Servings: 4
Prep time: 25 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
For the meatballs
- 450 g (1 lb) ground beef
- 1 egg
- 125 ml (1/2 cup) breadcrumbs
- 90 ml (4 tablespoons) 35% cream
- 250 ml (1 cup) Parmesan cheese, grated
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 15 ml (1 tablespoon) dried oregano
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 15 ml (1 tablespoon) olive oil
For the tomato sauce
- 15 ml (1 tablespoon) olive oil
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 796 ml (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
- 30 ml (2 tablespoons) tomato paste
- 5 ml (1 teaspoon) basil
- 5 ml (1 teaspoon) sugar, as needed
- Salt and pepper, to taste
For the pasta and garnish
- 400 g (14 oz) spaghetti
- 8 small fresh mozzarella balls (bocconcini), cut in half
- 8 pitted black olives, sliced into rounds
- A few fresh basil leaves (optional)
Preparation
- In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, egg, breadcrumbs, Parmesan, cream, garlic, and oregano. Season with salt and pepper.
- Shape the mixture into 16 meatballs of equal size.
- In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Brown the meatballs on all sides for about 5 minutes. Remove from the skillet and set aside.
- In the same skillet, add the olive oil for the sauce. Sauté the onion for 3 minutes, then add the garlic and continue cooking for 1 minute.
- Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, and dried basil. Season with salt and pepper, and add sugar as needed to balance the acidity. Stir and bring to a boil.
- Return the meatballs to the sauce. Cover and simmer over low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, until the meatballs are cooked through.
- Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the spaghetti according to the package directions. Drain, reserving a little of the cooking water.
- Gently remove the meatballs from the sauce. Add the spaghetti to the skillet and toss to coat well. Add a little of the reserved cooking water if needed.
- Place half a mozzarella ball on top of each hot meatball, cut side up.
- Add a slice of black olive to the center of each piece of mozzarella to form an eye. Let the heat from the meatballs soften the cheese slightly, without melting it completely.
