Creamy Pesto Spaghetti With Meatballs
Creamy Pesto adapted from How to Boil Water [1];
Meatballs original recipe
Ingredients
- Creamy Pesto Sauce
2 cups packed chopped fresh basil leaves
3 cloves garlic
3/4 cup roasted pine nuts
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1/4 cup freshly grated Romano
1 1/2 cups of cream (depending on desired thickness)
1/4 cup sour cream or cream cheese
Meatballs
1 1/2 cups fresh bread crumbs
1/2 cup milk
3 eggs
1 cup roasted ground pine nuts
3 small onions or 1 large onion
1 shallot
3 cloves of garlic
1 lb beef
1 lb pork
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese
2 tbsp Italian seasoning
Salt
Pepper
1/4 cup Olive oil for browning
Pasta of your choice
Directions
- Make the creamy pesto sauce: Preheat oven to 350. Place nuts on a foil lined cookie sheet. Place in oven for 8 to 10 minutes until fragrant. Be sure to keep a watch and occasionally flip the pine nuts, so they do not burn.
- Measure out 3/4 cup pine nuts and add to a food processor (Reserve the rest of the pine nuts for the meatballs). Place basil, garlic, olive oil, and both cheeses in a food processor, puree until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste. If storing, place in a container, pour a thin layer of oil over the top to prevent discoloration.
- When ready to serve, put the pesto in a sauce pan, slowly add cream and sour cream. Cook over a low heat.
- Make the meatballs: for the bread crumbs, you can use day-old bread or fresh bread that has been toasted. Place the bread in food processor and chop. Place bread crumbs in a bowl and soak in the milk.
- Saute onions, garlic, and shallots in 1 tbsp of olive oil. Once browned, mix with the bread crumbs.
- Mix meat, seasoning, salt, pepper, cheese, ground pine nuts, and eggs with the breadcrumb mixture. Place in fridge for an hour.
- Remove meat mixture from fridge. Roll into small 3/4 inch meatballs.
- Preheat oven to 375° F.
- Heat 1 tbsp of oil, placing 6-9 meatballs in a large frying pan. Brown all sides of the meatballs. Repeat with the rest of the meatballs.
- Place browned meatballs on a foil-lined cookie sheet and place in the oven for 15-20 minutes. To freeze: place the cooled meatballs on a cookie sheet in the freezer for a couple of hours. Once frozen place in containers, the prefreezing prevents the meatballs from sticking to one another.
- Prepare pasta.
- Toss the pasta with the pesto sauce, about 1/8 cup of sauce per pasta serving. Plate the pasta with 4-5 meatballs on top. If desired, drizzle some of the sauce over the meatballs.
Makes approximately 2 1/2 cups creamy pesto and 45 meatballs.
Information
- Category
- Pasta, Main Dishes
- Cuisine
- Italian