Week 8 of 52 in 2010...

Baked Ziti with Meatballs

Giada de Laurentiis and Mario Batali

This recipe has been modified...for the original click here.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup Italian bread crumbs
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 3/4 cup grated Romano
• 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound ground beef
• All-purpose flour, for dredging
• 1 pound ziti
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 28oz can of crushed tomatoes
• 3 cups skim milk ricotta
• 1 bag of Italian blend shredded cheese
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine bread crumbs, eggs, milk, 1/2 cup of the Italian cheese blend and the parsley, and mix well. Season with salt and pepper. Add beef and gently combine, being careful not to overwork the meat. Shape into bite-size meatballs. Roll each meatball in flour to coat, shaking off excess.

In a large pot, bring 6 quarts of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes. Reserve a cup of starchy liquid and mix with the ricotta. Drain pasta in a colander and then mix with water/ricotta mixture. Pour into 9x13 baking dish.

In a large skillet heat the oil over medium-high heat. When almost smoking, add meatballs in batches and without moving or turning the meat, allow it to brown for about 3 minutes. Turn meatballs and brown other side. Continue to cook until all sides are golden brown. Remove meatballs to a plate.

In a large bowl, combine the crushed tomatoes and drained fire roasted tomatoes. Sprinkle in some oregano, parsley, and basil to suit your preference. Place meatballs into pasta mixture. Ladle tomato sauce on top.

Sprinkle the mozzarella, Parmesan, and remaining Romano all over the top. Dot with the butter. Place baking dish on top of baking sheet covered with aluminum foil to collect any drippings from the dish. Bake until top is golden brown and bubbly, about 30 to 40 minutes.

Week 5 of 52 in 2010...

Week 5 of 52 in 2010

Spaghetti and Meatball Stoup

Rachael Ray

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan
• 1 carrot, peeled and chopped into a small dice
• 1 medium yellow skinned onion, chopped
• 2 small ribs celery from the heart, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 3 cups tomato sauce or 1 (14-ounce) can plus 1 (8-ounce) can
• 2 cans of fire roasted tomatoes
• 3 cups chicken stock, available in a box on the soup aisle
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1/2 cup grated cheese, Italian blend cheese mix, plus more to pass at table
• 1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs, a few handfuls
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley leaves for meatballs and 2 tablespoons for soup
• 1 tablespoon of oregano
• 2 teaspoons of basils
• 1/2 pound spaghetti, broken in half
• 1 loaf Italian crusty bread, for dunking

Directions

Preheat a medium soup pot over medium heat. Add extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan, carrots, onions, celery, garlic and saute 5 minutes. Add tomato sauce, fire roasted tomatoes, add parsley/oregano/basil, and stock and cover pot. Turn up heat and bring to a fast boil.

While soup comes to a boil, mix the ground meat with cheese, bread crumbs, egg and parsley. Roll into 1 1/2 to 2-inch balls.

Remove lid from soup and slide balls into soup. Bring back to a boil then stir in spaghetti. Reduce the heat and simmer soup 10 minutes more, until pasta is tender and balls have cooked through. Remove "stoup" from the stove. Serve soup with bread and cheese.

I was able to save a container of this for later. I was curious to see how the noodles would hold up...since I'm late posting this recipe we pulled it out of the freezer 3 weeks later and it was fabulous! I added a fresh can of fire roasted tomatoes (which I do anytime I defrost something with diced tomatoes in it...they have a tendency to break down and it helps stretch your meals to save you money!) and let it simmer on the stove while I toasted up some garlic toast. Honestly, I think I liked it better the second go round!

*This version contains my adjustments for the original click on the link in the title...