Is spaghetti better with or without meatballs?
- Thread starter Anders S
- Start date
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Fuckin absolutely better with meatballs. But the meatball composition matters. No one wants a dense concrete meatball. No one wants a meatball that splinters into meat smithereens. There has to be the right amount of herbs, breadcrumbs, cheese, parsley etc mixed in to give them THE consistency and flavor. Some people like all beef meatballs. That's a damn hamburg nugget. It's gotta be either 50/50 beef and pork or 50/25/25 beef, veal, pork. If someone doesn't eat pork, fine, they get a pass on this.
Potlucks seem to be a one pot affair for the most part, but consider bringing a secondary pot/slow cooker for the meatballs in sauce so that people who don't want meatballs don't have to have them comingling with their pasta.
It's been a frustrating day and I'm probably being way too hypervigilant in this response but meatballs are a very serious thing for me.
Personally, I prefer hot Italian sausage (yeah, yeah) with my pasta overall, but meatballs are definitely up there in priority.
Potlucks seem to be a one pot affair for the most part, but consider bringing a secondary pot/slow cooker for the meatballs in sauce so that people who don't want meatballs don't have to have them comingling with their pasta.
It's been a frustrating day and I'm probably being way too hypervigilant in this response but meatballs are a very serious thing for me.
Personally, I prefer hot Italian sausage (yeah, yeah) with my pasta overall, but meatballs are definitely up there in priority.
jaxadam
Well-Known Member
Linguini with pesto and pine nuts.
jaxadam
Well-Known Member
Pesto with linguini and pine nuts.
You can neglect the meatballs for ground beef, that's what I usually do. It's not "correct", but I'm poor and not Italian.
As long as you include meat at all you're on the right track. Spaghetti without meat is practically a bad dessert in my opinion.
As long as you include meat at all you're on the right track. Spaghetti without meat is practically a bad dessert in my opinion.
TedEH
Cromulent
Already been said, but +1 for it really depends on how good your meatballs are. Good meatballs will improve spaghetti. Awful meatballs will ruin it.
spudmunkey
Well-Known Member
How big is your potluck? You could make it both ways, to add a vegetarian option.
I prefer cook the meatballs and use some of the sauce for spaghetti, but it's a personal preference
As said before, It depends how you prepare your meatballs.
Don't use a meat too lean; you can also mix different types like 50% beef 50% pork.
Put your breadcrumbs in some milk and add them with parmesan, eggs, parsley, garlic and nutmeg. Personally I would add some lemon zest for a touch of freshness or something like lemongrass.
As said before, It depends how you prepare your meatballs.
Don't use a meat too lean; you can also mix different types like 50% beef 50% pork.
Put your breadcrumbs in some milk and add them with parmesan, eggs, parsley, garlic and nutmeg. Personally I would add some lemon zest for a touch of freshness or something like lemongrass.
Rubbishplayer
Well-Known Member
Is it for us? Hey thank you, that's very generous for a first post!
Seriously, it depends. If you're US-based, it's probably expected. But in Italy, you could serve with pesto and could even get away with butter and parmesan. It's a cultural thing.
Assuming you're stateside, if you haven't already got a favourite meatball recipe, a few tips from my missus, who makes the best I've ever tasted (and I've lived in Italy and the USA)...
1. Use pure pork with a high fat content (12-20%). Pork and beef mixed is good too, but pure pork is better.
2. Finely cut onions and shallow fry in butter until translucent and browining, then add this to your pork/breadcrumb mix before rolling into balls.
3. Go easy on herbs. Less is more.
4. Season well and don't be afraid to use a little vegetable stock powder for a bit more depth. Not too much.
A whole thread about how shitty AI is and folks in here having a blast.
Spaghetti with meatless balls
p0ke
7-string guitard
Maybe some Italian can correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't spaghetti actually just mean the specific form of pasta? At least here it does, the sauce you serve with is a separate thing. And yeah, pesto and/or butter and parmesan (or similar cheese) would also do.
I think if I were to bring said food somewhere I would just make a tomato based sauce to go with it, with some soy-based protein to replace the meat in case of vegans...
Rubbishplayer
Well-Known Member
Yes it is. Sorry, but I'm missing your point?
Always a good idea to go vegetarian/vegan for maximum sharing, though going "fake meat" is never a good idea IMHO. Pesto or a tomato-based sauce (e.g. arribiata, vegetarian putanesca, tomato-basil) usually doesn't fail.
Yes, spaghetti Is the type of pasta just like fettuccine, linguine...
The sauce you serve your spaghetti with it's what makes the name of the dish.
Like in the spaghetti al pesto (spaghetti with pesto sauce) or spaghetti alla carbonara (with the carbonara sauce).
Spaghetti with meatballs is probably an italo-american recipe where you season the spaghetti with the sauce you use to cook the meatballs.
For a vegan twist i'd actually make some kind of falafel instead of using fake meat.
It would probably pair well with a pesto sauce
Demiurge
Well-Known Member
Baked ziti is better for a potluck. Nobody wants to be slurping long noodles with splashy sauce off of a paper plate in front of people they know.
jaxadam
Well-Known Member
Pine nuts with salt and pepper.
Rubbishplayer
Well-Known Member
Good call on the ziti Demiurge
My first thought was AI but I don't care and I'm playing along because it's actually a decent topic and I'm hungry lol
Dishes like baked Ziti, baked rigatoni, chicken cacciatore over penne might be better for the AI potluck depending on how much the food budget is.
As far as meatballs, I like them but honestly can't think of the last time I had them with spaghetti. I used to make tons of them at the restaurant I worked at ages ago... I really liked them but had to make all of them so I didn't really want to get high my own supply and make more work for myself.
I'm happy with a good meat sauce, but meatballs are a welcome bonus.
