Savoury Spaghetti With Meatballs

Make the sauce: In a large pot over medium-low heat, combine the olive oil and garlic and cook until the garlic begins to sizzle very gently. Add the red pepper flakes and cook, stirring, until the garlic just begins to turn light golden in color, about 3 minutes. Add the Savory spice blend and continue to cook, stirring, for 1 minute more.

Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, until the paste has softened and blended with the oil and garlic mixture, about 3 minutes.

Stir in the tomatoes and their juices and increase the heat to medium-high, bringing the to a gentle simmer. Lower the heat a bit if it’s bubbling and spitting too much. Remove the sauce from the heat.

Using an immersion blender, blend the sauce until smooth. Tip: Drape a kitchen towel over the pot to act as a cover from sauce splatters. Or, transfer the sauce to a blender and puree, then return to the pot.

Decrease the heat to medium-low and bring the sauce to a simmer.

Make the meatballs: In a medium bowl, combine the bread cubes, cream, parmesan, onion, garlic, and pepper. Using a fork, mash into thick paste.

In a large bowl, gently mix the ground pork with the salt and baking powder. Add the beef and gently stir to combine (you can also use your hands for this). Add the bread mixture, Savory spice blend, and a pinch more salt and pepper and mix until just incorporated. Rub a bit of olive oil on your hands and form the mixture into smooth, round meatballs the size of golf balls--you should have about 25 total..

Once the meatballs are formed, gently lower each meatball into the pot of sauce. Bring to a low simmer, cover, and cook for 25-35 minutes, or until a meat thermometer inserted into a meatball reaches 165˚F (75˚C).

While the meatballs are cooking, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the spaghetti according to the package instructions. Reserve 1 cup (240 ml) of pasta cooking water, then drain.

In a large bowl, toss the spaghetti with a few large spoonfuls of pasta sauce to coat, along with a few splashes of the reserved cooking water. Divide the pasta among bowls and spoon more sauce and meatballs over the pasta. Top each serving with freshly grated Parmesan and basil.

Enjoy!