Spaghetti & Meatballs for a Crowd

Here's the full menu plan with steps to complete everything and serve a crowd!

Course: Dessert, Main Course, Side Dish

Yield: 6 people

Measure 2 cups flour and 1 teaspoon salt into mixing bowl. Whisk to combine.
Add 3 eggs and 1 T. olive oil.
Mix in Kitchen Aid with dough hook until dough starts to form. It will be a bit crumbly. Stop the mixer and push down the sides as needed.
Once the dough starts to form, turn it out onto a countertop or board to knead it.
Knead the dough for about six to eight minutes.
Form the dough into an oval, about five inches wide, wrap in plastic wrap, and let it sit on the counter until ready to roll. I usually make my dough early in the morning and let it rest all day. For dinner at 5 or 5:30, I start rolling at 3:00. It takes me about half an hour to roll and cut one batch of pasta.

Start by prepping all your ingredients.
Chop the onion and mince the garlic.
If you bought whole mushrooms, wash and slice them.
Mince your herbs. You can mince all of them together, as they will go into the pot together. I like to use fresh oregano, basil, and Italian flat leaf parsley.
Add a little olive oil to a big pot. I like to use my cast iron dutch oven. Sauté the onions until they start to turn transparent, about five minutes.
Then, add the garlic and sauté for about 30 more seconds.
Add the mushrooms, and sauté about five more minutes.
Add salt and pepper.
Deglaze the pot with about 1 cup red wine. I use whatever I have on hand, but you can also buy a cheap bottle to use. My favorite varietals for tomato based sauces are the heavy ones. Cabernet Sauvignon is my favorite to use, but a Cabernet Franc or other wine that is high in tannins will work, too.
Add 2 cans San Marzano tomatoes. Open the cans, and add the tomatoes one at a time, crushing each one with your hands until they fall through your fingers.
If you would like a touch of heat, add 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes.
Throw your minced herbs into the pot.
Add about 2 teaspoons sugar and a dash of nutmeg.
Taste, and add salt as needed.
Bring to a low boil, then turn down the heat, cover, and let the pot simmer for a couple hours, stirring occasionally.
You can make the sauce as early as you wish. It can simmer all day, if you want.

Put 1 lb. ground turkey and 1 lb. Italian sausage into a big mixing bowl.
Add 2 cups breadcrumbs (I like the garlic and herb ones from Progresso), and 2 cups fine grated parmesan cheese.
Mix well with your hands.
Beat one egg, adding about 1 Tablespoon water. Mix into your meat mixture.
Roll the meatballs into desired size and bake at 350° for about 20 minutes, flipping halfway through.
Once baked, add them to your sauce.
The meatballs can go into the sauce a couple hours in advance, if you wish. Just make sure you stir the sauce occasionally, so it doesn't stick.

When you are ready to roll your pasta, set up your machine, get out some extra flour, and a knife or pizza cutter to cut the dough.
Cut off a piece of dough about two inches thick. Form it into a rectangle.
Roll the dough through the widest setting on your pasta maker. For the machine I use, that is zero. I believe the Kitchen Aid attachment is different, but I have not used it.
Fold the ends over, making it more rectangular, then run it through the widest setting again.
Continue running the pasta dough through the machine, changing the setting to a narrower width each time until you are happy with the thickness. I usually go from zero to six on my Marcato.
As you finish a sheet, hang it on your drying rack. If you don't have a drying rack, lay it out on a sheet of waxed paper on your countertop.
When you finish rolling all the pasta into sheets, start cutting them. Choose the attachment you want to use, and run one sheet at a time through the cutting blade. Hang each batch back on the drying rack or on the waxed paper.

Preheat the oven to 325°.
Slice the bread. I like thicker slices. Wrap it tightly in foil if you are just doing bread in butter.
If you prefer garlic bread, peel some garlic cloves. I use a whole bulb (about 12-16 cloves). Mince or thinly slice the garlic.
On the stovetop, in a small saucepan, melt a cube of butter. Add the garlic and sauté until garlic is cooked, about five minutes.
Lay the sliced bread out on aluminum foil, and spoon the garlic butter over it. Wrap the bread up tightly in the foil, and bake a 325° for about 20 minutes.

Pop the bread in the over about 20 minutes before you want to eat.
Set the table.
Toss the salad.
When you are ready to cook the pasta, bring a pot of heavily salted water to a rolling boil. Add the pasta, and cook until done, just a few minutes.
Drain, and serve!
We always serve in the kitchen. Everyone grabs their own pasta, adds their meatballs and sauce, and takes their plate to the table. The bread and salad get passed at the table.
Sunday Supper. Done. Delicious!