How to make scratch Italian meatballs simmered in a rich spaghetti tomato sauce. Great over al dente pasta or a bed of vegetables, or even smothered under Provolone in a meatball sub.
The best meatballs are moist and light, with a great texture. The secret, as with a wonderful meatloaf, is the balanced ratio of meats, bread crumbs, and liquid (eggs, wine, etc.). You simply can't go wrong, and all the more so when you enrich a rich, velvety tomato sauce by slow-simmering the meatballs in it.
I personally find all-beef meatballs too heavy, and all-pork too light. Hence, for the right bite, I prefer a half and half blend of beef and pork.
Ingredients for the Meatballs
1 lb. ground beef
1 lb. ground pork
1/2 onion, minced
2 large eggs
1 cup bread crumbs
1/2 Tbsp garlic salt (or 3/4 tsp kosher salt & 3/4 tsp garlic powder)
2 tsp dried basil
2 tsp dried Italian herbs
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
Olive oil or cooking spray
Directions for the Meatballs
In a big mixing bowl, thoroughly combine the meats and onion. (It works best with your hands.)
Thoroughly mix the eggs into the meat mixture.
While the meat absorbs the moisture from the eggs, combine the remaining ingredients (bread crumbs through pepper) in a small mixing bowl.
Combine 1/2 the dry ingredients into the meat mixture, then the remaining dry ingredients.
Preheat your oven to 450 degrees, and lightly oil a baking tray with olive oil or cooking spray.
Shape the meatballs in your preferred size and place on the tray.
Place the tray in the oven for 6-7 minutes or until the meatballs slightly brown.
Transfer the meatballs into a stock pot of tomato sauce and simmer for 1 1/2 hours.
Notes
The oven tray browning technique above is the fastest way I've found to brown the meatballs. Otherwise, a bit of time is spent cycling through batches, hand-turning the meatballs in a big pan--though the brown crust is a bit nicer.
To keep heat out of the kitchen during the summer, I've tried a hybrid approach: put the baking tray on my grill at medium-high heat, and turned the meatballs to brown them evenly.
Speaking of keeping heat out of the kitchen, the simmering can be performed in a slow cooker. Use the high setting for 2 hrs, or use high for 30-60min, then low for another 3 hours.
A low simmer with meat will raise any sauce to a higher level. For convenience, go with your fave purchased sauce. But if you want something packed with flavor that skips the preservatives and extra sugars, try a scratch sauce.
Ingredients for the Sauce
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 onion, diced
1/2 carrot, peeled and diced
1/2 Tbsp garlic, minced
1 x 28 oz can diced tomatoes
1/2 Tbsp garlic salt (or 3/4 tsp kosher salt & 3/4 tsp garlic powder)
1 Tbsp dried basil
1 Tbsp dried Italian herbs
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 x 28 oz can tomato sauce
Directions for the Sauce
In a stockpot, saute the onion and carrot in the olive oil, about 4 minutes.
Add garlic, and saute another minute.
Add diced tomatoes through pepper, and saute another 4 minutes.
Add tomato sauce, lower heat, and simmer for 1+ hours. (Follow simmering times in the meatball instructions if you are making this sauce for the meatballs.)
Serve over spaghetti and garnish with chopped fresh basil, shredded Parmesan, and crushed red pepper--maybe with a side of decadent garlic bread... Buon appetito!
Tags: #beef #italian #pork #spaghetti
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