I love to break from tradition and dish up spaghetti and meatballs for Christmas dinner, but this meal can really be served any time you’re craving something hearty. These tender meatballs are packed full of parsley, carrots, and fiber-rich flax though you wouldn’t know it by their luxurious taste. Browning the meatballs, then finishing them in the sauce, helps all the flavorsmeld. Store the uncooked meatballs in an airtight container, in the refrigerator, for up to one day.
Ingredients
- 1 pound 85 percent lean ground beef
- 2 small carrots, grated
- ½ cup fresh Italian parsley leaves, finely chopped
- ¼ cup finely ground fl ax seeds
- 3 ounces Parmesan, grated, plus more for serving
- 1 large egg
- 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped, divided
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ yellow onion, chopped
- 128 ounce can whole peeled tomatoes
- ¾ pound spaghetti
How to Make It
- Gently combine the beef, carrots, parsley, flax seeds, Parmesan, egg, and 2 cloves of the garlic in a bowl. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Shape the mixture into 12 meatballs (about 2 tablespoons each).
- Heat a large straight-sided sauté pan over medium-high heat for 30 seconds. Add the oil and heat for 10 seconds. Add the meatballs. Cook, turning occasionally, until brown on all sides, 7 to 9 minutes (they won’t be cooked all the way through). Transfer to a plate.
- Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the fat in the pan. Add the onion and the remaining 2 garlic cloves to the pan. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until the onion is tender, 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add the tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer, breaking up the tomatoes with a spoon, until the sauce is slightly thickened, 4 to 5 minutes.
- Return the browned meatballs to the pan. Gently simmer until the meatballs are cooked through and the sauce is thickened, 18 to 20 minutes.
- Return the browned meatballs to the pan. Gently simmer until the meatballs are cooked through and the sauce is thickened, 18 to 20 minutes.
- Serve the pasta topped with the sauce, meatballs, and grated Parmesan.
