Classic Spaghetti and Meatballs

Name: Classic Spaghetti and Meatballs
Yield: Serves 4 to 6
Cuisine: Europe, Italian
Ingredients: 2 slices, white sandwich bread (crusts discarded), torn into small cubes; 1/2 cup, buttermilk or 6 tablespoons plain yogurt thinned with 2 tablespoons sweet milk; 3/4 pound, ground beef chuck ( or 1 pound if omitting ground pork below); 1/4 pound, ground pork (to be mixed with ground chuck); 1/4 cup, grated Parmesan cheese; 2 tablespoons, minced fresh parsley leaves; 1 , large egg yolk; 1 small clove, garlic, minced (1 teaspoon); 3/4 teaspoon, table salt; , Ground black pepper; , Vegetable oil for pan-frying (about 1 1/4 cups); 2 tablespoons, extra-virgin olive oil; 1 teaspoon, minced garlic; 1 , (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes; 1 tablespoon, minced fresh basil leaves; , Salt and ground black pepper; 1 pound, spaghetti; , Grated Parmesan cheese

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Appears in Cook's Illustrated January/February 1998, America's Test Kitchen TV

Main Courses

Europe

Italian

Pasta, Grains, Rice & Beans

Buttermilk-soaked bread is the key to meatballs with a soft, creamy interior and a pleasantly rich, tangy flavor.

SERVES4 to 6

TIME1½ hours

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

For our spaghetti and meatballs recipe, we wanted nothing short of great meatballs: crusty and dark brown on the outside, soft and moist on the inside. Focusing on ingredients for our meatball recipe, we found that milk did wonderful things...

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