Pancake Project #1

When life gives you pancakes…make spaghetti and meatballs?

Spaghetti and meatballs with garlic bread has been a staple mid-week meal at my house for years. From little on, my sisters, my dad and I considered it my mom’s cop-out dinner. Meatball night was mom’s way of saying, “Sorry. I didn’t have time for dinner today guys.” So, to pay tribute to my mom, my first pancake challenge is her signature Italian meal…and one of America’s favorites.















My plan: Make the pancake into “garlic bread,” topped with meatballs, marinara sauce, and cheese.

My method:

I made the pancake batter:

• If you don’t have the time to make your own, it’s no problem using a store-bought mix with this recipe (though I would stick with the tasty fresh/organic variety if you can)! I used a whole wheat pancake, but white, of course, would taste just fine. Did I mention I’m a bit of a health nut?

• Also, I always opt for milk over water when making pancakes. It adds that fluffiness that makes you want to eat ten of them.

• Time for the crazy part! I added some freshly grated cheese, parsley (other herbs would work splendidly), a little bit of onion salt and a touch of garlic powder.

I heated the olive oil (I use extra virgin olive oil) in a nonstick pan with freshly grated garlic on medium heat. I added the pancake batter over the garlicky oil in the pan just before the garlic got too brown and toasty.

I plopped the scrumptious-looking garlic pancake onto the plate, topped it with my meatballs (I used meatless meatballs, since I don’t eat dark meat; but you can forget that tip, you meat eaters out there) and poured on my irresistible marinara sauce. I finished it off with some parmesan cheese and a little sprig of parsley (for the pictures, of course).

My Verdict: AMAZING!


I almost couldn’t believe it. And neither could my second, third, and fourth opinions in the house. The pancake was the most delicious garlic bread I have had in quite a while. Remember my obsession with the pancake’s fluffy texture. Well, combine that heavenly aspect of the pancake’s texture with the perfectly seasoned garlic notes in its taste, and you have, well, an unexpected masterpiece. Would I make this again? You bet. Forget traditional garlic bread. This is tasty, innovative, and quite good-looking! I think my father would agree—he wiped the plate clean.

What I would do differently:

Honestly, not a whole lot. It really was that good. I think Boca di Beppo could make some boo coo bucks with this Italian dish. Maybe next time I would add some veggies on the plate to make the healthy meal look more convincing. There is also one more trick I would like to have done to incorporate spaghetti noodles, but I’m reserving that antic for my next surprise recipe. How could I resist leaving you in some suspense?

The coming attractions? I’m thinking of an all-American classic. C’mon. That narrows the list more than you think…