Spaghetti With Middle-Eastern Meatballs

A nice change from the usual.

• Ready In: 1 hr 10 mins
• Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 700  g lean ground beef
• 1  large onion, divided,finely chopped
• 1⁄2 cup  fresh breadcrumb
• 4  cloves garlic, divided,minced
• 1⁄4 teaspoon cumin seed
• 2  tablespoons parsley, plus
• 2  teaspoons parsley, chopped fine
• 5  tablespoons olive oil, divided,plus
•  extra olive oil, for browning
• 2  tablespoons butter
• 1  small red bell peppers or 1  small green bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
• 1⁄4 cup dry red wine
• 850  g  canned chopped tomatoes, with juices
• 2  teaspoons honey
• 1⁄4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1⁄4 teaspoon dried oregano
•  salt and pepper, to taste
• 1  teaspoon  hot pepper flakes
• 1⁄4 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 300  g spaghetti
• 170  g feta cheese, crumbled

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine ground beef, 1/4 cup onion, bread crumbs, half of the minced garlic (2 cloves), cumin seeds, 2 TBS parsley and 3 TBS olive oil and mix well with your hands.
2. Pull off small pieces of the mixture and roll into 1 inch balls.
3. In a large nonstick skillet, add a small amount of olive oil and cook the meatballs for about 10 minutes or until browned on all sides; transfer to a platter.
4. In the same pan, melt butter and 2 TBS olive oil over medium heat.
5. Add remainder of the chopped onion, bell pepper, remaining garlic and cook stirring frequently for 5-7 minutes or until the vegetables are softened.
6. Stir in the red wine, reduce heat to a simmer.
7. Add tomatoes with juices and all remaining ingredients except the spaghetti and feta.
8. Simmer, partially covered and stirring occasionally for 20 minutes.
9. Add the meatballs and cook for 10 minutes more.
10. Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti as directed on the package and drain; serve topped with meatballs and sauce, sprinkled with the feta.