Amanda and Meggie's Spaghetti and Smoked Mozzarella Meatballs

My cousin, Meggie, and her boyfriend, Nick, are visiting from Michigan! And because we are all poor college students, we decided to make dinner instead of going out and spending a fortune (even though Boston has some pretty great restaurants). Before she arrived, we decided on spaghetti and meatballs. And the day before she got here, Meggie texted me and suggested that we stuff the meatballs with smoked mozzarella. This changed the whole game.
We have already had a crazy food day. We got breakfast at one of my favorite coffeehouses (Pavement, here on campus), and then we got burgers at the famous Mr. Bartley's Gourmet Burgers in Harvard Square. Now, I'm not a big fan of burgers, but today, I had the Snoop Dog burger, which was amazing.
You would think that we would all be done with eating large meals, but after an afternoon of napping, studying, and guitar playing, we got to make our (much anticipated) spaghetti and meatballs. It began as a challenge, with the three of us trying to cook together in my tiny dorm kitchen on my tiny stove with my tiny pots and pans. But the end result was better than anything I could have imagined: the meatballs were browned on the bottom, which made them a little crispy. The cheese inside them was melted and gooey and smokey. And the sauce was full of flavor from the meatballs.

So do yourself a favor and make this dish: you won't be sorry. And if you have extra time, make Hudg-Bread with the leftover cheese. If you're lucky enough, you'll have enough extra meatballs and garlic bread to make a delicious meatball sandwich for lunch the next day.

Amanda and Meggie's Spaghetti and Smoked Mozzarella Meatballs

Ingredients:

2 T olive oil

1 lb. ground beef (we used 92% fat free)

1 cup parmesan (ground) plus extra for sprinkling

1/2 cup fresh parsley (chopped) plus extra for sprinkling

1/4 cup bread crumbs

1 egg

1 large onion

3 garlic cloves

2 28 oz cans crushed San Marzano tomatoes

1 lb. spaghetti

3 oz. smoked mozzarella (cubed)

Salt and pepper

Instructions:

1. Cook the pasta according to the box instructions (salt the water!!!), then drain and set aside.
2. Put the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
3. Put the ground beef in a bowl. Add the parmesan, parsley, bread crumbs, egg, and some salt and pepper. Then mix with your hands until thoroughly combined.
4. Using a 1 inch cookie scoop, make meatballs, and push one cube of smoked mozzarella into the center of each ball. Make sure the cheese is completely covered by the meat.
5. Raise the heat for the skillet to medium high and drop the meatballs into the oil, doing your best to keep them from touching. Let the meatballs cook, without disturbing them, for 5-6 minutes, or until lightly browned on the bottom.
6. While the meatballs are browning, dice up the onion and mince the garlic cloves. When the meatballs are done, scatter the onion and garlic around the meatballs. 
7. When the meatballs are nicely browned on the bottom and the onion and garlic are softening, pour the crushed tomatoes over them and season with salt and pepper. Adjust the heat so that the mixture bubbles slowly, but steadily, and then cover the skillet and let cook for 8 minutes, or until the meatballs are no longer pink in the middle. Remove the lid and turn up the heat so that the sauce boils and thickens a bit. If you need to stir, do so carefully.
8. When the sauce is done to your liking, toss some of the sauce with the drained pasta in a bowl. Divide the pasta between four plates and top with the remaining sauce and the meatballs. Sprinkle with the extra parmesan and parsley.
9. Eat.

Adapted from the New York Times