Spaghetti ~IN~ Meatballs!

Spaghetti in meatballs.  I have no idea where the inspiration for this appetizer came from.  An amazing visual just popped into my head last week and it wouldn't go away.  

I ran the idea by a close friend who seemed rather doubtful this recipe could be accomplished... which was all the motivation I needed. ;-)

These delicious little gems were created with angel hair pasta and whole milk mozzarella stuffed into one of the best restaurant-quality meatballs you've ever tasted.  Yes... they're that good... but instead of taking my word for it, let's get started:

Step 1: Ingredients and Tools needed:

Meatball Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb Hamburger Meat
• 1/2 lb Ground Chuck
• 5 oz (1 tub) Shredded Parmesan Cheese
• 2 Eggs
• 1 cup fresh Bread Crumbs from 2-3 slices of day-old French or Sour Dough Bread
• 1/3 cup whole Milk
• 2 cloves Garlic- finely minced
• 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning mix
• 1 teaspoon salt

Filling:

• 2 oz Angel Hair Pasta
• Whole Milk Mozzarella Cheese
• Garlic-Pepper Salt to season the water

Specialty Tools:

• Blender or Food Processor
• Chopsticks (connected) or a cocktail fork
• Parchment Paper

Comments

[bajablanca]

This looks ever so delicious ! One of these days I will have to try it out. Thanks (((:

[bajablue]

Your welcome, Blanca! ;-D So happy to see you on Instructables, amiga!!!

[DividersMaker]

excellent!

[bajablue]

QQQQQQQQQQ! ;-)

[bigbadbob77]

Would these be cook-able in a slow cooker? I imagine it would take hours longer to cook the meat. I'm planning on making these for a tailgate later this season. I'll probably stick with the baking method, but just curious on slow-cooker thoughts... That way I could put them in when I go to bed, wake up and take the whole thing tailgating...I think. :)

BTW...Awesome idea and ible! Thanks!

[bajablue]

Hi big, bad and bob! (lol... such a cute username, I couldn't resist!;-)

I did an experiment, placing the raw meatballs in simmering pasta sauce for 10-12 minutes.  They tasted wonderful and were fully cooked, but the presentation wasn't nearly as nice as the baked version. (pic of simmered meatballs below) They were also more delicate than the baked version.

I personally don't think these meatballs would hold up well if cooked for hours in a crock pot. I think the meat would tend to break down. They'd still taste great, but I doubt they'd resemble meatballs. ;-)

If it were me, I'd pre-bake the meatballs a day or 2 before the party and chill 'em in the frig.  On Party Day, I'd put them in the CP, cover with sauce and cook on low for just a couple of hours to reheat.

Let me know how you decide to cook them and the end results!

Thanks so much for commenting... and please report back when you get a chance.

[bigbadbob77]

Thanks! I'll probably go that route and let you know how it worked out!

[bajablue]

Looking forward to it!

[aritoner]

omg spagetti AND wait for it spagetti IN meatballs

[bajablue]

lol... you're funny, aritoner. ;-D

[rawrjamjam]

THIS IS AMAZING AND YUMMY AND AND AND UUUMMMM AWESOME AND AND AND THATTS ALL I CAN SAY <3 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! RAWR

[bajablue]

Thanks for bringing a big smile to my face!!! ;-D

[Mauigerbil]

This got on TDW!!!
Congrats bro!\

http://thedailywhat.cheezburger.com/?OnoBetaOptInRedirect=true

[bajablue]

How great it that!?!  Thanks for giving this sista a heads' up... I am honored!!! ;-D

[Mauigerbil]

I use bro regardless. I call my friend VIctoria bro!

[Mauigerbil]

YOU ARE MY 100TH COMMENT!!! (✌ﾟ∀ﾟ)☞ CONGRATS!!! t(-_-t)

[bajablue]

Cool Beans!!!! ;-D

[AussieAnglerGal]

haha that is so cool :)

[bajablue]

TY! ;-)

[grt57]

O.M.G. can't wait to try these...

[bajablue]

Enjoy... they're delish!

Thank you for commenting, grt57!

[MaryT8M]

These look FAB-U-LUS! Can't wait to give them a try

[bajablue]

MaryT... where have you been?  I've missed your ibling!!!

Please come back and play!!!

