‘Spaghetti’ and Meatballs from Disney’s Lady and the Tramp
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When Lady and the Tramp walk into Tony’s in Disney’s classic ‘Lady and the Tramp’ the restaurant becomes the setting for the most divine of dates. It’s proclaimed as ‘the best spaghetti in town’ and between the candle glowing in a wine bottle and breadsticks propped up in a basket – it all looks pretty dreamy. Spaghetti and meatballs is a meal of real comfort as much as it’s a classic in the canon of romantic dishes.
This dish is all about the twirl, and for that I went with something that’s not spaghetti. While wandering around my local Italian deli I found this ‘fusilli lunghi bucati’ which is spiralized and hollow. The shape is so beautifully exaggerated that it looked like a Disney cartoon and the hollow shape in the centre lends itself perfectly to the sauce.
This is enough to feed four but I think if you’re going to go to the effort of making it it’s perfect to freeze.
Spaghetti Meatballs Recipe:
Start by getting the sauce on. This is just a very simple tomato and basil sauce. Lightly fry the onions and garlic in some olive oil and once soft pour in the tins of tomatoes.
Add a little water and simmer.
Taste and work out how much sugar you need to add, it really depends on how sweet the tomatoes are. Then season with pepper and salt.
Just before you’re ready to add the meatballs add in the butter and basil.
Now for the meatballs. Heat your oven to 190 degrees ready for the meatballs. In a pan fry the onion, garlic, fennel seeds, chilli and tomato paste until they are all soft. Place in a bowl to cool as you don’t want to add the hot onions to the mince.
Soak your bread crumbs in a little milk until they are soft.
In a large bowl, combine the mince with the onions, breadcrumbs, beaten egg and parsley. Season with pepper and salt.
Once the mixture is really well-blended start forming them into small teaspoon size meatballs and arrange them on a baking sheet.
Once all the mixture is in meatballs place them in the oven and cook until nicely brown on top. Once they are all browned add them into your huge pot of bubbling sauce to cook through and absorb some of the flavour.
Cook your pasta to packet and once done add to the sauce in a huge bowl with a little pasta water to toss.
Serve with fresh basil and lots of parmesan.
Hi there! Love your recipes! Just wondering how many ml or oz the tins of tomatoes should be?
Hi Rachel, It’s a standard UK tin which is 400g.