Perfect Meatballs and Spaghetti

There’s actually a lot flexibility in the meatballs. A blend of pork, beef, and veal is traditional. I usually go half-half with the first two, but I’ve also made these entirely with ground turkey (a mix with dark meat it in is much better) and they’re a little softer (you could use a tablespoon less milk) but taste delicious. You can skip the parmesan and replace the milk with water if you want to make it dairy-free. You could use ricotta instead of milk for extra richness. You could add finely chopped prosciutto to the meat mixture, or even use ground sausage meat for half of the meat mixture. You can use 1 tablespoon finely grated onion instead of onion powder, and you could make your own breadcrumbs from any old piece of bread and grinding it up — use 2/3 cup instead of 1/2.

This recipe makes a moderately saucy pot of spaghetti and meatballs. If you like or want extra sauce, add a second full-sized (28-ounce) or half-sized (15-ounce) can of tomatoes and amp up the seasonings accordingly. I really prefer what is usually sold as crushed tomatoes here; it’s a not-totally-smooth puree that clings nicely to the spaghetti and meatballs in a way that chunkier blends do not. If you can only get whole or diced tomatoes, mash or blend them up a bit, and add 1 tablespoon tomato paste so it’s a little less watery. When I have basil around, I usually cook the meatballs with a sprig of it to infuse the sauce, then fish it out before serving.