There are two things I usually hate about making meatballs. The first is that they are SO
time-consuming. You have to mix
everything up, then roll out each one, then take the time to brown them in a
frying pan, THEN sit and wait while they finish baking. Well, I decided that as long as I was writing
my own recipe, I would skip at least one step and make them NO-FRY. I suppose you can probably do that with ANY
meatball, I’ve just never tried. And at
least with these, I know from experience that they are super-yummy just mixed,
rolled, and baked.
The other thing I hate about making meatballs (and meatloaf) is mixing
coooooold ingredients with bare hands. I’m
just a wuss. It makes my hands and
forearms literally ache. I can only mix
for about twenty seconds and then I have to go run my hands under hot water
before I dive back in. Well, there’s no
avoiding it with these meatballs. Too
many yummy ingredients that need to get mixed in really well. But my point in bringing it up is that they
are SO worth the cold and the pain.
Yummmmmmmm.
My sauce is inspired by Nicholas Sparks. Didn’t see that one coming, did ya? :) Several
years back, I was reading one of his novels, I can’t even remember which one
right now. Bonus points to whomever can
tell me. In the story, some girl ran off
to the beach with some guy and it started pouring rain and they ran inside and
she made him fabulous pasta. He was an
Italian, so he was baffled at the simplicity (and lack) of ingredients in her
sauce. San Marzano tomatoes, onion, and
butter – nothing more. I had my own
doubts (HOW can you not add BASIL, at the very least), but I decided when
making these meatballs that it was time to try the Nicholas Sparks sauce,
because the meatballs carry so much flavor on their own. And it. is. yum.
·
½ bunch Italian Parsley
·
2 eggs
·
½ cup bread crumbs (I used panko)
·
Juice of ½ lemon
·
3-4 cloves garlic, crushed
·
Salt and pepper
·
One secret ingredient that I won’t tell. Then you will all come visit me to see how
mine taste :) Kidding. The reason I add
this is not to be a snot… it’s to encourage your own creativity. Add something fun to make it your own!
Blend above ingredients well in a food processor. Or chop the parsley really tiny by hand and
mix it yourself. Try cutting fresh herbs
with a pizza cutter – it’s pretty fast! Cover and refrigerate 1-2 hours to let
the flavors blend. The mixture will also
thicken up as the bread crumbs absorb the moist ingredients. Then mix by hand with:
·
1 (15-oz) container ricotta cheese
·
2 pounds lean ground turkey (I suppose you could
use beef and it would probably taste fantastic, but I use turkey to cut the
calories since you’re also eating a tub of ricotta, half a stick of butter, and
a pile of pasta. Maybe cut out the lemon
if you use beef.)
Preheat oven to 375 and put the following in a 9x13 pan:
·
½ stick butter
·
½ large onion, chopped
Cook until the butter is melted and sizzly, and the onions are just
beginning to brown. Remove from oven and
stir in:
·
1 (28-oz) can crushed tomatoes (I haven’t tried
with San Marzano. No clue where to find
them in Darwin, MN :) But I’m sure it would be to-die-for)
·
A drizzle of balsamic vinegar across the whole pan (I
know Nicholas Sparks would be upset, but I just can’t resist)
·
A little salt
When the sauce is stirred well, start rolling your meatballs and laying
them out in rows, directly in the sauce.
Oops, I should have mentioned this before: you will have enough meat for
TWO pans of meatballs. You can freeze
half, or better yet - make a pan for a
friend! I just prefer to make this
amount of meat so I use up all the ricotta and have less parsley left over. When your sauce is full of yummy meatballs,
cover with foil and bake 45 minutes.
Then remove foil and bake another 15.
Serve over heaps of pasta with a mound of fresh parmesan. And probably a salad, just to make yourself
feel better.
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