• This is a political forum that is non-biased/non-partisan and treats every person's position on topics equally. This debate forum is not aligned to any political party. In today's politics, many ideas are split between and even within all the political parties. Often we find ourselves agreeing on one platform but some topics break our mold. We are here to discuss them in a civil political debate. If this is your first visit to our political forums, be sure to check out the RULES. Registering for debate politics is necessary before posting. Register today to participate - it's free!

Spaghetti Sauce - Meat Sauce or Meatballs?

Spaghetti Sauce


  • Total voters
    28
I think meat sauce with ground beef has no real flavor value in spaghetti beyond the psychological value of "I'm eating a dish with meat in it". If meat is used in the sauce it should be sliced Italian sausage or better yet, diced pepperoni. Otherwise...meatballs as the meatball maintains flavor integrity.

A little beef base in the sauce takes care of that problem, but for me the main reason to use sausage as well is not just the added flavor but also the alternative texture. This crap really fine grind full of water devoid of fat sausage that I increasingly find in Cascadia messes this up though.
 
A little beef base in the sauce takes care of that problem, but for me the main reason to use sausage as well is not just the added flavor but also the alternative texture. This crap really fine grind full of water devoid of fat sausage that I increasingly find in Cascadia messes this up though.
Ideally I use 1/4 inch bias cut spicy Italian sausage seared and served on top of the sauce. I thicken the sauce with tomatoes and mushrooms and onions cooked together w/ fresh garlic.
 
52 posts of meat sauce or meatballs?

That's ridiculous.

There are so many things you can do with pasta that the basic question is absurdly limiting. I mean, seriously, if you look at spaghetti as nothing more than a vehicle for tomato sauce and, possibly, meat you're missing out on a whole world of stuff.


Anyway, meatballs are supposed to be a Contorno or side dish served when the Primo or first main course will not be followed by a Secondo or second main course. They are also more a Neapolitan kind of thing as the traditional sauce from Naples is a tomato based sauce where the meat is cooked in it (not ground beef but chunks of beef, veal, lamb and, perhaps, meatballs) then removed before serving. The American restaurant style "meat sauce" with ground beef cooked in is just a quick and easy way to kind of cheat on the Neapolitan style.
 
Ideally I use 1/4 inch bias cut spicy Italian sausage seared and served on top of the sauce. I thicken the sauce with tomatoes and mushrooms and onions cooked together w/ fresh garlic.

That does not work for me, I want the meat flavor cooked into the sauce. On the rare occasions that I use link (I would be more likely to buy links and then squeeze the meat out of the casing) I cut thicker, and simmer with the sauce on low. I would serve with the sausage on top though, looks impressive, then parm over that, usually fresh grated with this contraption that I have.
 
I love love love a meatball hoagie, on a french dip roll with a good tomato sauce and sauteed green peppers over the top, but I cant get into them on my pasta. Too many bad meatballs on pasta growing up I think. Pork sausage, and I am talking about a good one with spices and fat, is what I go for. Good sausage is getting increasingly hard to find where I am though. I am tempted to start making my own now that I am retired.

Note: I have not seen a good restaurant meatball sandwich in well over a decade, I make my own, with pork sausage and ground beef, simmered in sauce.

If you can get it in your area Johnsonville Hot Italian Sausage is pretty good and blows away most other stuff I can find in the supermarket. On rare occasion I'll find a deli that makes good sausage but 99 times out of 100 they underseason it and either use too much filler or use a coarse grind which tends to get greasier than I like.
 
If you can get it in your area Johnsonville Hot Italian Sausage is pretty good and blows away most other stuff I can find in the supermarket. On rare occasion I'll find a deli that makes good sausage but 99 times out of 100 they underseason it and either use too much filler or use a coarse grind which tends to get greasier than I like.

Thing is I get the idea that these major brands are making different recipes for different regions of the nation. I have not confirmed this, but I do know that about 3 years ago the major companies completely changed the recipes of the stuff they sell here ( I am talking about the chubs). Raw it looks and feels the same, but it cooks way differently, and what comes off of it is a ton of water with almost no fat. The shrinkage is crazy. The texture cooked is very subpar as well. But in the south where people tend to be not afraid of fat even now maybe the get the old recipe, IDK.
 
