Meatballs and Marinara
Source of Recipe
From "The New Essentials Cookbook" by America's Test Kitchen
Recipe Introduction
"Meatballs and marinara sauce are the epitome of comfort food, and we think this recipe should always be in your freezer so you have comfort at the ready whenever you need it. For an easier approach to this classic, we turned to the oven and roasted our meatballs at a high temperature, which ensured they developed a nice, browned crust. To keep our meatballs moist and tender, we added a panade (a paste of milk and bread). In addition to ground beef, using Italian sausage for the pork gave the meatballs a flavor boost, as did simmering them in the sauce after baking. To keep the recipe easy and streamlined, the meatballs and sauce incorporate the same onion mixture for aromatic flavor. This recipe makes enough for 2 pounds of pasta, and the meatballs and sauce are also good in a sandwich or served over creamy polenta."
List of Ingredients
Onion Mixture:
◦ cup olive oil
◦ 3 onions, chopped fine
◦ 8 cloves garlic, minced
◦ 1 tablespoon dried oregano
◦ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Easy Marinara:
◦ 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
◦ 1 cup dry red wine
◦ 1 cup water
◦ 4 (28-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
◦ 1 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated ( cup)
◦ cup fresh basil leaves
◦ Salt
◦ 1 to 2 teaspoons sugar, as needed
Meatballs:
◦ 4 slices hearty white sandwich bread
◦ cup milk
◦ 8 ounces sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
◦ 2 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (1 cup)
◦ cup chopped fresh parsley
◦ 2 large eggs
◦ 2 cloves garlic, minced
◦ 1 teaspoons salt
◦ 2 pounds 85 percent lean ground beef
Recipe
For the onion mixture: Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Cook onions until golden, 10 to 15 minutes. Add garlic, oregano, and pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Transfer half of onion mixture to large bowl and set aside for the meatballs.
For the marinara: Add tomato paste to remaining onion mixture in pot and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add wine and cook until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Stir in water and tomatoes and simmer over low heat until sauce is no longer watery, 45 to 60 minutes. Stir in Parmesan and basil. Season with salt and sugar to taste.
For the meatballs: Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 475 F. Mash bread and milk in bowl with reserved onion mixture until smooth. Add sausage, Parmesan, parsley, eggs, garlic, and salt to bowl and mash to combine. Add beef and knead with hands until well combined. Gently roll mixture into 2 -inch meatballs (you should have about 16 meatballs), place on rimmed baking sheet, and bake until well browned, about 20 minutes.
Transfer meatballs to pot with sauce. Simmer for 15 minutes. Serve.
Serves 8
❧ Meatballs and marinara can be frozen for up to 1 month.
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