"Making spaghetti and meatballs to serve a crowd can try the patience of even the toughest Italian grandmother. We sought an easier way. We found that roasting the meatballs on a wire rack, rather than frying them in batches, made our recipe faster and cleaner. Adding some powdered gelatin to a mix of ground chuck and ground pork served to plump the meatballs and lent them a soft richness. Prosciutto gave the meatballs extra meatiness and a panade, which we made with panko, kept the meat moist and prevented it from getting tough. To create a rich, flavorful sauce, we braised the meatballs in marinara sauce for about an hour. And to make sure the sauce didn’t overreduce, we swapped half of the crushed tomatoes in our marinara recipe for an equal portion of tomato juice...."
INGREDIENTS
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Ingredients
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Meatballs
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2 1/4cups (about 6 ounces) panko bread crumbs
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1 1/2cups buttermilk (see note)
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3 large eggs, lightly beaten
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2pounds 85 percent lean ground beef
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1pound ground pork
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6ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, chopped fine
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3ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (about 1 1/2 cups)
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6tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
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3 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1 tablespoon)
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1 1/2teaspoons powdered gelatin, dissolved in 3 tablespoons cold water
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Table salt and ground black pepper
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Sauce
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3tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
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1 1/2cups grated onion from 1 to 2 onions (see note)
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6 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through garlic press (about 2 tablespoons)
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1/2teaspoon red pepper flakes
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1teaspoon dried oregano
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6cups tomato juice (bottled)
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3(28-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
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6tablespoons dry white wine
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Table salt and ground black pepper
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3pounds spaghetti
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1/2cup minced fresh basil leaves
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3tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
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Granulated sugar
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Parmesan cheese, grated, for serving
