Cheese Meatball Linguine in Bechamel Sauce

I always love Saturday afternoons.  It is when I can really spend time in the kitchen to experiment on new dishes.  My latest experiment is a new approach to a comfort dish, spaghetti with meatballs.  I used linguine instead of spaghetti.  And instead of tomato sauce, I used a thick, cheesy, white cream sauce.  The meatballs provide a wonderful contrast to the sauce.  The cheese and ham inside each meatball provide a pleasant surprise to anyone who eats it.

It’s very rich yet very comforting.  Perfect for any time of day.

Cheese Meatball Linguine in Bechamel Sauce (serves 4)

Ingredients

• Linguine, 180 grams (or any other pasta)

• Meatball Ingredients
  • Ground beef, 2 cups
  • Japanese bread crumbs, 4 tbsp.
  • Thyme, 3 tbsp, fresh or dry
  • Red onions, 2 small bulbs, chopped
  • Garlic, 1 small bulb, chopped finely
  • 1 egg
  • Salt and pepper
  • Olive oil
  • Cheddar cheese, cut into cubes
  • Ham or Bacon, small slices

• Bechamel Sauce
   
  • All purpose cream, 1 cup (you can use full cream or evaporated milk as an alternative)
  • Butter, 1/2 stick
  • Flour, 3 tbsp
  • Garlic, 2 cloves, chopped
  • Salt and pepper
  • Parmesan cheese
  • Cream cheese, 2 tbsp

Boil pasta according to the brand’s instructions, or use my easy method of cooking pasta in the microwave.

To make the meatballs, combine the ground beef, bread crumbs, thyme, onion, garlic, egg, olive oil, and salt and pepper in a large bowl.  Once everything has been mixed, start forming your meatballs.  The size is up to you.  Before you finish forming the ball, place a slice of cheese and ham/bacon in the middle.  The cheese and ham/bacon serve as filling for your meatball. Any excess cheese can be added to the sauce later.

Fry the meatballs until brown.

To make the bechamel sauce, saute the garlic. Melt the butter in the pan.  Whisk in flour until there are no more lumps from the flour.  Add cream.

The sauce will be thick, so you can add water to make it thinner.  Add salt and pepper.  Add the cheeses until you get your desired flavor.  You can add mushrooms to the sauce if you wish.

Assemble and put the meatballs on top.  Enjoy!