Spaghetti and Meatballs

So we're still recovering from last week's hospital admission for Baby's seizure. Now hubby has the same fever that sent the Baby into a neurological tailspin. Maybe all the exposure to sick kids has rendered me immune, but I'm the only one who didn't get whomped by whatever little cousin Hannah brought into the house over the 4th (knock on Formica countertop).

Needless to say that I haven't been cooking much of value, and I've been placing too much faith in the daily multivitamin to cover the glaring nutritional gaps.  So this was last night's dinner, not fancy, but it worked.  The kids don't like jarred tomato sauce, with the exception of Target brand!  Probably because it is quite mild, kinda thin and has lots of olive oil.  I bake my meatballs on parchment, a lot less stove-tending than pan-frying, and you don't spend the evening smelling like a big meatball.

Dairy and Egg Free Meatballs

1 1/2 pounds ground beef ( I used 96%)

1 onion, minced

1 glove garlic

4 slices old dairy and egg free bread, crusts removed and shredded

4 -6 T. plain soymilk

2 t. olive oil

2 T. chopped flat-leaf parsley

1 1/2 t. kosher (coarse) salt (if you use table salt, 1 t. will be enough)

a few grinds of pepper

1.) Preheat oven to 375.

2.) Saute the onion in a little olive oil over medium heat until soft, about 8 minutes. Add garlic and saute 1 minute, remove from heat.

3.) Sprinkle 4 T. soymilk over bread crumbs and let sit, add more if the crumbs still feel crunchy or dry.

4.) With a fork, mix ground beef, parsley, olive oil, salt, pepper and bread crumbs together. Don't over mix.

5.) Gently shape into meatballs and place on parchment lined baking sheet. Mine were about 1 inch in diameter. On creative days I make hearts, that wasn't today.

6.) Bake for 10-15 minutes, sample one to make sure they are cooked all the way through.

7.) Serve with sauce of your choice, I freeze the extras and just reheat in a pot with the sauce.