Ingredients
- 1 large egg
- 1⁄3 cup milk
- 1 1/2 cups soft bread cubes (torn or cut from plain slices of white bread with crust)
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1/2 cup grated pecorino romano cheese , plus extra for serving
- 1 teaspoon very finely minced garlic
- 1/4 cup very finely minced parsley
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 6 cups tomato sauce , warmed (tomato-based pasta sauce)
- 1 lb spaghetti
- 2 tablespoons butter
Directions
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In a large bowl, beat the egg; then blend in the milk.
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Add in the bread cubes, stirring to coat them well; let sit for 15 minutes.
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Using a fork, mash the bread cubes until they’ve formed a rough paste.
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Add in the ground beef to the bowl; working with your hands, incorporate the rough paste into the beef.
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Add in cheese, garlic, and parsley; blend in evenly; add salt and pepper to taste.
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Using wet hands, form the meat into balls the size of golf balls or a little smaller.
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Add olive oil to a large heavy skillet over med-high heat; add in the meatballs to brown them on all sides—don’t crowd them in the pan; you may have brown them in batches.
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Transfer meatballs to the saucepan that holds the warmed tomato sauce; bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 45 minutes.
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When the meatballs are nearly done, drop the spaghetti into a big pot of boiling salted water.
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Cook spaghetti until al dente, about 8-9 minutes.
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Drain spaghetti in a colander; then return it to the pasta cooking pot over medium heat.
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Ladle in enough sauce to just coat the pasta; stir well.
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Add in the butter and stir well.
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Keep the pasta in the pot for a total of about 1 minute.
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Divide the pasta among six wide, shallow bowls; top each mound of pasta with a few meatballs, then ladle some more sauce over all.
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Serve with grated Romano cheese on the side.