Living in Massachusetts requires a person to make certain… “sacrifices”: the beaches are rocky, the sports fans are crazy, and, yes, the winters are long. A friend of mine from high school had given me a recipe for Spaghetti & Meatball “Stoup” (“thicker than soup, thinner than stew”) that quickly became one of my favorite go-to meals when it was 0 degrees outside (and even when it wasn’t).
The below was adapted from the original Rachael Ray recipe because we’re a picky family and, in an effort to save every shred of free time I may have, I also removed all ingredients that I deemed unessential to the overall final taste. Feel free to compare and decide for yourself, though!
SPAGHETTI & MEATBALL STOUP INGREDIENTS:
- 3 cups tomato sauce
- 3 cups chicken broth (I use water to reduce salt)
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup Italian breadcrumbs
- 1 egg, beaten (I’ve replaced this w/ milk)
- 1 lb spaghetti, broken in half
SPAGHETTI & MEATBALL STOUP INSTRUCTIONS:
- Combine tomato sauce and broth into large pasta pot (the wider the better); cover and bring to a boil over high heat.
- Separately combine meat, cheese, breadcrumbs and egg so they form meatballs (size doesn’t really matter).
- Once the liquids are boiling, slide in your meatballs and bring it back to a boil (usually around a minute).
- Add the pasta and reduce heat to a simmer, keeping the lid on.
- Stir every 5 minutes to thoroughly cook the pasta within the sauce/meatball combo. It usually takes about 10 minutes if you’re using thin spaghetti or up to about 20 minutes if you chose fettuccine (our preference).
- Optional: when it starts looking like you’re almost finished, take the lid off so the sauce thickens even further.