Spaghetti with cream sauce is one of those simple pleasures. Is there anyone who’d turn down a big bowl of rich, velvety noodles? Surely not, although adding meatballs and a kick of heat and lemon certainly makes it that much more crave-able. Which is exactly what we’re doing: taking a tried-and-true Italian American classic and swapping in a scalliony, peppery, lemon cream sauce topped with tender, savory meatballs. Now that’s amore!
The quantities provided above are averages only.
Produced in a facility that processes eggs, milk, fish, peanuts, sesame, shellfish, soy, tree nuts, and wheat.
2 unit
Scallions
1 unit
Lemon
10 ounce
Ground Beef
¼ cup
Panko Breadcrumbs
(Contains Wheat)
1 unit
Ketchup
1 clove
Garlic
6 ounce
Spaghetti
(Contains Wheat)
4 ounce
Cream Sauce Base
(Contains Milk)
1 tablespoon
Tuscan Heat Spice
1 unit
Chicken Stock Concentrate
Cooking Oil
Butter
(Contains Milk)
Salt
Pepper
• Adjust rack to top position and preheat oven to 425 degrees. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Wash and dry produce. • Thinly slice scallions, separating whites from greens; mince whites. Zest and quarter lemon. Peel and mince or grate garlic.
• In a medium bowl, combine beef*, panko, half the scallion greens, half the ketchup, 1 TBSP water, juice from one lemon wedge, salt (we used 1⁄2 tsp; 1 tsp for 4 servings), and pepper. (For 4, use all the ketchup, 2 TBSP water, and juice from two lemon wedges.) • Form into 8-10 1-inch meatballs (16-20 meatballs for 4). Place meatballs on a lightly oiled baking sheet.
• Roast meatballs on top rack until browned and cooked through, 14-16 minutes.
• Once water is boiling, add spaghetti to pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, 9-11 minutes. Reserve 1 cup pasta cooking water, then drain.
• Heat a drizzle of oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add garlic, scallion whites, and half the lemon zest; cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30-60 seconds. • Stir in cream sauce base, stock concentrate, half the Tuscan Heat Spice (all for 4 servings), and 1⁄4 cup reserved cooking water (1⁄2 cup for 4). Bring to a simmer, then remove pan from heat. Add 2 TBSP butter (3 TBSP for 4); taste and season with salt and pepper.
• Add drained spaghetti and meatballs to pan with sauce; toss to coat. (For 4 servings, if your pan isn’t large enough, carefully transfer everything back to the empty pasta pot.) TIP: If needed, stir in more reserved pasta cooking water a splash at a time until everything is coated in a creamy sauce. • Divide pasta between bowls and season with pepper. Top with remaining scallion greens and remaining lemon zest to taste. Serve with a squeeze of lemon juice.
Ground Beef is fully cooked when internal temperature reaches 160°.