No-Fail, No-Recipe Spaghetti & Meatballs

School has been super busy lately with lots of late nights, so I find myself relying more and more on my favorite "no-fail, no-recipe" meals. Basically, I have a list of meals in my head that are quick, easy, healthy, and DELICIOUS. These meals find their way onto my menu just about every week, sometimes two or three times a week. This week, I have been glad to have an arsenal of no-recipe meals to whip up when I get home super late from work, church, and/or meetings.

These are meals that once started out as recipes - I'm sure that at one time I followed a recipe from my mom or a magazine. But over time, I've made them so much that I don't need a recipe anymore. With these meals, you can improvise, add things, take things away, and (most importantly) not measure anything. I love cooking no recipe meals, and you will too! Tonight I made no recipe spaghetti and turkey meatballs. We are on a kick with this one and seriously make it at least once a week. Here's how:

Step 1: Make meatballs by mixing the following ingredients in a bowl: one pound of lean ground turkey, Parmesan cheese, breadcrumbs, one egg, chopped parsley, salt, and red pepper flakes. Don't measure! Just throw in whatever looks good. If you don't have one of those ingredients, no big deal. Well, except for the turkey. That's kind of a big deal.

Step 2: Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Once oil is good and hot, place meatballs in the pan, not touching each other.
Step 3: Turn meatballs until every side is golden brown - yum!! Then, pour some chicken stock over the meatballs and simmer to cook through. This keeps them really moist and adds flavor. And you should always have chicken stock on hand.

Step 4: While the meatballs are cooking, boil water and throw in your favorite whole wheat spaghetti. For the sauce, just use your favorite jarred pasta sauce (easy enough!) I usually doctor mine up with some sauteed onions, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes. Right now I'm loving a marinara sauce from Bertoli with Burgundy wine... so delicious. You could make the sauce your own by adding mushrooms or anything else you like.

Step 5: Toss together the pasta and sauce. Top with meatballs and Parmesan cheese, and eat up!!!

...and there you have it: homemade, healthy, no-recipe goodness. Yes, please. Can't wait to eat the leftovers for lunch tomorrow!

More no-fail, no-recipe posts to come!