Spaghetti with Bacon Sauce & Meatballs

Oh how I love a good red sauce. I have my tried and true Bolognese recipe, which I have posted here and I also love Barefoot Contessa's Weeknight Bolognese recipe, which you can find here. But, I think I found a new favorite to ad to my collection.

I was watching Food Network and stumbled across a new show called, "The Best Thing I Ever Made". There is another Food Network show called, "The Best Thing I Ever Ate" where renowned Chef's share the places they love to go and eat everything from the best pizza they ever ate, the best dessert they ever ate, the best fried chicken they ever ate and so on. The show is so entertaining and I am always salivating as the chefs describe the amazing culinary creations they have come across. Well, this new show, "The Best Thing I Ever Made", is a similar idea, however the renowned chefs talk about the best dishes they have ever made. I was watching an episode when Beau MacMillan discussed a dish prepared by the mother of one of his close childhood friends. The dish was, Spaghetti with Bacon Sauce & Meatballs and it is to die for. I love bacon and firmly believe that everything is better with bacon and this sauce is no different - it is sensational.

Please, try this if you love bacon, red sauce and meatballs. It is amazing and I was incredibly surprised at how simple it was to make. The only thing that makes this a bit time consuming is the amount of time the sauce needs to simmer. Other than that, this can dish can be put together in about 20-30 minutes.

One thing to note, the original recipe as it is on Food Network uses Bucatini pasta, which I couldn't find, so I switched mine to Spaghetti.

Spaghetti with Bacon Sauce & Meatballs
Ingredients
Bacon Sauce:
7 or 8 strips regular bacon
1 large onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Two 28-ounce cans chunky ground tomatoes, such as Pastene Chunky Kitchen Ready

Meatballs:
Oil, for greasing pan
2 pounds 80-percent lean ground beef
3/4 cup breadcrumbs (made from day old Italian bread)
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more for serving
3/4 cup fresh parsley leaves, chopped
2 or 3 cloves garlic, minced (not too fine)
2 eggs
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pound bucatini pasta

Directions
For the bacon sauce: Cut the bacon into pieces. Using a big saute pan or skillet that has a cover, cook over medium heat until almost crispy. Don't drain the fat. Add the onions to the pan. When the onions are almost cooked and start to become translucent, add the garlic and salt and pepper to taste. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, and then add tomatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer on low for about an hour to an hour and a half.

For the meatballs: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Grease a baking sheet. In a large bowl, combine the beef, breadcrumbs, Parmigiano-Reggiano, parsley, garlic, eggs and some salt and pepper. Form into 1 to 1 1/2-inch meatballs and place on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 5 minutes. Then turn the oven down to 350 degrees F and bake for an additional 10 minutes. Make sure to turn every few minutes to brown on all sides.

Cook the spaghetti according to the package directions.

Serve the meatballs over the pasta with the bacon sauce on the side. Garnish with freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Enjoy!