Classic Spaghetti and Meatballs

Growing up, we had a rotation of regular dinners: ground beef tacos, grilled chicken, pot roast, etc.

But the most consistent meal was definitely spaghetti. Spaghetti was the first meal I was able to cook by myself (with store bough pasta and sauce, of course), without any help and it has always had a homey, nostalgic essence. 

No joke, my sister makes spaghetti twice a week. 

This year my mom made large quantities of garden-fresh, homemade spaghetti sauce with tomatoes from their flourishing garden. She sent some frozen containers back to Fort Worth with me after my last visit and I have finally made use of it! So so good. 

So I wanted to share with you my very simple, absolutely delicious spaghetti and meatballs recipe! 

What You'll Need:
(serves 2)
1/2 lb ground beef
1 egg
3/4 cup Parmesan bread crumbs 
1 clove garlic, minced 
1tbsp Italian seasoning 
Sprinkle of minced parsley 
Salt and Pepper to taste
(optional- 1 tsp crushed red pepper)
1 tbsp olive oil 
1 jar spaghetti sauce (store bought, homemade, sent from Mom- whichever you've got!)\
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
2 servings prepared spaghetti pasta 

What To Do:
Prepare spaghetti pasta. Meanwhile, mix together ground beef, egg, breadcrumbs, and seasoning. Heat 1 tbsp oil over medium heat. Form ground beef mixture into small balls and place in hot oil. Brown the meatballs on all sides. 

Once browned, drain most of the excess oil. Add spaghetti sauce and mushrooms to the meatballs in the pan and simmer for 15-20 minutes. 

To serve, layer pasta, sauce and meatballs into your bowl or plate. Sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and minced parsley. Voila! 

Chicken Parmigiana

I loved reading through Elly Says Opa's Eat to the Beat entries. 

They brought music and food together 

in  such clever and delicious ways! 

This "Mambo Italiano" Chicken Parm really caught my eye because 

1) it looked scrumptious, 

2) the directions are actually pretty simple and 

3) Mambo Italiano is such a fun song. Hit play and read on!

We made this for roommate dinner night 

and served it with salad and spaghetti.

We used tomato sauce and seasonings because 

it's what we had on hand, but you could also 

use homemade marinara or store bought spaghetti sauce. 

What You'll Need:
(serves 4)4 boneless chicken breasts, pounded thin (butterfly first if necessary)
2 cups Italian bread crumbs
salt and pepper
2 eggs, beaten (add about a tablespoon of water to thin them out)
extra virgin olive oil
1 can tomato sauce (14oz- 16 oz)
seasonings: basil, oregano, garlic, salt, pepper
fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced 
grated pecorino romano cheese
fresh parsley, chopped

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Lightly sprinkle chicken cutlets with salt and pepper, then dip in egg, followed by bread crumbs.  Shake off excess and set aside. 

Heat oil in a large skillet.  Add chicken (do not crowd the pan) and turn after brown on one side.  Brown other side and remove from pan.  Continue until all chicken is cooked.  Place on paper towel lined plate to drain excess oil.

Spread a thin layer of tomato sauce on the bottom of 9x13 pan.  Add chicken, then top with mozzarella and more tomato sauce. Season generously with Italian seasoning; basil, oregano, and garlic; or whatever seasonings you prefer.  Sprinkle some pecorino romano on top.  It's okay if you need to stack some chicken on top of each other...just make sure each piece is covered with cheese and sauce.

Bake for about 30-35 minutes, or until cheese and sauce are bubbling (check after 20-25 minutes).  Top with fresh parsley and serve.

The fresh mozzarella is a stand out in the dish. 

It can be a little pricey but we got ours at half price 

from the deli counter because it was close to the sell by date. 

If you're shopping for this dish day-of, 

I'd definitely recommend checking for this!

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Easy Baked Ziti

I love this recipe- it will feed a crowd and 

I haven't found anyone yet who doesn't 

rave about it. The best part about it is, although

 there are a few steps, it's really simple!

What you need:

1 pound (16 oz) ziti pasta

1 pound ground beef

1/2 onion, diced

2 26oz jars spaghetti sauce 

1 1/2 cups sour cream

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese 

8-10 sliced provolone cheese

grated Parmesan cheese 

What to do:

Prepare your ziti pasta according to the directions. 

Meanwhile, brown the ground beef with the onion. 

Drain the meat and pour in spaghetti sauce. 

Simmer for fifteen minutes or until heated through. 

In a large baking pan, layer half of the pasta

the slices of provolone

the sour cream

half of the sauce mixture

the rest of the pasta, the mozzarella 

the remaining sauce mixture and top with lots of Parmesan cheese

Bake this at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until all the cheeses are melted 

and it's all heated through.

And then serve it up with some garlic bread and salad! 

Recipe originally adapted from Moms Who Think but 

they've since changed the recipe. Mine's better, promise!