Since about 2016 or 2017, I have been trying to perfect my spaghetti and meatballs recipe.

…I think, as of 2021, I have come close to where it needs to be…

Here are the ingredients:

(And just so we’re clear I hardly ever measure my spices. I just eyeball everything. You too will know when it’s right.)

Olive Oil.
Garden Combination Spaghetti Sauce.
Lean Ground Beef.
Yellow Squash, sliced.
Zucchini, Sliced.
Basil.
Parsley.
Italian Seasoning.
Green and Red Bell Pepper Flakes.
Onion Powder or Flakes.
Garlic Powder.
Mozzarella Cheese.
Parmesan Cheese.
Seasoned Salt.
Black Pepper.
Bay Leaves.
White or Brown Sugar.
Dried Spaghetti Pasta.
Crushed Red Pepper Flakes (optional.)

First of all, preheat your oven to 350 Degrees Fahrenheit.

Then while waiting for the oven to reach the target temperature, take a mixing bowl, and add your Lean Ground Beef. Also add your Black Pepper, Parsley, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder or Flakes, and Mozzarella Cheese. If you dare, add some Crushed Red Pepper flakes at this time, although later you or your family members may need Alka Setzer (think of a certain commercial from 1969!) Sanitize then rinse your hands thoroughly then mix all of these ingredients until they are evenly distributed throughout the mixture. Once everything is evenly mixed, form it into balls the size of ping pong or table tennis balls, you can go bigger or smaller on the size of the meatballs depending on how many you wish to feed.

Place them in a non-stick skillet, spacing them about 1.5 inches apart.

Once the oven indicates that it has reached the target temperature, place your meatball pan in the oven for 25 minutes. The way I personally keep track of the baking time is by using the stopwatch feature on my Casio G-Shock wristwatch.

While the meatballs are baking, take a decent-sized pot and pour in the Olive Oil. Pour just enough until the bottom of the pot is completely covered.

Add the sliced Squash and Zucchini, Basil, Parsley, Italian Seasoning, Green and Red Bell Pepper Flakes, Onion Powder or Flakes, Garlic Powder, Seasoned Salt, Black Pepper, Bay Leaves, and White or Brown Sugar.

Place pot on medium heat and stir very frequently.

Once the seasoning base has slightly browned, add your jar(s) of Garden Combination Sauce. Ragu is a very good brand but the store brand will do just as well. Whatever sauce remains in the jar after pouring, rinse with your from your kitchen tap and let the mixture of sauce and water collect at the bottom of the jar. Add this to the sauce in the pot. Lower the heat and stir occasionally.

By this time, the meatballs should be baked, but if not, take them out when the timer or stopwatch reaches 25 minutes.

The reason why I say to bake them in a skillet is that a skillet has a handle. This will be crucial to the next step.

When the meatballs are indeed done baking, slowly pour them and their drippings (this adds extra flavor to the mix) into the pot of sauce and stir very thoroughly until the entire mixture is evenly distributed. And please for CYB purposes as well as your safety, use a gosh durn pot holder when handling the skillet (it will be very hot.)

Lower your heat to Medium-Low and stir occasionally.

Taste your sauce frequently during this time and adjust the seasonings to your desire. This is where you would adjust the Sugar, Black Pepper, and Seasoned Salt until it conforms to your’s and/or your family’s personal preferences.

Let the sauce simmer for the next 2.5 to 3 hours.

Meanwhile, take another pot and fill it with water from your kitchen tap.

Then take your dried spaghetti strands and break them in half, then drop them in the pot of water. Add a few drops of Olive Oil.

Place on High heat until the noodle strands are soft and have earthworm-like flexibility. Check and stir frequently, sometimes they cook quicker than you think, so frequently checking not only to saves time but also saves on either your electric or gas bill (depending on which is the power source for your stove.)

Once the noodles are indeed flexible as earthworms, turn on the cold water tap in your kitchen sink and place a colander in the basin in which you placed your colander. Make sure the drain is unplugged and otherwise unobstructed. This will preserve the drain seals on your sink and save you a lot of trouble down the road. Pour the noodles into the colander and let the water flow. The cold water coming out of the tap will cool off the boiling hot water from the pot, which would otherwise eventually disintegrate your drain seals.

Either keep the noodles in the colander or transfer them to a serving bowl. Garnish with some Parsley and/or Italian Seasoning.

Keep stirring and tasting the sauce until it has simmered for 2.5 to 3 hours.

Serve sauce over pasta and enjoy!

Add the Parmesan Cheese to individual servings at this time as each person sees fit.

This meal would be complete with sides of Garlic Bread/Texas Toast and a Garden Salad with Italian Dressing.

The perfect drink to go with this meal, in my opinion, would be Concord Grape Juice and the store brand is almost as good as Welch’s!

Back to “The Dirty Drip Pan”