Thank you, too! ;-)

[MaryT8M]

I've been in and out.....just lurking mostly. A little bit of drama going on.....life you know? I've been trying to downsize because we are doing a short sale on our house (other wise we lose it) so will have to move. Not much time to post here and I do miss it!
I've also been taking a few sewing jobs, some just mending, but I'm making a whole house of curtains, and drapes for one lady (who drives me nuts), and teaching an 11 yr old how to sew....she's making a baby quilt. YIKES
Then I was invited by our local botanical garden to do a soapmaking demo (yesterday) and this morning they contacted me again about doing a 5 week soap making "boot camp"

I couldn't resist your spaghetti IN meatballs though, and sent a link to my son (who is the cook in his family)

Thanks for "missing" me

[bajablue]

Dang... I can understand how busy you must be. 8-/

Hopefully, you'll be back to ibling soon!

[SpagoPizza]

Is this a norwegian receipe ?

[bajablue]

The basic meatball recipe hales from Calabria, Italy.

The construction is definitely IRISH.  We like to do things the hard unusual way. ;-)

[handyman1940]

I have another take on this, bajablue,. I took a square baking pan and put a little sauce in the bottom than a layer of meat then spaghetti and cheese. then another layer of meat on top, and then some more sauce.
Didn' t come out round but it did the trick.
Let me know when you figure out the pumpkin Pie one.

[bajablue]

Very creative, handyman! Sounds delicious and a time-saver, too!

I have a new, radical idea for pumpkin pie... I just need to experiment with it.

lol... stay tuned!!!!!!! ;-D

[tafelice]

fantastic idea and excellent photography and write up. Best instructable I've read in a long time. What I didn't fully understand was the idea of mixing time on the meat. I make a bready meatball, no egg, and mix the heck out of it and it is firm but doesn't fall apart, not at all. Seems the soft balls are the ones that are always falling apart.

If you reply I'd like to hear more about the effect of mixing times.

Thanks so much for an excellent "I"

[bajablue]

You know tafelice, I'm a firm believer in: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." and you are obviously doing something very right with your meatballs... even without using eggs!

I think a lot of meatball-makers tend to knead (overwork) the meat.  Too much compression changes the texture of the meatball, especially when fresh bread crumbs are being used. 

The claw method of mixing (used in this recipe) takes 10-15 seconds. Tops.

The resulting meatball mixture is a tad sticky, which bodes well for stuffing/filling and adds to the overall success. 

Thanks so much for your thoughtful comment.  I would love to learn more about your eggless meatballs.  I enjoy trying new things and I have about 20 lbs of ground chuck in my freezer! ;-D 


 

[EmmaMW]

Hi I would love to try this recipe. Is there a version that I can copy on one page I don't need pictures Thank you

[handyman1940]

EmmaMW,
All you have to do is highlight all the instructions and copy and paste them ( I use Word Pad to copy/paste them to,) then print it out, and you will have all that you need.
Hope this help's :>}}

[bajablue]

ygm Emma. ;-)

[tafelice]

I think the trick to making a meatball stay together without egg is to also eliminate the liquid (milk/water etc). I don't add that either. I use a white bread food processed crumb that is pretty absorbent and (while I haven't thought about it overly much) probably gloms onto the moisture in the beef and sticks together. And usually the reason I overwork the meat is that I'm trying to get the crumb fully/evenly integrated. You have made me very curious and I think I will suppress my OCD a tad and live with a bit of uneven bread and try to go with a 10-15 second mix. I'll know if it is a different texture. Cool.

The italians make a deep fried rice ball with a cube of mozzarella surprise in the center (don't know the name and I have had it in italy) which I love. I can only imagine but I imagine rice would make a poor center for you meatballs.

Both my parents were 1st generation American but my grandparents were born in Abbruzzi. They told me that in preparing for my parents wedding they collected meat food rations (WWII) and made meatballs for the reception. Maybe it was the kind of meat that was available here that wasn't available in Italy.

[PlayaSinNombre]

Hey guys, the rice balls stuffed with cheese are called arancini. They are usually made with left over risotto. Which would also make a nice filling for a meatball, now that I think of it. Thanks for the great 'ible

[bajablue]

I love risotto... and cheese! Might have to Ible Arancini in the future unless someone beats me to it. ;-)

Thanks Playa!

[skinnyboy]

You beat me to it, Beach. You can also get them stuffed with pretty much anything you can think of in Italy, although it's always a rice ball...

You're an evil genius Baja, I envy your creative whimsy! Definitely going to try this idea at some point, with my own meatball recipe, and I'm with Csirna, so will only par-boil the pasta before stuffing.

[bajablue]

Thanks skinny... and please let me know how your adaptation works out!

[bajablue]

I think your theory about the fresh bread crumbs is accurate.

I'm going to ponder a creamy wild rice filling for turkey meatballs. You know how it goes... one thing always seems to lead to another and the instructables world keeps on spinning!