Spaghetti with Stuffed Meatballs

I was looking through my freezer and pantry to see what I had to work with. I found some Ground Chicken that seemed like a nice change of pace.
Hmm...chicken burgers, no buns. No time to make any either. Ummm..chicken sausage, no. Hmmm... meatballs?? Sounds good.


I had no recipes in my arsenal. So, I went through a ton of online recipes and decided on this one. It calls for ground beef, pork, and veal; however, I am made it using only ground chicken.


Also since the Williams-Sonoma recipe calls for 3 lbs of meat and I only used 1 lb., I had to cut down on the rest of the ingredients as well. In other words, I made this recipe my own. Thanks Williams-Sonoma for the great idea!!


Half way through cooking my kids thought it'd be great to start crying and fighting. It was awesome...not really. So I brought out the old bartender in me and made myself a cocktail. A Cosmo, using Stoli Vodka and an 100% juice blend of Blueberry & Pomegranate. I call it the Antioxidant Angel. ;-) It really was a gift from above.

I found this recipe on Williams-Sonoma's website: http://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/spaghetti-with-stuffed-meatballs.html

Ingredients:

1/3 cup milk
1 cup fresh bread crumbs
1 lb. ground pork
1 lb. ground veal
1 lb. ground beef
1/3 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley, plus more
for garnish
3 eggs, lightly beaten
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 3/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
1/3 lb. mozzarella or provolone cheese, cut into
1/2-inch cubes
Olive oil for frying
About 6 cups tomato sauce (see related recipe
at left)
2 lb. spaghetti, cooked and drained
Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese for serving

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine the milk and bread crumbs. Add the ground pork, veal, beef, the 1/3 cup parsley, the eggs, garlic, salt and pepper. Mix briefly with your hands. Form the mixture into 2-inch balls. Press a mozzarella cheese cube into the center of each ball, sealing it inside.

In a large electric skillet set on medium-high heat, heat 1/2 inch of oil until almost smoking. Add the meatballs and cook until browned, about 1 minute per side. Transfer to a paper towel-lined tray.

Discard the oil in the pan. Pour the tomato sauce into the pan and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until cooked through, about 30 minutes. Uncover and cook for 10 minutes more.

Put the pasta in a warmed large, shallow bowl. Top with the sauce and meatballs and garnish with parsley. Serve immediately and pass the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese at the table. Serves 10 to 12.
Williams-Sonoma Kitchen.