The best spaghetti and meatballs

• 500 g medium-lean ground beef
• 500 g mild Italian sausage meat
• 150 g day-old crusty bread, finely chopped
• ½ cup (125 ml) milk
• 2 eggs
• ¾ cup (190 ml) finely grated parmesan reggiano
• ¼ cup (60 ml) fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, grated
• ½ tsp (2.5 ml) ground fennel
• Zest of 1 lemon
• Salt and freshly ground pepper

• 3 tbsp (45 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, sliced
• ½ cup (125 ml) dry red wine
• 1 can (796 ml) whole San Marzano tomatoes, hand-crushed
• 2 tbsp (30 ml) tomato paste
• 1 tbsp (15 ml) Italian seasoning
• 1 tsp (5 ml) dried basil
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp (5 ml) sugar
• Salt and freshly ground pepper

• 454 g spaghetti
• 1 cup (250 ml) pasta cooking water (reserved)
• Parmesan reggiano shavings
• Fresh basil leaves
• Olive oil (optional, for serving)

Meatballs

• Place bread in milk, let absorb for 10 minutes, then drain well.
• In a large bowl, mix the meats, drained bread, eggs, parmesan, parsley, garlic, ground fennel and lemon zest. Season generously with salt and pepper. Mix gently, without overworking the meat.
• Form meatballs the size of ping-pong balls. Set aside.

Tomato sauce

• Cook onion and garlic in olive oil over medium heat for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring.
• Deglaze with red wine and let reduce by half, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Add tomatoes, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, dried basil, bay leaf and sugar. Season with salt and pepper. Mix and bring to a simmer.
• Let simmer over low heat for 30 minutes.

Cooking the meatballs

• Place meatballs in the sauce. Cook over low heat for 25 minutes, turning meatballs halfway through cooking. Remove bay leaf.

Pasta and serving

• Cook spaghetti al dente in a large pot of salted boiling water. Reserve 1 cup cooking water, then drain.
• Remove meatballs from sauce and set aside. Add spaghetti to the sauce and toss to coat well. Add some cooking water if needed.
• Serve pasta, place meatballs on top, garnish with parmesan reggiano shavings and fresh basil leaves. Drizzle with olive oil, to taste.