Delicious Italian Meatballs in Tomato Sauce

Melt in your mouth delicious meatballs. Simmered in tomato sauce until juicy and tender.

Meatball:

  • 2 lb. Ground Beef (or a mix of ground beef and pork)
  • ½ Onion, chopped fine or blended
  • 1 clove Garlic, minced or blended
  • ½ – ¾ cup Sourdough Breadcrumbs, or Pork Rinds soaked in a little milk
  • ¼ cup Parmigiano-Reggiano
  • 2 Eggs
  • Drizzle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • Salt and Pepper, to taste

Sauce:

  • 2 jars of Tomato Sauce Puree  (enough to cover the meatballs in the pot)
  • Drizzle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • Basil Leaves, fresh or dried
  • Salt and Pepper, to taste

Instructions:

1. Add tomato sauce and seasonings to a large pot and bring to a boil. Blend or mince the onion and garlic and add half of the mixture to the sauce and the other half to the meatball mixture. Reduce tomato sauce heat to medium-low.

2. In a small bowl add the breadcrumbs and enough milk to moisten it. In a mixing bowl add all of the meatball ingredients together. Mix well to combine.

3. Form the meat into balls and add them to the hot tomato sauce one by one.

Or

if desired you can bake them for 20-30 minutes or pan-fry them before adding them to the sauce. Cook in sauce on low for an additional 30 minutes. Personally, I always add them straight into the sauce and they turn out perfect every time!

5. Once they are all added to the pot of tomato sauce, put the lid on and give the pot a gentle shake to get all the meatballs evenly coated in the sauce.

6. Cook on low for 1 hour with the lid slightly ajar or 30 minutes if you are baking/pan-frying first.

Garnish with Parmigiano-Reggiano and basil or parsley.

Serve with sourdough bread if desired or a side of sour cream, yogurt sauce (tzatziki), guacamole, sliced avocado, fermented salsa, sliced tomato, or black olives.

Notes: Feel free to cut the recipe in half. These meatballs are also great the next day.