No Excuses 30 Minute Spaghetti and Meatballs... FROM SCRATCH!

Uh huh, you read that right.  Spaghetti and meatballs...from scratch...in 30 minutes.  Well, with the help of boxed noodles and canned tomatoes.  But still delicious and easy!  I told my husband last night after making this meal that I will NEVER buy canned spaghetti sauce again.  I love the light taste of this recipe.  

I am sick of the excuse, "I don't have time to cook!"  So the family is packed up to go out to eat or something is delivered.  And, more than likely, what is ordered is not very healthy.  More money spent and unnecessary calories consumer.

It's called MEAL PLANNING! 

Every Sunday after church, Hubster and I sit down and plan our meals for the week.  I pull up Pinterest and he looks at the flyers.  We score deals on food on sale and plan meals around that.  And now that I am home during the day, we try to plan meals that will roll over into lunches for the kids and I.  Last week, I spent less than $50 on groceries.  Yep, it was fabulous!  We had healthy, full meals all week.  Lots of fresh fruit.  (And of course I don't remember what they were...).  We have a small whiteboard with the days of the week that is on the fridge.  We write out each meal with the assigned day.  It has saved us time and money!  I know what to make for dinner.  We don't go out to eat.  And if Hubster feels like making dinner, he knows what to make.  I. Love. It.  

Ok, back to the recipe.  Simple.  Light.  Filling.  Healthy.  Serve with a crusty baguette and a simple salad to round out the meal.

30 Minute Spaghetti and Meatballs
Based off the Martha Stewart recipe

Ingredients:
1/4 c. finely shredded parmesan, plus more for serving
1/4 c. bread crumbs
2 T. Italian seasoning
3-4 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 lb. ground beef
1 T. olive oil
1 large can whole peeled tomatoes (I used my home-canned tomatoes and sauce, so I don't know what the cans weight are from the store)
1/2 can tomato sauce
1 T. sugar
1/2 T. garlic powder
3/4 lb. spaghetti

Directions:
1.  Mix together the parmesan, bread crumbs, 1 T. Italian seasoning, minced garlic cloves.  Add in ground beef and egg.  Mix together until everything is incorporated, but do not overmix!  Form into 16 meatballs.  (I use the Rachael Ray method.  I even the meat mixture into a flattened ball.  Score the meat into 4 equal sections.  Each section will become 4 meatballs.)  

2.  In a large sauce pan with tall sides, add olive oil on medium heat.  Once warm, add meatballs.  Cook for 8-10 minutes, flipping occasionally.  Add in tomatoes and sauce, breaking up whole tomatoes.  Add sugar, 1 T. italian seasoning, and garlic powder.  (Sugar cuts the acidity of the tomatoes.  You might not need this.  Taste test it prior to adding sugar.  My tomatoes were canned by myself with no salt.  They needed a bit of sugar!)  Add salt and pepper if needed.  Simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until meatballs reach 165F and sauce is reduced.

3.  While meatballs are cooking, boil water and cook spaghetti to al dente.  Once pasta is done, take out 1 c. of the pasta water.

4.  With a pasta spoon or tongs, take noodles out of pot and put directly into simmering sauce.  Add in some of the reserved pasta water to help bind the tomato sauce to the pasta.  Let it all cook together for a minute or two.  

5.  Serve and enjoy!  I plate my family's meals in the kitchen, so I sprinkled a bit more parmesan on top of everyone's serving.  If you want, put into a serving bowl and sprinkle with more pasta to serve family style.

So, what is your favorite quick and healthy meal?

-Lynsee