Super Easy Spaghetti & Meatballs.

This dish is a 30 Minute Meal a la Rachael Ray with a little from Sandra Lee's Semi Homemade. Being a mama on the go most of the time, I've mentioned that quick and easy meals are a must.

The meatballs I make from scratch because I promise they're so easy to make and a hundred times better and healthier than anything else. You need-

1 pack of ground turkey (I get the 85/15)
Onion- diced finely
Cilantro
Garlic- I chop one clove finely
6 saltines- throw these in your blender for a few seconds to blend them into powder, this holds the meatballs together nicely
1 Egg (optional)
Garlic salt
Salt & pepper
1 box of spaghetti to feed about 5 mouths, Jack, Elliot and I and two next day lunches. :)

Preheat your oven to 345 degrees. Put all ingredients in a bowl with the ground turkey and mix well with your hands. Make sure your toddler isn't wanting you to pick him up constantly because nobody wants raw meat on them. :) I usually put a blanket down on the kitchen floor and a few toys to keep Elliot distracted since Jack is usually helping me.

After you mix the ingredients, wrap a cookie sheet with foil and throw some olive oil on it. Just a bit, you don't need very much just enough to have a little under the meatballs so they don't stick. Roll the meatballs and lay on the sheet. I always, always, always make these first while I have a pot of water on the stove getting ready for the spaghetti. You have to multitask here if you want this to be quick!

Put the meatballs in the oven for about 30 minutes- as long as it takes you to get everything else ready.



For the spaghetti-

Salt the pot of water, it will also make it boil quicker! I think it was Bobby Flay who told me that, or it might have been Rachael Ray. ;) Once the water is boiling, add the spaghetti and time it. I learned this from Jack, I used to just let it boil forever causing it to overcook and become super soft. Jack likes it al dente so I make sure I time it and taste when it's getting close to being ready. Drain it and NEVER rinse it with cold water. This will cause it to stick! Besides, the sauce needs to stick. Put back in the pot with a tiny bit of the water. We use regular spaghetti as opposed to whole wheat. I've never been a fan of it because the sauce doesn't take to it as it does with the regular one besides, when you compare the fats and carbs and all those things there's not a huge difference and doesn't taste great. Pastas are better than spaghetti when it comes to whole wheat in my opinion.

I save a little bit of the water (another trick learned) and add it to the sauce. I use a store bought one. I used to make it when I had the time and it was a super simple boiling of whole tomatoes, garlic and a little slice of onion, throw them in the blender, throw the sauce back in the pot, add oregano, salt and pepper and let it hang out for a while. No time for that now, so after trying a few brands, I went with this organic one. I also like Emeril's, they both contain all natural ingredients and stuff you can actually read on the label. I put this in a pot to simmer once my pasta and meatballs are close to being done and once simmering, I add the meatballs to it just to flavor everything and make everything yummy.



We make our own garlic bread, we are carb eaters and not sorry! So we need to do it in a healthier way. This is a whole wheat french bread, we slice it, put it on a cookie sheet with foil, drizzle a little olive oil and in the oven they go for about 5-7 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Take them out and rub the crunchier side with a whole garlic clove. You should have nothing left after you're done! It's the best garlic bread and not so bad for you.



Yum!!

Another thing Jack likes is adding his own sauce instead of me mixing everything together. I get a plate and use tongs to grab the spaghetti onto the plate. Add sauce and meatballs and a slice of garlic bread. Nothing new here just an easier way of making things that works for us! Enjoy!

It's Jack's birthday today and I'm excited to show him his gifts! We are having a small cookout with a couple of friends and we can't wait for the fun to begin. :) Happy Friday!