Egg Free Spaghetti and Meatballs

Here's another easy egg free dinner! It's great for Mom's with little ones because you can quickly put it together in the afternoon while your tot is napping and then heat it up and make the pasta right before you're ready to eat.  A couple notes: If you do have an egg allergy, make sure you buy pasta that is egg free. Also, make sure you don't buy meat that is too lean. I used grass-fed organic ground beef that was 85/15 and it held together really well without egg. If you don't want to use red meat and opt for turkey instead, make sure it is the dark meat turkey. Meat with too little fat on it won't hold together without the egg binding it. There are many significant health benefits to choosing grass-fed beef. Here's a good site that explains what you will be missing out on/gaining in return when you buy grass-fed: http://www.eatwild.com/basics.html.

 Egg Free Meatballs
For the sauce:
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 cup spinach
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
1 15 oz. can tomato sauce
1 tsp. dried basil
3/4 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 Tbsp. dried parsley
salt and pepper

For the meatballs:
1 lb. ground beef (or dark turkey if you prefer)
3/4 cup panko crumbs
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 Tbsp. water

Preheat oven to 425 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, combine the meatball ingredients until mixed together. Roll into balls and place on the baking sheet. Bake 15 minutes or until no longer pink.

Combine spinach and 15 oz. can sauce in a food processor. Process until spinach is mostly chopped. Place the olive oil in a large stockpot over medium high heat. Add the celery and onion and sauté until tender. Add the garlic and spices and heat for another minute. Add the crushed tomatoes and tomato sauce mixture and simmer for 15 minutes.

Once the meatballs are done cooking, remove them from the oven and place on a plate covered with paper towel to blot off grease. Add the meatballs to the sauce and simmer for 10 minutes.

If you are making this ahead of time, at this point you can remove the pot from the burner, allow to cool and then place in the refrigerator until you are ready to eat. Once it's dinnertime, just reheat the sauce over low heat on the stove and serve over pasta. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese, if desired.