If your family is anything like mine, spaghetti and meatballs is a classic go-to meal at least once a week. It’s convenient, easy and affordable, not to mention an all-time favorite amongst both Americans and Italians alike. A good intro meal to Italian food for hesitant, less-adventurous eaters, it’s a perfect solution even for families with the pickiest of husbands and whiniest of children.
But, let’s face it, as much as we love spaghetti and as much as we recognize it as a staple of the American family diet, anything gets old when you eat it often enough. That’s why the brilliant chefs on YouTube’s Allrecipes channel have come up with an innovative and delicious new take on this timeless dish. Their original and quirky spin on the traditional spaghetti and meatballs will have everyone at your dinner table clamoring for seconds and thirds.
They begin with a pot of cooked spaghetti and a muffin tin. After cooking the noodles in the traditional boiling water to a sublime state of al-denti, mix in a little olive oil and let the pasta cool to room temperature. Then, toss in a decent amount of shredded parmesan and pack an even serving of cooked noodles into each muffin cup. Toss on a generous amount of tomato sauce, a hefty meatball, and any Italian herbs that you wish. We suggest a bit of fresh oregano, basil, sea salt and garlic. Then, slide the whole tray into the oven for only 20 minutes. That’s right, the entire thing only takes a little over twenty short minutes to prepare!
The resulting noodle patties are both soft in the middle and crispy around the edges, and hold together quite nicely when you remove them from the muffin tin. For best results, wait until the cheese is melted and the sauce appears to have thickened from the heat. You’ll know they’re finished when the aromatic smell of Italian seasoning and warm tomatoes fills your kitchen, making your taste buds water.
These perfect serving sized dishes are wonderfully tasty and pretty darn cute. What more could you want?
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