Bsketti and Meatballs

Bsketti and Meatballs

(aka: Spaghetti and Meatballs)

If you told the 7 year old me "Hey, kid! We're having spaghetti tonight. Do you like spaghetti?" 7 year old me would yell "Bsketti!!!" And if you asked 7 year old me what my favorite foods are, 7 year old me would tell you with a twinkle in my eye "bsketti and ribbons!" Translation: 7 year old me really loves spaghetti and BBQ ribs. 23 year old me also loves spaghetti and BBQ ribs, but 23 year old me is able to properly pronounce complicated words like "spaghetti" and "ribs." Ah, it's good to be 23. 

Whole wheat pasta, while higher in fiber and other nice things for your health, is just not that good. I would forgo the health benefits of whole wheat pasta for normal white pasta any day. However, I am convinced that we really can have it all. It requires an extra pot, but hey, what's an extra pot for the perfect spaghetti?

And here it is ladies and gentlemen, the revolutionary idea...

Half white pasta, half whole wheat pasta.

Genius, right? Each forkful will be a delightful balance between al dente delicious white pasta and healthy whole wheat pasta. All you have to do is cook whole wheat pasta in one pot and white pasta in another. You could cook them together in one pot as long as you make sure the whole wheat pasta goes in first because it takes longer to cook. I'm not a pasta expert, so I would personally stick to two separate pots.

Granted, I haven't actually tried this yet, but in my head it is perfection.

Spaghetti and Meatballs

Recipe...

• olive oil
• 6 cloves garlic
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 28 oz can tomatoes
• 1 Tbsp tomato paste
• 1 pinch sugar (about 1/4 tsp)
• basil or dry Italian spices
• 8 oz ground turkey
• 12 oz ground sirloin
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/4 c parsley, chopped
• 1/4 c panko
• 1/4 c parmesan, grated
• 2 Tbsp milk
• S&P
• spaghetti

1) Make the sauce. Saute garlic and onion in olive oil until soft. Add tomatoes and tomato paste and a pinch of sugar. Let this simmer over low heat (a splatter guard will be a huge help at this point) until it start to thicken. Add some chopped basil and/or Italian spices to taste. Let simmer a bit longer. Add S&P to taste.

2) Meanwhile, prepare meatballs. Put ground turkey, ground sirloin, 1 egg, parsley, panko, parmesan, milk, 1 tsp dry Italian spices, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper. Use your hands to combine the ingredients being careful not to over-mix. Roll into meatballs the size of your choice.

3) Bring a pot of water to a boil. Salt the water. Cook your choice of spaghetti according to package directions.

4) Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Place half the meatballs in the skillet and cook until brown on one side. Turn to brown on the other sides until cooked through. Repeat process with the rest of the meatballs.

5) When the pasta is cooked, the meatballs are done, and the pasta sauce is ready, put it on your plate and twirl it around on your fork and eat it up!