Whole Wheat Spaghetti & Meatballs

Wash and dry the fresh produce. Heat a large pot of salted water to boiling on high. Peel and small dice the carrots. Peel and medium dice the tangelo; remove the seeds. Peel and small dice the onion. Pick the parsley leaves off the stems; discard the stems and roughly chop half the leaves, keeping the remaining leaves whole.

In a medium pan (nonstick, if you have one), heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil on medium until hot. Add half the carrots and half the onion; season with salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, 2 to 3 minutes, or until softened. Add the spice blend; cook, stirring frequently, 2 to 3 minutes, or until fragrant. Transfer the cooked aromatics to a plate and spread into a thin layer to cool. Wipe out the pan.

While the aromatics cool, in a large pot, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil on medium until hot. Add the remaining carrots and onion; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, 3 to 4 minutes, or until softened. Add the tomato purée and 1 cup of water; season with salt and pepper. Heat to boiling on high. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low. Simmer, stirring occasionally, 6 to 8 minutes, or until the liquid is slightly reduced in volume. Remove from heat. Set aside in a warm place.

While the sauce simmers and once the aromatics are cool enough to handle, in a large bowl, combine the ground beef, breadcrumbs, chopped parsley, cooked aromatics and half the Parmesan cheese; season with salt. Using your hands, form the mixture into 19 to 21 meatballs (each about the size of a golf ball). In the pan used to cook the aromatics, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil on medium until hot. Add the meatballs in a single layer and cook, stirring occasionally, 8 to 10 minutes, or until evenly browned; transfer to the pot of sauce. Simmer the meatballs and sauce on low, stirring occasionally, 4 to 6 minutes, or until the meatballs are cooked through. Remove from heat. Set aside in a warm place.

While the meatballs and sauce simmer, add the pasta to the pot of boiling water. Cook, stirring frequently, 9 to 11 minutes, or until al dente (still slightly firm to the bite). Drain the pasta thoroughly and return to the pot. Drizzle with olive oil and toss to coat. Set aside in a warm place.

In a large bowl, combine the arugula, tangelo, almonds and half the remaining Parmesan cheese. Drizzle with olive oil and toss to coat; season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer the salad to a serving dish. Transfer the cooked pasta to a separate serving dish; spoon the meatballs and sauce over the pasta. Garnish with the whole parsley leaves and remaining Parmesan cheese. Enjoy!