italian spaghetti un'meat'balls + tomato sauce family recipe · 2/3 cup spaghetti or...

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Spaghetti Un'meat'balls + Fastest Tomato Sauce Ever + Italian Peach Granita

spaghetti un’meat’balls

break + boil + drain Have your kids break 2/3 cup spaghetti or linguini into 2-inch to 3-inch pieces. Then, in a medium saucepan, bring a quart of water to a rolling boil. Add the broken pasta, salt the water, and cook until al dente. Drain, run pasta under cold water to cold-shock and drain well again. Set aside to cool.

measure + whisk + moisten Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, have your kids measure and combine 2 rounded Tbs tomato paste and 2 Tbs hot water and whisk to loosen the paste. Add ½ cup of breadcrumbs to the mixture to moisten. Set to the side. combine + pulse In a blender or food processor, or in a bowl with an immersion blender, have your kids combine 1 15-oz can white beans (rinsed and drained),1 large clove garlic, and 1/8 of an onion (or ½ Tbs onion powder). Pulse in the blender/food-processor until chopped, but not smoothly pureed.

add + mix Remove bean mixture from blender/food processor to a bowl and have your kids add the pre-cooked/cooled pasta, a small handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley tops, 2-4 Tbs grated Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, a drizzle of olive oil, big pinches of salt and pepper. Mix well to combine. :: continued ::

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stir + adjust Stir the tomato paste and breadcrumb mixture into the bean mixture. If the mixture seems too wet, add another 2-4 Tbs breadcrumbs. Mix together well.

roll + bake + drizzle Have your kids roll the mixture into 1½-inch to 2-inch balls with their clean hands. (It’s fine if the pieces of cooked spaghetti stick out of the ‘meat’balls - they’ll get crispy and delicious!) Bake the un’meat’balls on a baking sheet for about 15-20 minutes, until browned and crispy at the edges. Drizzle un’meat’balls with olive oil and serve warm with the Fastest Tomato Sauce Ever alongside for dipping. Say, “Buon appetito!”…Enjoy your meal!

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slice + sprinkle + drizzle Have your kids wash 2-3 fresh tomatoes and slice into halves or quarters. Add the tomatoes to a bowl or blender/food processor, sprinkle with a very big pinch of salt, and drizzle with 2 Tbs olive oil.

puree + taste Puree until very smooth using blender, food processor, or immersion blender. Have your kids taste the sauce - does it need a little more salt?

cook + whisk + discard Add the freshly pureed tomato mixture to a cold skillet on the stovetop. Add 1 peeled whole clove of garlic to the skillet and turn to medium-high heat. Cover and cook until bubbling, about 3-5 minutes. Carefully add 3/4 Tbs tomato paste and whisk together into the sauce. Serve immediately or reduce as much as you wish to. Discard the whole clove of garlic before serving.

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• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • quick italian grape/peach granita

combine + blend Have your kids combine 1 cup water, ½ cup sugar (or 4 packs stevia), 1-1½ cups frozen grapes or peaches, 1 Tbs lemon juice in a blender. Blend until everything is well mixed, icy, and smooth. Serve before it melts!

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Spaghetti Un‘meat’balls




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2/3 cup spaghetti or linguini 2 Tbs tomato paste 2 Tbs hot water ½ to 3/4 cup breadcrumbs 1 15-oz can white beans 1 large clove garlic 1/8 of a fresh onion (or ½ Tbs onion powder)

1 cup water ½ cup sugar

1-1½ cup frozen grapes or peaches 1 Tbs lemon juice

Quick Italian Grape/Peach Granita

small handful flat-leaf parsley 1/8 to ¼ cup grated Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling and cooking salt and pepper

Fastest Tomato Sauce Ever!

2-3 fresh tomatoes 2 Tbs olive oil 3/4 Tbs tomato paste

1 clove garlic a very big pinch of salt

The History of Spaghetti & Meatballs The origin of spaghetti and meatballs started with Italian immigrants coming to America in the late 19th and early 20th century. The majority of the immigrants were extremely impoverished and had been spending 75% of their income on food in Italy, compared to only 25% in the U.S. Meat quickly became a staple and families were putting meatballs more frequently on the table. Then came the sauce. For cooks in the U.S., “sailor sauce” dominated Italian-American cuisine because canned tomatoes were among the only items available at local grocers. Marinara sauce originates from Naples and comes from the Italian word “marinaro”, meaning sailor. Spaghetti also became greatly popular in the U.S. because it was one of the only Italian ingredients available. Soon people began eating all three (meatballs, marinara sauce, and spaghetti) together because Anglo-American diners were accustomed to having starch accompany their proteins.

fun food facts:

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The surprise ingredient of the week is: Tomatoes! ★ The scientific name for the tomato is lycopersicon esculentum, which means wolf peach. The word

tomato comes from the Aztec “xitomatl”, which means plump thing with a navel. ★ Tomatoes were originally cultivated by the Aztecs and Incas as early as 700 A.D. and are native to

the Americas. Europeans were first made aware of the tomato when explorers brought back seeds from Mexico and Central America in the 16th century. Tomatoes quickly became popular in Mediterranean countries, but received resistance as they spread further north. The British in particular considered the fruit to be beautiful, but poisonous. This fear was shared in the American colonies and it was years before the tomato gained widespread acceptance. By the middle of the 19th century, tomatoes were in use across America.

★ The tomato is in the same family as the potato, pepper, and eggplant, known as the nightshade family.

★ Tomatoes are a source of vitamins A, C, calcium, potassium, and fiber. ★ Tomatoes are rich in lycopene, an antioxidant that is good for the heart and against certain cancers.

Cooked tomatoes are actually better for you than raw ones, as more of the lycopene is released through cooking.

★ Don’t store tomatoes in the refrigerator! The cold temperatures lessen the flavor in tomatoes.

Time for a laugh! How do you fix a broken tomato? Tomato paste!

What did the grown-up tomato say to the little tomato when it was lagging behind? Hurry and ketchup!

italian spaghetti un'meat'balls + tomato sauce family recipe · 2/3 cup spaghetti or...

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