Spaghetti and meatballs in an arrabbiata sauce

Preparing pasta is one of those skills that actually require a level of restraint. Adding too much sauce tends to be the most common mistake made by home cooks. I believe the key to making the perfect pasta dish is cooking the pasta to al-dente or still slightly firm and finishing the cooking process in a homemade sauce with multiple levels of flavor. For my spaghetti and meatballs, I use whole wheat pasta and meatballs in a spicy tomato sauce. Using the right pasta to sauce ratio is key.

For the tomato sauce:

4-5 roma tomatoes

1-teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes

1-teaspoon of oregano

1-teaspoon of basil

1/2-tablespoon of salt

1/2-tablespoon of pepper

Roast the tomatoes on a baking sheet at 375F for 20 minutes with a splash of extra virgin olive oil and a generous sprinkling of salt. Place them in a large sauce pan over medium heat and mash them until they are the consistency of a thick pulp. Add the remaining ingredients and cook while covered for 30 minutes while stirring periodically.

For the meatballs:

One pound of ground sirloin

1-tablespoon of garlic powder

1-tablespoon of smoked paprika

1-teaspoon basil

1/2-tablespoon of crushed red pepper flakes

1/2-tablespoon of salt

1/2-tablespoon of fresh ground pepper

1 large egg

1/3-cup bread crumbs

1/2-teaspoon minced garlic

Combine all of the ingredients evenly. Mixing by hand is perhaps the best method. Form the mixture into meatballs of the desired size using the palms of your hands. Do not compress the meat when doing this. Cook the meatballs in a skillet with one tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil over medium heat. Rotate each meatball so that they are cooked evenly on all sides. Do not overcrowd the skillet or the meatballs will steam. Do not cook the meatballs completely because they will finish cooking in the sauce.

Place the meatballs in the tomato sauce and continue cooking while covered for 20 minutes over medium heat. Cook the spaghetti following the instructions on the package. Drain the pasta and reserve about a quarter of a cup of pasta water for the sauce. Add the water to the sauce and cook it for an additional 5 minutes. Spoon the meatballs over the pasta then the sauce.