Spaghetti and Meatballs

Who doesn't like spaghetti and meatballs? This is the ultimate dish for a group, and in fact I've made this three times in the last three months. For even larger groups, double (or triple, as I've done) the recipe and you'll have food galore. The best part is the canned tomatoes; no one should ever buy jarred spaghetti/marinara sauce when it is so easy to make it yourself. I found this on Fine Cooking.

(Here's a secret: instead of making meatballs, simply buy frozen pre-made meatballs and this meal is even easier to prepare.)

Ingredients
For the sauce

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 large yellow or red onion, chopped
• 3 medium cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 tsp. chopped fresh oregano or 1 tsp. dry oregano
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 Tbs. tomato paste
• 2 26- to 28-oz. containers diced tomatoes
• Kosher salt

For the meatballs

• 1 Tbs. olive oil
• 8 oz. ground pork
• 6 oz. 80% lean ground beef
• 6 oz. ground veal
• 1 cup coarse fresh white breadcrumbs
• 1/2 cup whole-milk ricotta
• 2 large eggs
• 2 Tbs. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 Tbs. chopped fresh oregano or 1-1/2 tsp. dry oregano
• 1/2 tsp. freshly ground fennel seed
• 1/8 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
• Kosher salt

For the pasta

• Kosher salt
• 1-1/2 lb. dried spaghetti

Instructions
Make the sauce

1. Heat the olive oil in a heavy-duty pot over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, oregano, and bay leaf. Cook, stirring often, until the onion is softened to your liking, 5-15 minutes.
2. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, until darkened, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the tomatoes and their juice and 1 tsp. salt. Bring to a boil and then simmer over low heat, stirring frequently, until the sauce has reduced by about a third, 40 to 60 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and season to taste with salt. Keep warm, covered. (The sauce can also be refrigerated for up to 5 days, or frozen for 1 month.)

Make the meatballs

1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 450°F. Coat the bottom and sides of an 8x8-inch baking dish with the olive oil. Set aside.
2. Combine the ground meats, breadcrumbs, ricotta, eggs, parsley, oregano, fennel seed, red pepper flakes, and 2 tsp. salt in a large bowl. Mix gently but thoroughly with your hands.
3. Divide the meat into 16 golf-ball-size portions using a 2-oz., 2-inch-diameter ice cream scoop or your hands; roll with wet hands to make them round. Arrange the balls snugly in the baking dish.
4. Bake the meatballs until they register about 90°F on an instant-read thermometer and are firm to the touch, 10 to 12 minutes. 
5. Remove the meatballs from the oven and drain excess fat, if there is any, from the pan. Ladle half of the sauce over them, return them to the oven, and continue to bake until an instant-read thermometer inserted into one reads 165°F, about 15 minutes. 

Cook the pasta

1. Bring a large covered pot of well-salted water to a rolling boil.
2. Add the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes less than package timing for al dente. Reserve 2 cups of the pasta water and drain.
3. Return the pasta to the pot and mix with the remaining sauce. Add 1 cup pasta water to thin the sauce and cook over medium heat until the pasta is al dente, 2 to 3 minutes. Add more pasta water if necessary, and season to taste with salt.
4. Transfer the spaghetti to a large heated serving bowl. Top with the meatballs and their sauce and serve.

Serves 4-6.