Last edited:
I think meat sauce with ground beef has no real flavor value in spaghetti beyond the psychological value of "I'm eating a dish with meat in it". If meat is used in the sauce it should be sliced Italian sausage or better yet, diced pepperoni. Otherwise...meatballs as the meatball maintains flavor integrity.

I disagree.

Then again, a lot of it comes down to what one does to the ground beef before adding it into the sauce. I mean, if you don't season it or anything and you just cook beef and drop it in the sauce, then of course it won't have all that much flavor.

Also, don't underestimate the psychological value of eating a dish with meat in it. It gives my canine teeth a chance to do what they do best, tear things apart!
 
52 posts of meat sauce or meatballs?

That's ridiculous.

There are so many things you can do with pasta that the basic question is absurdly limiting. I mean, seriously, if you look at spaghetti as nothing more than a vehicle for tomato sauce and, possibly, meat you're missing out on a whole world of stuff.


Anyway, meatballs are supposed to be a Contorno or side dish served when the Primo or first main course will not be followed by a Secondo or second main course. They are also more a Neapolitan kind of thing as the traditional sauce from Naples is a tomato based sauce where the meat is cooked in it (not ground beef but chunks of beef, veal, lamb and, perhaps, meatballs) then removed before serving. The American restaurant style "meat sauce" with ground beef cooked in is just a quick and easy way to kind of cheat on the Neapolitan style.

I like my American style. I'm an American.
 
I like my American style. I'm an American.

bubbas-bbq-bbq-large-quantities-funny-pictures-1296503897.jpg
 

What is that? Looks lovely but unusual to me. Kinda looks like cheap water filled pork that has been cooked on high heat on skewers. They sell that water pork at my local Winco, over 20% water.
 
I like my American style. I'm an American.

There's nothing wrong with it but it's kind of a mash up of several other styles. Furthermore, using ground beef pretty much buries the flavor of the beef in the tomato whereas cooking chunks of meat in the sauce preserves that flavor.
 
I disagree.

Then again, a lot of it comes down to what one does to the ground beef before adding it into the sauce. I mean, if you don't season it or anything and you just cook beef and drop it in the sauce, then of course it won't have all that much flavor.

Also, don't underestimate the psychological value of eating a dish with meat in it. It gives my canine teeth a chance to do what they do best, tear things apart!

That's why I included the psychological impact in my description. And seasoning cooks well into onions and mushrooms as well. It's all personal preference. I always serve meat in the spaghetti...but it's in the form of meatballs or sausage.
 
nothing is more american than COPD and diabetes.
 
nothing is more american than COPD and diabetes.

More than likely caused by the fact that too many people over the last 30 years have listened to the so called food intake experts. Low fat high carb diet seems to be the primary cause of all of these screwed up metabolism systems we see. Did you know that we exercise three times as much as we did during the seventies but we are also twice as fat?? WTF!! We cant even say with certainty the exercising is good for us, and if these so call experts dont even know that then what hope is there that they actually know what we should eat??

I think your schtick has run its course here at DP, this not being Hicksville USA.

Would you like some help in coming up with another?

I am trying to be friendly.

Sort of.

Really!




Note: shoot me a PM if interested in my offer.
 
More than likely caused by the fact that too many people over the last 30 years have listened to the so called food intake experts. Low fat high carb diet seems to be the primary cause of all of these screwed up metabolism systems we see. Did you know that we exercise three times as much as we did during the seventies but we are also twice as fat?.



I don't believe you.
 
I like meat sauce and meatballs at different times. But the meatballs need to be infused with Parm Cheese and other spices.
 
I don't believe you.

PENN STATE / U. MARYLAND (US) — Americans exercise almost three times more than they did 40 years ago
Americans exercise more, but not enough - Futurity

I trust that I dont need to prove the other half of the quote to you, that you understand at least that much without my help.

If we both stick around this joint you will figure out that I am right a high percentage of the time. I will not however always be so willing to try to tutor you.
 
Back
Top Bottom