Who doesn’t love meatballs? This recipe is great with pasta or as the star of a meatball sandwich. Or, make a larger quantity for a party.
Makes 12 large or 24 small meatballs.
For the sauce you’ll need:
- 1 onion finely diced
- 1 hot pepper (jalepeno or whatever you like), finely diced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes
- 1/4 cup red wine (optional)
- 1 sprig fresh oregano
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- salt & pepper to taste (if you are not using low salt canned tomatoes then you probably won’t need to add more salt)
In a large dutch oven or sauce pan saute the onion and pepper in the olive oil until it starts to soften (not brown). Add the garlic and saute for an additional minute. Add the wine and both cans of tomatoes and season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the herbs (keep them whole, you will fish them out at the end).
Simmer over low heat while you prepare the meatballs.
For the meatballs you’ll need:
- 1 pound ground pork
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1/4 cup plain breadcrumbs
- 1 egg
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh oregano
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a rimmed baking sheet with foil.
Combine all ingredients together thoroughly (yes it’s gross but use your hands). Form into 12 large meatballs or 24 small meatballs.
Arrange the meatballs on the baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes for large meatballs or 20 minutes for small meatballs. Flip over the meatballs half way through the baking period (tongs are helpful for this). It’s OK if the meatballs are not completely cooked inside, they will continue to cook in the sauce.
Add the meatballs to the sauce and simmer over low heat for an additional 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Prepare these a day ahead if you can. Meatballs taste better the next day.
Enjoy!
