Meals Matter

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Contributed By: EatingWell
www.eatingwell.com with permission. Photo by Ken Burris.

To stretch the ground beef, we use high-fiber bulgur and whole-wheat breadcrumbs in the meatballs, which are baked rather than fried.

Ingredients

Meatballs

1/3 cup Bulgur

1/2 cup Hot water

4 ounces Lean ground beef

4 ounces Hot Italian sausage

1 Medium onion, very finely chopped

2 Large egg whites, lightly beaten

3 cloves Garlic, very finely chopped

1 teaspoon Dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon Salt

1/2 teaspoon Freshly ground pepper

1 cup Fresh breadcrumbs, preferably whole-wheat (see Tip)

Sauce & Spaghetti

4 cups Prepared marinara sauce

1/2 cup Slivered fresh basil leaves or chopped fresh parsley

1 pound Whole-wheat spaghetti or linguine

1/2 cup Freshly grated Parmesan or Romano cheese (1 ounce)

Preparation

1. To prepare meatballs: Combine bulgur and water in a small bowl. Let stand until the bulgur is tender and the liquid is absorbed, about 30 minutes.

2. Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a rack with cooking spray and place it over a baking sheet lined with foil.

3. Combine ground beef, sausage, onion, egg whites, garlic, oregano, salt, pepper, breadcrumbs and the soaked bulgur in a large bowl; mix well. Form the mixture into 1-inch meatballs (about 24). Place the meatballs on the rack and bake for 25 minutes. Blot well with paper towel.

4. To prepare sauce & spaghetti: Put a large pot of lightly salted water on to boil. Bring sauce to a simmer in a Dutch oven. Add the meatballs to the sauce and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes. Stir in basil (or parsley).

5. Meanwhile, cook spaghetti (or linguine) until just tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and transfer to a serving bowl. Top with the sauce and meatballs and serve with grated cheese.

Cook's Notes

To make fresh breadcrumbs: Trim crusts from firm sandwich bread. Tear the bread into pieces and process in a food processor until coarse crumbs form. One slice makes about 1/3 cup.

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