I’m not sure which genius invented these but they are absolutely perfect for serving to your loved ones! The best part is you can tailor them to your tastes!
There are many steps to this one if you want to make these from scratch. For the sake of ease, I’ll post the main recipe first.
Ingredients
- 8 oz spaghetti or angel hair
- 1 egg
- 3/4 cup grated Italian cheese
- salt & pepper to taste
- 2 cups of marinara sauce
- 12 meatballs
- 8 leaves of basil, sliced
- grated parmesan for garnish
Heat oven to 350. Cook spaghetti to al denté. Rinse and add egg, cheese, salt, and pepper. Stir together. Fill half of each muffin tin with pasta mixture. Twirl pasta with a fork to make little “nests”.
Top with a heavy spoonful of sauce and a meatball. Bake for 15-18 minutes. Top with grated parmesan and fresh basil slices. Enjoy!
Nerdy Tip
you can make these to taste! Like bolognese sauce instead? or pesto? these would be great little carbonara nests too. I may have to try allllllll of these options!
Marinara Sauce
- 28oz whole peeled tomatoes
- 14oz tomato sauce
- 6oz tomato paste
- 3 cloves garlic, minced (or 3 tsp Gourmet Garden garlic paste!)
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1 tsp dried marjoram
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- pinch of cayenne
- pinch of crushed red pepper
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
Crush the whole tomatoes. (I used my hands with gloves). In a large skillet, heat oil. Add garlic and cook until fragrant. Add rest of ingredients and simmer at least 15 minutes. The longer you simmer, the better. I had amazing sauce after simmering for two hours while I made the pasta and meatballs.
Meatballs
- 1/2 lb ground beef
- 1/2 lb ground veal
- 1/2 lb ground pork
- 3 cloves garlic, minced (or 3 tsp Gourmet Garden garlic paste!)
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup grated romano cheese
- 3 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
- salt & pepper
- 1 cup Italian breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup warm water
- 1 cup olive oil for frying
Mix all ingredients except the olive oil. Roll into Tablespoon sized balls. Fry in hot oil over medium heat until cooked through (rolling to cook all sides as you go).
Homemade Pasta
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup flour
- 1 Tbsp water
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
Mix all ingredients and knead for 3-4 minutes. Let rest 10 minutes. Roll out and cut to desired size (or use a pasta maker). I love my KitchenAid pasta attachments.
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thenerdygourmet – Hi friends!! I'm Jenni, The Nerdy Gourmet. I love books and I love food. Combining the two with a splash of travel has become my passion. I am a self taught cook/baker and I believe that everyone can cook from scratch! I'm here with recipes and Nerdy Tips to help along the way. I review books, mostly 'read' via audio, and I create recipes inspired by the story lines. Sometimes if I am deeply moved by a story, I will travel and try my best to experience the book- and bring you along via my blog! I provide all the photographs and content for the Nerdy Gourmet (unless otherwise noted). Hi Claudia! I’m so happy that you’ve reached out. Thank you so much fir the kind words and the recommendation!…
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Hi Jenni, I heard your husband Greg talking about your new blog and so I thought I would check it…
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thenerdygourmet – Hi friends!! I'm Jenni, The Nerdy Gourmet. I love books and I love food. Combining the two with a splash of travel has become my passion. I am a self taught cook/baker and I believe that everyone can cook from scratch! I'm here with recipes and Nerdy Tips to help along the way. I review books, mostly 'read' via audio, and I create recipes inspired by the story lines. Sometimes if I am deeply moved by a story, I will travel and try my best to experience the book- and bring you along via my blog! I provide all the photographs and content for the Nerdy Gourmet (unless otherwise noted). It’s been awhile since I’ve made the instant pot version, I’m sorry.
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I plan to make this for my book club. Great idea. Do you happen to have the directions for the…
[…] set, try some recreations of recipes from the book, like the white soup served at Netherfield or these tea-time…