Skillet Pasta and Meatballs

Skillet Pasta with Meatballs made with Orecchiette

Skillet Pasta is a technique that can be used with any pasta, bottled sauce and with or without meat. There are options galore with this easy and satisfying recipe. Also, the cost is very friendly for those like me who are budget conscious. On top of that, it's really tasty! Enjoy!!

Ingredients:

1 lb. Pasta (Any shape will do. We like Orecchiette)
1 lb. Ground Beef
1 egg
1/4 cup Bread Crumbs
Dry Italian Seasonings, to taste
Salt and Pepper, to taste
1, 24 oz. jar Pasta Sauce (Our favorite:  Bertolli Vodka Sauce)
1 1/2 pasta jar of water
Grated Italian Cheese (mozzarella, Asiago, Parmesan, your choice)

Combine the beef, egg, bread crumbs, Italian seasonings, salt and pepper and mix with by hand until all of the ingredients are well incorporated.  Roll tablespoon sized segments of the meat mixture by hand until all of the mixture has been made into balls. Heat a large, deep skillet over a medium flame and add the meatballs. Sauté the balls until well browned and seared on all sides. Remove the excess fat from the pan with a folded paper towel held by tongs. To the browned meatballs add the dry pasta, jar of sauce and water. Stir to combine well.  Cover the skillet and bring to a boil. Lower the flame to a steady simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Remove the cover and stir.  Replace the cover and cook for 10 more minutes. Remove the cover and stir and lower the flame to low. Cover the top with grated cheese and recover the pan and allow the pasta to cook on low (very low simmer) for about 5 minutes to melt the cheese. Voila! Skillet Pasta with Meatballs is ready!!

There are many variations of this recipe. The technique allows the pasta to cook in the sauce, which has had enough water added to provide the pasta with the moisture needed to cook, but still leave 'sauce' behind. Any jarred sauce will work, as long as there is 24 oz. and then 36 oz. of water added.  Any cheese can be used and any meat. We've made this with:

• Italian sausage
• Shrimp (add them later in the cooking cycle so as not to over cook and omit cheese!)
• Vegetables (zucchini, mushrooms and onions are always nice!)
• Chicken (boneless/skinless and cut into chunks)
• Leftover pot roast (chop it slightly and oh so delicious!)

I like that I only need to dirty one large skillet and no one has to handle big pots of boiling water. This makes 8 satisfying servings and can be made quickly. The cost per serving is, of course, affected by the ingredients selected.  For the one outlined in this recipe the cost is: $1.30 per serving (prices as of 4/22/14).