Fire up the oven to 375. In a small pan, saute a medium onion with 1 clove of garlic in 1 tbsp. of olive oil. Set aside to cool while you grab yourself some breadcrumbs, milk, Italian seasoning, parsley, and allspice. Lightly beat an egg too, in the midst of your ingredient collecting.
Meatball stuff that's not meat...guess it's the "ball" portion?
Now, mix all of that together in a large bowl (doesn't have to be green like mine, but green's my favorite color!) To your mix, add ground beef or a combo of ground beef and ground pork. I only had ground beef this go-round, but I'm a fan of both meatball incarnations. Next, get your veiny hands in that bowl and start mushing it all together! When you've got a nice, evenly mixed mush going on, roll out your meatballs and place them on a foil lined, lightly greased sheetpan.
Shape up, or ship out!
Not too shabby, huh? This recipe makes about 25 meatballs or so (depending on how large you make them). I spread mine out on two pans when I noticed my first was getting crowded.
The gang's all here...
Go ahead and pop those suckers in the oven! Let's make some sauce while we wait for them to cook, shall we? A basic pasta sauce that's tasty and multi-functional is a Bolognese. Not bologna...gross. Bolognese is a basic Italian tomato-based sauce that normally contains meat, but since we're making meatballs, I left the meat out. Anywho, this sauce starts out much like the meatballs did...by sautéing onion and garlic in a bit of olive oil. To "herb it up a bit," let's stir in some oregano, basil, garlic powder, a bay leaf, salt, and pepper. Now, for some body, add a large can of crushed tomatoes and 2 cups of water. Stir it up and check it out...
Feeling saucy?
The sauce needs to simmer for at least 30 minutes to allow all those amazing flavors to combine. Check on your meatballs to see how they're doing. We want them nice and brown (and the internal temp to be 160). They probably need a few more minutes. Let's boil some pasta!
Simmering to perfection
Once your pasta is al dente and drained and your sauce has had time to come together, open up your oven. The meatballs are done, man!
Nice tan!
When we put it all together, we've got a quick, easy, lovely meal! Moreover, this makes GREAT leftovers because the sauce gets better with time and the meatballs only take a few minutes back in the oven to come up to their prior sizzling temperature.
Dat's one lovely bowl right there!
Classic, iconic dinner, made in no time flat. Grate up a bit of parmesan and prepare your tastebuds for greatness.
Try it. You'll like it.
-Sam
Meatballs
1 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 cup onion
1 clove garlic
1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs
1/2 cup milk
2 lbs. ground beef (or 1 lb. beef/1 lb. pork)
1/2 cup minced fresh parsley leaves
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/8 tsp. allspice
Oven to 375. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Mince the onion and garlic and add to the skillet, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and add to a large bowl. Into the same bowl, add the rest of the ingredients. Mix by hand until thoroughly combined. Shape into meatballs about 1 1/2 inches in diameter and place them on a foil-covered, cooking-oil-sprayed sheet pan, about 1/2 inch apart. Roast for 30 minutes, pouring off any accumulated fat about 15 minutes into the cooking. Makes about 25 meatballs.
Pasta Sauce (aka: Bolognese)
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 cup finely chopped onion
2 cloves minced garlic
1 tbsp. dried oregano
1 tbsp. dried basil
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
42 oz canned crushed tomatoes
2 cups water
In a large, deep skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat and add in the onion and garlic. Saute for about 5 minutes. Stir in the oregano, basil, garlic powder, bay leaf, salt, and pepper. Add the tomatoes and water and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for at least 30 minutes, up to an hour. Makes about 6 cups of sauce (enough for 4 servings).
