Spaghetti and Meatballs

This was an excruciatingly yummy dinner. And I didn't realize it until Casey pointed it out, but I made the meatballs with ground beef instead of ground turkey. I had just grabbed a package of meat (one of those plastic sleeves/tubes) out of the freezer in the garage, cut it open, and dumped it into my glass bowl to thaw in the microwave, and I never even read the label.

Spaghetti and Meatballs

Meatballs:
1 lb. ground meat (beef or turkey)
1/2 c. corn muffin mix (just the dry mix)
2 eggs
1/4 c. Parmesan cheese
1/2 t. oregano
a few dashes of salt & pepper

Sauce:
1/2 a small onion, minced
1 stalk celery, minced
4 T. butter (no substitutes!)
2 T. flour
1 c. milk +/-
1/4 c. Parmesan
2 T. bacon bits
1 jar marinara sauce (or your favorite spaghetti sauce)

1. In medium bowl, mix ingredients for meatballs. Set aside.
2. In large skillet, brown celery and onions in 1 tablespoon of butter over medium-high heat.
3. Put on a pot of water for the pasta.
4. Stir in the bacon bits, then clear an area in the center of the pan and add the other 3 T. of butter.
5. Once the butter has melted, add the flour and quickly whisk it together with celery and onions. Allow this to cook for about 2 minutes, so the flour loses its "raw" flavor.
6. Begin whisking in the milk, a little at a time, allowing the mixture to thicken between additions. Add in the Parmesan, and stir it in with the whisk.
7. After the milk has been added, dump in the marinara sauce all at once and whisk thoroughly to completely incorporate.
8. Turn heat down to simmer, and begin dropping the meatballs gently into the sauce. Put a lid on the pot and set the timer for 10-12 minutes.
9. Carefully stir the sauce and turn the meatballs—which should be browned on top because you had the lid on the pan—and simmer for another 10 minutes or so.
10. Meanwhile, make your pasta. It should be done by the time the meatballs are done simmering. If you made large meatballs, you may want to "sacrifice" one and cut it open to make certain it is cooked through.
11. Serve with garlic bread or garlic toast.