Spaghetti and meatballs… I was hardcore craving this dish the other day. And since I’m an adult and I can eat what I want, when I want, I made it. Being an adult does have its perks, I must say.
This dish takes me and probably every other high-school cross-country alumni right back to pasta parties. Eating carbs surrounded by your favorite people in the world. It doesn’t get any better than that.
Spaghetti and meatballs also holds the extraordinary power to take me right back to one of the most nerve-racking, anxiety-filled nights of my life. Which, as any other marathoner will tell you, happened to be the night before my first marathon.
*Que dramatic music*
It was such a nice, normal Saturday to what seemed to be everyone else on the planet except for me. Didn’t the world understand I was about to embark on the most epic journey of my entire life? The whole world might not have grasped the concept, but my little fan club did. Even though she was just about as sold on the idea of me running a marathon while still in high school as she was about me getting my first tattoo, my mom took me to the expo to pick up my number and made whatever I wanted for dinner. She’s a good lady.
My dinner request: Spaghetti and meatballs with a side of sweet potatoes. I was so petrified of what waited for me tomorrow, just the thought of eating on the way home from the expo made me sick. But when I walked through the door, I was hit with the familiar smell that greeted me without fail before every cross-country race: Spaghetti sauce.
When there wasn’t a pasta party, my mom would make me spaghetti. I would come home to that smell the day before every meet, big or small. At some point, it had become the most comforting smell in the world.
I may not have had my team surrounding me for this race, but I still had my fan club. I still had homemade spaghetti and meatballs. This whole marathon thing, it might have been a solo effort, but it wasn’t something I was doing alone.
So I ate my dinner and talked my mom’s ear off one last time about what awaited me the next morning. My dad drove me to the marathon the next day and my family waited for me along the course in the misty rain. Fueled by the love and nutrients only found in your mom’s homemade spaghetti and meatballs, I finished in 3 hours and 22 minutes. And my fan club was there, cheering me on.
Anyway, here’s a slightly different take on spaghetti and meatballs. I have yet to test out if this is Boston Qualifying spaghetti and meatballs, but it sure is tasty. Thanks to a tip from Bon Appetit, I used bread soaked in water (then rung out, super weird feeling) instead of breadcrumbs and the result was a mighty-fine meatball. This dish is guaranteed to fill up both your belly and your soul. It’s just different enough to sneak some extra nutrients in there (thanks, whole wheat pasta, chicken, and zucchini), but not different enough that it won’t give you all the nostalgia feels.
Enjoy, friends!
Spaghetti with chicken zucchini meatballs
Ingredients
For the spaghetti
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 5 tomatoes, diced
- 3 basil leaves
- 1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce
- 1 box whole wheat spaghetti
- parmesan cheese (optional)
For the meatballs
- 16 oz lean ground chicken
- 1 cup grated zucchini
- 2 slices wheat bread
- 1/3 cup onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1.5 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, minced
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 2 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
For the spaghetti
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In a medium saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and cook until golden brown around the edges. Add tomatoes and basil.
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Season with salt and pepper. Once simmering, add tomato sauce. Bring to a simmer then reduce the heat to low. Cover and let cook one hour.
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Meanwhile, cook the pasta. After the sauce has cooked for an hour, add meatballs and cook for another 15 minutes. Divide pasta between four bowls and top with sauce and meatballs. Serve as is or with parmesan cheese.
For the meatballs
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Add chicken, onion, garlic, parsley, and oregano to a medium bowl.
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Use double paper towels to lightly squeeze excess moisture from the zucchini. Add to the bowl.
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Run slices of bread under water for a few seconds then squeeze out the moisture. Dice the break or break it into little pieces before adding it to the bowl.
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Add salt and pepper and mix thoroughly with your hands. Meanwhile, heat half the olive oil in a large skillet over a medium heat.
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With lightly oiled hands, roll the chicken into meatballs about 1.5 inches in diameter. Place uncooked meatballs on a plate.
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Once the oil is hot, sear meatballs on every side. Once seared, add to sauce. You will probably need to cook in batches, so heat up the second tbsp of olive oil halfway through if needed.
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Continue cooking until all meatballs have been seared and added to the sauce. If you prefer, keep some meatballs sauce-free and freeze them or use them in other dishes. This recipe makes plenty of meatballs to go around!
