Fettuccine and Meatballs

A longtime friend of mine recently married a girl from Cambodia.  She is very excited to be in the states and is soaking up American culture as fast as she can.  For a tiny little girl she can eat like a horse.  I have been sending them lots of food so she can try all kinds of new things.  I whipped up a big batch of fettuccine and meatballs for them.

For the meatballs, I used ground beef, pork and hot sausage.  I made a lot of this so adjust ingredients accordingly.  Add some eggs.

I used about 1 cup of cream of wheat cereal.  This gives the meatballs a really nice texture.

Dice or shred some mozzarella and provolone.

Sprinkle in some oregano, S&P and Italian seasoning.

I use an old Foley Fork to gently mix this all together.  Mix it just until blended.  Don't over mix the meat or the meatballs will be tough.

I use a small scoop to measure out the meatballs for a uniform size.

Bake them at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes.  Some of the cheese melts off but it just blends in to the sauce so leave it on.  Add the juice as well for added flavor.

Saute' a large grated onion with it's juice in one stick of melted butter along with 6 minced garlic cloves.

I added some of my tomato sauce which I had frozen this past summer.

Add the meatballs and their juice.

Let it simmer while you prepare the pasta.

I made fettuccine but you can use any kind of pasta you like.

Serve it with fresh basil and grated Parmesan cheese.

Comments

John'aLee said…
That looks soooo good! Your meatballs sound amazing and different than anything I've ever seen before. Which says a lot since I'd rather read a cookbook than a novel!
Anonymous said…
this sounds amazing, cream of wheat, oh my gosh thats what my Gramma used too, in her meat loaf and meat balls!I haven't heard of anyone using this in a long time, hers were swedish meat balls but this would be great too! Isn't it always the tiny ones who have the hunger and metabolism of a race horse!Not fair, !! You are a good friend to welcome her to the country with your lovely recipes, thats such a great welcome,
Dee said…
I am now smelling the Cajun Chex mix recipe of yours! It sure makes a lot. We will have to have 2 cookings! Thank you for sharing the recipe - the guys across the street that gather there every afternoon and weekend for beer will appreciate it! It smells awesome and we can hardly wait to try it. We also made Bev's pineapple vodka recipe. It is in the fridge and we will not touch it for 7 days per Bev's orders! God bless her.

brokenteepee said…
I love fettucine but the hubby loves angel hair. Marriage is a compromise isn't it?
Nellie said…
Perfect for a cold evening!
Yeah, sometimes those petite ones have hollow legs!
Barb said…
That looks so good!! And to think , I just finished dinner!
HappyCrone said…
Yum!! And I hope you get some Cambodian Recipes from her!!! And share...
luckybunny said…
This might just be what we have for dinner tonight :)
That is just so nice of you to give her samples of new foods! It does NOT surprise me though. You are just like that!!
The meatballs sound good. Poor PH is making lots of trips to the store lately for things he is not used to buying..has to ask..heh heh!
It's good for him. When I married him and moved here..there were exactly three spices in the home. Table salt, table pepper, and cinnimon. That was it. It was sort of amazing. Never had fruit salad..said he doesn't eat pasta...etc. etc. but things have been changing FAST in the past four years. :) and you dear friend have helped move things right along.
Ina in Alaska said…
OMG!!!! Looks so good!!! LOVE your tip about using Cream of Wheat! I will try adding it to my next meatloaf recipe. I also use my Kitchen Aid to mix up the mixture. Love the texture it produces.