The other day I had a thought: What if I could grill spaghetti and meatballs?  And I’m not just talking a pot of sauce on the grill alongside some flame-seared meatballs.  I wanted the full deal with grilled pasta, fire roasted tomato sauce and slow smoked meatballs.

Now the sauce was the easy part, simply roasting the primary ingredients before adding them to a pot and slow simmering until ready to serve.

For the meatballs I decided that disposable muffin pans would provide a perfect cooking vehicle in which the meatballs could slowly brown in their own flavorful juices while also soaking up the flavor of the grill.

Finally, for the pasta I knew that the key to success would be making sure that it didn’t fall through the grill grate.  By adding a wire mesh cooling rack (available in most baking supply stores) or a double sheet of aluminum foil to the grate, the pasta could be tossed and turned with minimal loss.  I boiled the pasta until it just started to soften, tossed it with some olive oil in an effort to avoid sticking, and threw it on the grill until fully cooked and just kissed by the grill’s smoky goodness.

The result?  I think it’s safe to say that a new family favorite has been born!

Ingredients:

1 lb dry spaghetti

1 tbsp olive oil

1 wire mesh cooling rack or a double layer of aluminum foil

12 grilled meatballs (recipe follows)

“Grilled” tomato sauce (recipe follows)

Instructions:

Preheat grill to medium, placing either a wire mesh cooling rack or large double layer of foil on top of the main grate.  Prepare spaghetti according to instructions on the box, removing and draining half way through the cooking process.  Toss spaghetti with olive oil and place on cooling rack/foil.  Grill for approximately 10 minutes turning frequently until cooked completely through.  Remove from grill, top with sauce and meatballs, and serve immediately.

Grilled Meatballs

Ingredients:

1 lb ground pork, beef and veal mix

1 egg, beaten

½ cup grated parmesan

2 cloves garlic, minced

¼ cup chopped parsley

2 tsp onion powder

¼ cup unseasoned bread crumbs

1 tsp ground black pepper

2 disposable 6 cup muffin pans

3 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions:

Blend all ingredients well.  Roll in to golf ball sized meatballs and refrigerate until ready to use.  Pre-heat grill to medium.  Add approximately ¼ tsp olive oil to each of the 12 muffin pan cups and add one meatball to each cup.  Place muffin pans on the grill and cook meatballs until cooked thoroughly (165 degrees internal temperature), turning frequently to brown all sides.  Remove, add to the grilled tomato sauce and allow to simmer an additional 10 minutes before serving.

“Grilled” Tomato Sauce

30-36 Roma tomatoes

1 head of garlic, top removed

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

¼ minced white onion

2 tsp tomato paste

½ cup dry red wine

2 tbsp chopped fresh basil

Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Heat grill to medium-high.  Toss tomatoes and a head of garlic with approximately 2 tablespoons olive oil until well coated.  Place directly on grill grate and allow to roast for approximately 20 minutes, turning every 5 minutes until softened and slightly charred.  Remove cores from grilled tomatoes and squeeze grilled garlic cloves from the head of garlic.  Smash the softened garlic, roughly chop the tomatoes reserving the juice and set both aside. Heat remaining olive oil in a deep sided skillet or pot over medium heat.  Add onions and sauté until translucent.  Add tomato paste and stir to coat onions.  Add red wine, grilled tomatoes and softened garlic.  Cover and simmer for approximately 45 minutes until tomatoes have completely broken down.  Stir in the basil, add salt and pepper to taste and serve over pasta.

Clint Cantwell, Grilling.com Editor