Spaghetti and Meatballs

Ingredients

• ½ sweet yellow onion
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 cup carrots
• 1 cup cremini brown mushrooms
• 2 cans (28 oz.) Italian plum tomatoes
• ¼ cup fresh Italian parsley
• ¼ cup fresh basil
• 3 tbsp tomato paste
• ¼ cup Parmesan-Romano cheese blend
• ¼ cup red wine
• 1 lb ground beef
• ½ lb fresh bulk Italian style pork sausage
• 2 tbsp fresh basil
• 2 tbsp Italian parsley
• ½ cup cremini brown mushrooms
• 2 large eggs
• ¾ cup unseasoned breadcrumbs
• ¼ cup Parmesan-Romano cheese blend
• red wine
• 1½ lb dry spaghetti

Method

Start the sauce-making by building a flavour base in a heavy-bottomed pot. Heat olive oil over medium-high, add the finely diced onion and cook until it softens and turns translucent—roughly 2 minutes. Add minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant. This sauteing step matters because the heat breaks down cell walls and releases sulphur compounds; you're laying groundwork for depth. Stir in diced carrot and cremini mushroom, cooking for 2 minutes to soften them slightly. Add tomato paste and cook it for a full minute, stirring constantly. This caramelises the sugars in the paste and removes the raw, tinny taste. Pour in the canned tomatoes with their juice, then use a potato masher to break them into smaller pieces. Crush aggressively for about 5 minutes over medium-high heat—you're aiming for a chunky sauce with some body, not a purée. Lower the heat and simmer gently while you prepare the meatballs; stir occasionally to prevent sticking.

For the meatballs, combine ground beef and Italian pork sausage with minced mushroom, basil, parsley, eggs, breadcrumbs, and cheese in a large bowl. Mix by hand until the ingredients are just combined—overworking develops gluten in the breadcrumbs, which tightens the structure and makes them dense and tough. Form into 2.5 cm balls using a melon baller or small spoon, then compress each one firmly between your palms. This densifies the mixture so they hold together during browning.

Heat olive oil in a separate wide, shallow pan over medium-high heat. Brown the meatballs in a single layer without crowding—you need enough space for the undersides to develop a crust. This browning creates flavour through the Maillard reaction. Turn them every 2 minutes to colour all sides evenly, about 6 minutes total. They'll still be slightly undercooked inside; that's correct. Toward the end, deglaze the pan with a splash of red wine, scraping the fond (caramelised meat residue) into the liquid.

Transfer the meatballs to the simmering sauce. Add the wine-based pan deglaze and a pinch of salt. Simmer gently for 30–45 minutes, stirring occasionally. The meatballs finish cooking through while the sauce develops rounded flavour as alcohol burns off and the tomato's acidity mellows. Cook the spaghetti in salted water until al dente, then toss with the sauce and meatballs. Add pasta cooking water a tablespoon at a time if the sauce feels too thick—its starch helps bind the components.