Spagehtti and Meatballs - The Big Cheat

A friend of mine leads a very hectic life, like most of us do these days and she doesn't like to cook very much. I made spaghetti and meatballs a week or two ago and had a lot leftover. The girlz think leftovers are kryptonite to their systems, unless there's leftover rice or orzo (which usually leads to a squabble and nothing you want to read about on this blog). I decided to take two servings to work for lunch the next day and give one to my friend. She was wowed. I was embarrassed because it wasn't like I cooked the sauce from scratch; I used a jar sauce and now she keeps asking me when am I going to cook spaghetti again.

The Big Cheat - Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Beat one egg in a small bowl. In a large bowl combine 1 teaspoon salt, 1 tsp. black pepper, 1 tsp. garlic powder, 1 tsp onion powder, 3/4 cup Italian bread crumbs, 1/2 cup grated Parmesan Reggiano, 1 tsp. sweet basil. Mix these together in a bowl with your hands then add in 1 lb. lean ground beef, 1 tablespoon Lea & Perrins and beaten egg. Fold all ingredients together. Blend well but do not work too much or the meatballs will be tough. Gently form into balls and place on a foil lined sheet sprayed with non-stick cooking spray and bake for 30 minutes. Meanwhile pour two jars of Prego (I like roasted garlic) into a pot big enough to hold both jars plus the meatballs and heat on medium-low heat. When meatballs are done, lift with a slotted spoon from pan and let any grease drain and plop them in the pot with the sauce. Boil some angel hair pasta and dinner will be almost ready because we still need to make garlic bread. Melt about 1/2 a stick of butter in a small pan on LOW heat. When butter is almost melted add two cloves of crush garlic. Let it hang out while you're heating your sauce and boiling your pasta. Slice your bread and dip it flat-side down in the garlic butter sauce and put the bread under the broiler until slightly brown around the edges.

Mama Mia - what a cheat!