2020 Holiday Cooking Special Series, Day 10 - Tagliatelle with Homemade Meatballs
Day 10: Tagliatelle with Homemade Meatballs
Wrapping up our 2020 holiday season highlights series in style with this delicious Taglietelle with Homemade Meatballs as our signature holiday dish of the day today! This unbeatable combo is just the classic comfort food you need to close out the year on a warm, comforting note.
To prepare the meatballs, follow my standard cooking roadmap for juicy and delicious homemade meatballs as outlined in my recipe index and set them aside in a bowl once done. Bring about 5 cups of water in a large pot to a boil and season the water generously with salt and just a bit of oil. Once the water has come to a boil, pour in 1 whole packet of dry taglietelle pasta, which typically come rolled in balls of long, flat ribbons. Let the pasta cook for about 9 minutes then save about 2 cups of pasta water and pour out the rest.
In a large skillet, heat up about 3 tablespoons of olive oil then sauté a medley of diced red onions (1/2), 2 cloves of fresh garlic, and tomatoes (4 small ones). Allow this to cook down for about 3 minutes then add 1/4 cup of jarred pasta sauce and 1 cup of pasta water to start the base sauce. Season with 1 teaspoon each of ground black pepper, cumin, smoked paprika, and dry oregano. Stir and let the ingredients blend together under medium heat for about 3 minutes - add more pasta water as needed to keep the sauce amount steady. Next, pour in about 1 cup of frozen peas and carrots and mix well with the other base ingredients before adding the baked meatballs. Allow the sauce and meatballs to simmer for another 5 minutes before finally pouring in the cooked taglietelle pasta into the mixture. Sprinkle some shredded/grated cheddar or parmesan cheese as desired and top this with a dash of dry parsley flakes for additional flavor. Stir thoroughly to blend well together and let this cook for another 3 minutes before turning off the heat. Serve hot immediately as a main dinner dish and be sure to savor every slurpy and slippery bite. Enjoy! 😊😋💖🎆
