainless steel saucier/frying pan over a medium heat. Once hot, add a drizzle of neutral oil to thinly coat the bottom of the pan.
Place the meatballs in the pan with a small gap between each one. If they don’t all fit comfortably, cook in batches. Leave them alone — they’ll release on their own with a firm shake of the pan when they’re ready to turn. Brown on two sides. Don’t worry about cooking them through at this point — this step is about colour and flavour.
Once all the meatballs are browned, return the first batch to the pan and push them to one side. Add the olive oil to the empty space and let it heat briefly. Add the sliced garlic to the oil and let it sizzle for about a minute. Before the garlic starts to colour, add the blended tomatoes and stir to combine. Set a timer for 20 minutes and simmer, stirring occasionally.
While the sauce simmers, bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Grate the finishing parmesan and pick the basil leaves. Weigh out the pasta and warm your plates.
Once 10 minutes has passed on the sauce timer, add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until almost al dente.
Add the pasta directly to the sauce and stir to combine, coating every strand. Let it cook in the sauce for one minute, adding a splash of pasta water if it tightens up.
Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the parmesan and chilled butter until fully combined and the sauce turns glossy. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
Twirl the pasta onto warm plates using tongs or a carving fork, lifting from the centre of the pan so each portion catches a few meatballs. Spoon over any extra sauce, then finish with a generous grating of parmesan and the fresh basil leaves torn over the top.
Notes & Substitutions
A mix of beef and pork mince also works well — use roughly half and half if you want a slightly richer, denser meatball. Pure pork stays the cleanest and most traditional to Abruzzo, but the blend is closer to what most Italian-American versions use.
Pecorino can be used in place of parmesan for a sharper, saltier finish. If you go that route, ease back on the salt elsewhere in the recipe — particularly in the meatball mix and the pasta water — as pecorino can push the dish over the edge if you’re not careful.
Use the best tinned tomatoes you can find. San Marzano DOP or similar Italian peeled plum tomatoes have less acidity and more sweetness — the sauce only has a few ingredients, so each one matters.
Bronze-die pasta has a rougher surface than the cheaper smooth varieties, which means it holds sauce better. Worth the small extra cost for a dish where the pasta is half the story.
Spaghetti and Meatballs
Spaghetti and meatballs has been ruined by association. The Italian-American version — drowned in red sauce, oversized meatballs on a bed of soft pasta — has very little to do with the dish as it's cooked in Italy. In Abruzzo, the meatballs are smaller, the sauce is simpler, and the spaghetti is the equal partner on the plate.
This version stays closer to the original. Small pork meatballs, a tomato sauce built on a few good ingredients done properly, spaghetti finished in the sauce so the pasta and tomato become one thing. Done well, it proves you don't need to complicate good food.
Ingredients
- 300 g 20% Fat pork mince
- 40 g Ricotta
- 1 Egg (raw)
- 25 g Panko bread crumbs
- 25 g Parmesan (finely grated)
- 2 cloves Garlic (finely grated/minced)
- 8 g Fresh parsley (finely chopped)
- 4.5 g Fine salt
- 1.5 g Black pepper (finely ground)
- 400 g Tinned peeled plum tomatoes
- 3 cloves Garlic (thinly sliced)
- 25 g Parmesan (finely grated)
- 20 g Olive Oil
- 10 g Butter (chilled)
- 150 g Spaghetti (dry)
- 20 g Parmesan (finely grated)
- 10 leaves Fresh basil
Equipment
- Sauté/saucier pan (stainless)
- Saucepan
- Sharp knife
- Fine microplane grater
- Food mill or blender
Method
Mix the meat
<p>Finely grate the parmesan and garlic using a microplane. Mix together with all of the other meatball ingredients until thoroughly combined.</p>
For this step: 300 g 20% Fat pork mince, 40 g Ricotta, 1 Egg, 25 g Panko bread crumbs, 25 g Parmesan, 2 cloves Garlic, 8 g Fresh parsley, 4.5 g Fine salt, 1.5 g Black pepper
Roll the meatballs
<p>Pinch a grape sized piece of meat from the mixture and roll between your palms to form a uniform ball. Place on a tray or plate and repeat until all of the meat has been used.</p>
Mise en place
<p>Thinly slice the garlic using a sharp knife. Blend or mill the tinned tomatoes until almost smooth. Grate the parmesan for the sauce. Chill the butter.</p>
Pre-heat your pan
<p>Heat up your stainless steel saucier/frying pan over a medium heat. Once hot, add a drizzle of neutral oil to thinly coat the bottom of the pan.</p>
Fry the meatballs
<p>Place the meatballs in the pan with a small gap between each one. If they don’t all fit comfortably, cook in batches. Leave them alone — they’ll release on their own with a firm shake of the pan when they’re ready to turn. Brown on two sides. Don’t worry about cooking them through at this point — this step is about colour and flavour.</p>
Add the sauce ingredients
<p>Once all the meatballs are browned, return the first batch to the pan and push them to one side. Add the olive oil to the empty space and let it heat briefly. Add the sliced garlic to the oil and let it sizzle for about a minute. Before the garlic starts to colour, add the blended tomatoes and stir to combine. Set a timer for 20 minutes and simmer, stirring occasionally.</p>
For this step: 400 g Tinned peeled plum tomatoes, 3 cloves Garlic, 20 g Olive Oil
Bring the water to a boil
<p>While the sauce simmers, bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Grate the finishing parmesan and pick the basil leaves. Weigh out the pasta and warm your plates.</p>
Cook the pasta
<p>Once 10 minutes has passed on the sauce timer, add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until almost al dente.</p>
For this step: 150 g Spaghetti
Add the cooked pasta
<p>Add the pasta directly to the sauce and stir to combine, coating every strand. Let it cook in the sauce for one minute, adding a splash of pasta water if it tightens up.</p>
Finish the sauce
<p>Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the parmesan and chilled butter until fully combined and the sauce turns glossy. Taste and adjust the seasoning.</p>
For this step: 25 g Parmesan, 10 g Butter
Plate and serve
<p>Twirl the pasta onto warm plates using tongs or a carving fork, lifting from the centre of the pan so each portion catches a few meatballs. Spoon over any extra sauce, then finish with a generous grating of parmesan and the fresh basil leaves torn over the top.</p>
For this step: 20 g Parmesan, 10 leaves Fresh basil
Notes & Substitutions
<p>A mix of beef and pork mince also works well — use roughly half and half if you want a slightly richer, denser meatball. Pure pork stays the cleanest and most traditional to Abruzzo, but the blend is closer to what most Italian-American versions use.</p>
<p>Pecorino can be used in place of parmesan for a sharper, saltier finish. If you go that route, ease back on the salt elsewhere in the recipe — particularly in the meatball mix and the pasta water — as pecorino can push the dish over the edge if you’re not careful.</p>
<p>Use the best tinned tomatoes you can find. San Marzano DOP or similar Italian peeled plum tomatoes have less acidity and more sweetness — the sauce only has a few ingredients, so each one matters.</p>
<p>Bronze-die pasta has a rougher surface than the cheaper smooth varieties, which means it holds sauce better. Worth the small extra cost for a dish where the pasta is half the story.</p>
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