Effortless Spaghettios Mini Meatballs (Print Version)

# Ingredients:

→ Sauce

01 - 0.75 teaspoon dried parsley
02 - 0.75 teaspoon dried basil
03 - 0.75 teaspoon dried oregano
04 - 0.5 chicken bouillon cube
05 - 1 teaspoon yellow mustard
06 - 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
07 - 120 ml half and half cream
08 - 650 ml beef broth

→ Mini Meatballs

09 - 0.75 teaspoon onion powder
10 - 0.75 teaspoon salt
11 - 0.75 teaspoon Italian seasoning
12 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
13 - 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
14 - 1 egg, whisked
15 - 45 ml half and half cream or use milk instead
16 - 33 grams crushed Ritz crackers or swap in Italian or Panko breadcrumbs
17 - 340 grams ground beef

→ Pasta and Finish

18 - 225 grams Anellini pasta
19 - 50 grams freshly grated Parmesan cheese
20 - 225 grams tomato sauce
21 - 2 tablespoons tomato paste
22 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
23 - 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

# Instructions:

01 - Once the noodles are cooked the way you want, drop in the little meatballs. Give everything a gentle stir. Toss in the Parmesan, blend it all together, then take the pot off the heat. You’re ready to eat.
02 - Dump in the sauce mix you made earlier plus the tomato sauce. Turn up the heat to get it bubbling, add the pasta, then let it gently simmer. Stir now and then with a silicone spatula so nothing sticks. Follow your pasta package for cooking time.
03 - Melt the butter in a big soup pot over medium-low. Toss in the chopped garlic with the tomato paste. Let it cook for about a minute or two until it smells amazing.
04 - Heat the oven to 200°C. Shape the meat mixture into balls that are about 2 cm round and set them on a greased baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes. For extra browning, broil on high (245°C) for about a minute. Put them aside for now.
05 - Add beef, cracker crumbs or breadcrumbs, half and half, whisked egg, Parmesan, garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, and onion powder into a big bowl. Mix it all up gently so you don’t overwork it.
06 - Stir together beef broth, half and half, Worcestershire, yellow mustard, crumbled bouillon, oregano, basil, and parsley in a measuring jug. Set this to the side for later.

# Notes:

01 - Grate your Parmesan fresh if you can for the best flavor. Classic Anellini works great, but you can swap it for other small pasta shapes like Ditalini.
02 - No time? Grab frozen mini meatballs instead, and just bake them as the bag says.
03 - Squeezy tubes of tomato paste make it easy to use just what you need and stash the rest.
04 - Leftovers keep well up to three days in the fridge, tightly covered. You can also freeze for three months.