Lightning FAST Spaghetti and Meatballs
Bucatini for 8 (check the box for portions) or use regular spaghetti, penne or mostaccioli
Serves 8
Ingredients:
1 Tbls. olive oil
1 large red pepper, chopped
1 large green pepper, chopped
1 large white or yellow onion, chopped
1 Tbl minced garlic
3 large jars (about 25 or 26 oz. each) of jar spaghetti sauce. Mix these. Use all red sauces but mix the flavors. You might get one that's mushroom and peppers, one that's four cheese, one that's spicy. You get the idea. When you mix them, your sauce automatically has more ingredients in it.
1 Tbls. Italian herbs
1 bag (38-oz.) Rosina Frozen Italian Style Meatballs (76 meatballs per bag). Make SURE you get Italian Style meatballs and not cocktail meatballs. Rosina is not the only brand you can buy. It's just my current favorite.
1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese (parmesan/asiago/romano mix--all work), plus more on the side
First thing, put on your large pot of water to boil for the spaghetti. That takes the longest.
Heat your olive oil in the bottom of a large soup pot. Add your peppers and onions. Saute until they are all softened (3 to 5 minutes). Add the garlic. Stir the garlic around and then open the jars of sauce. Pour them in. Then right from the bag (frozen), toss in your meatballs. (I know this seems weird. I used to brown them first. Believe me, you don't need to.) Add your Italian herbs. Turn the heat on high until you get the whole thing just boiling. Stir periodically so it doesn't start to stick to the bottom. You have to keep it loose so the cold stuff on the top gets moved to the bottom. Once it's all hot, turn it down to medium and just let it "meld" for about 30 minutes. In that time, the meatballs thaw out, everything gets hot and the sauce is ready to go. You can keep it warm longer or turn it off and reheat it after your guests arrive.
When the water is boiling, put a teaspoon of salt (optional) in the water for your spaghetti. Cook your noodles according to the instructions on the box. When they are al dente (just done and slightly chewy), drain them and turn them out onto one side of your platter. Put your sauce with the meatballs on the other side of the platter. (I use the big Thanksgiving platter. You can use two big heat-proof bowls too.) Sprinkle all with parmesan and serve steaming hot. Have your extra parmesan ready to serve. You can have your Caesar salad and garlic bread ready to serve too if you are serving those.
B-man
