1 large egg
1/3 cup milk
1 1/2 cups soft bread cubes (torn or cut from plain slices of white bread with crust) (though I've also used actual breadcrumbs and it's fine)
1 pound ground beef
1/2 cup grated pecorino Romano cheese, plus extra for serving (I use the powdered kind, like Parmesan and sometimes toss in a bit of shredded mozzarella)
1 tsp very finely minced garlic (I use powder)
1/4 cup very finely minced parsley (again I don't use fresh, just the bottled herb)
1/4 cup olive oil (or canola)
6 cups tomato sauce, warmed (my fave is Prego)
1 pound spaghetti
2 tablespoons butter
1. Beat the egg in a large bowl, then blend in the milk. Add the bread cubes, stirring to coat them well. Let stand for 15 minutes (or maybe 5, lol)
2. Using a fork, mash the bread cubes until they've formed a rough paste. Add the ground beef and, working with you hands, incorporate the rough paste into the beef. Add the pecorino romano, garlic, and parsley and blend evenly with the meat mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste.
3. Using wet hands, form the meat into balls the size of golf balls or a little smaller. Place the olive oil in a large, heavy saute pan over medium heat. Add the meatballs to the oil and brown on all sides. Don't crowd them in the pan; you may have to brown them in batches. As they are finished browning, transfer them to the saucepan that holds the warmed tomato sauce. Bring sauce to gentle simmer and cook for 45 minutes.
4. When the meatballs are nearly done, drop the spaghetti into a large pot of boiling salted water. Cook until spaghetti is al dente, about 8-9 minutes. Drain, then return to pot over medium heat. Ladle enough sauce from the saucepan to just coat the pasta; stir well. Add the butter and stir well. Keep the pasta in the pot for a total of about 1 minute. (Doing this makes the BEST pasta, don't skimp on the butter!) Then divide the pasta among six wide, shallow bowls. Top each mound with a few meatballs, then ladle some sauce over all. Serve with grated pecorino Romano on the side.
*drool*
It makes a lot of leftovers as well, which we love, it's awesome the second day as well!














