One-Pan Homemade Spaghettio's

I am HERE for the one pan/pot recipes!! Sometimes I don't like the texture of pasta sauce that's full blown pasta water but for this recipe it's absolutely necessary to mimic that thicker texture of the classic Spaghettio's in a can. Obviously, you can leave out the meatballs or use your own meatball recipe - and yes, it's pretty annoying to roll them into such tiny balls but hey, this recipe is fun and it's worth it in my opinion!! 

I didn't salt the pasta water since the meatballs are salty and the 1/4 cup of parm bring some saltiness into the dish as well. I highly recommend using freshly grated parm from a block - the pre-shredded stuff never melts as well or tastes as good and it's not great for texture. Also, if you don't grate the garlic there will be little chunks of it in there so that could throw off the texture too, FYI.

Recipe makes enough for two and the whole thing is done in 20-25 minutes depending on how fast of a meatball roller you are, lol.

What you need:
For the meatballs:

• 1/2 lb ground meat (I used 80% lean ground beef)
• 2 minced garlic cloves
• A handful of chopped herbs (I used basil and parsley)
• 1/2 tsp of salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs (I used one slice of bread that was going bad and just 
• 1/4 cup parmesan 
• 1 egg

For the Spaghettio's:

• 3-4 garlic cloves, grated
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 cup anellini pasta
• 3 cups broth (I used chicken)
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese 

What to do:

1. ​Make and cook the mini meatballs. Combine all meatball ingredients in a mixing bowl and roll into marble sized balls. Stir and cook in olive oil until browned (about 5-7 minutes.) Set aside until a later step.
2. In the same pan/leftover oil that you cooked the meatballs, cook the grated garlic cloves on low heat until translucent. (Only a minute or two!)
3. Add 2 tbsp tomato paste to the garlic and cook until it turns brick red and becomes caramelized.
4. Add the pasta, then the broth. Turn the heat to medium and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. The sauce should be boiling at a lower pace. Do not cover, because some of that sauce will evaporate and thicken up as the pasta cooks.
5. Once the broth has decreased by almost half, add the parmesan cheese and stir in.
6. Add the meatballs back in and let them warm for a minute or two in the sauce before serving.