Meatballs in Marinara Sauce

We remember from the last time that saying balls is fun, right?

Balls in your mouth, grab my balls, you could really go on forever if you get a bunch of guys all in one place and serve them meatballs.

Or girls, whatever.

It's more party food!  These are GREAT for a Super Bowl party because you can make the sauce and meat mixture ahead of time, then you can just cook the meatballs and add them to the sauce when you're ready to serve!

I make these in a big soup pot - use a dutch oven if you have one.  They stay warm long after they're taken off the stove so you won't have to worry about your BALLS getting cold and shrinking up.

I'm sorry.

So, for this, I make the sauce first so it can simmer while I make the meatballs - or stick it in the fridge if you make the sauce a few days in advance!

Start with a basic, delicious marinara sauce recipe.  It's easy!

I chop some onion and garlic, then put it in a pan with lots of olive oil and let it heat slowly with a lot of crushed red pepper and salt.  Use less crushed red pepper if you aren't into spicy things!

Yum.  After 5 or ten minutes when the onions start to soften (don't let the garlic burn!) I add a big squirt of tomato paste and a splash of wine.  I used red wine this time because....well, I wanted to, but the deep flavor is nice with the deep flavor of the beef!

Mmmmm wine.  Now, stir this all together until the wine is nearly gone, then add whatever tomatoes you're using.

For meatballs, I chop the onion really finely and use crushed tomatoes so I have a smooth sauce - since I'm just serving them with toothpicks I want the sauce to coat each ball evenly!

Now, this can simmer or be out of your way while you make the balls.

For a party or enough meatballs to serve 6-8 people with pasta, I use the following:

• 4 lbs ground beef
• 2 eggs
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• ¼ cup parmesan cheese
• ¼ cup bread crumbs
• ¼ grated onion
• 3 cloves grated garlic
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper

Mmmmm.  Beef.

I make the meat mixture in a large bowl so ground meat doesn't spew all over my kitchen.  That's just gross.

I grate the onion on the big holes of the grater, and the garlic on the small holes.  Grate it right over the meat so all the juice goes in to keep the BALLS from drying out!

In some cases, dry balls are not a bad thing.

This is not one of those cases.

Then, add in the salt, pepper, oil, parm, bread crumbs, and eggs.  Just dump it all in!

Use your boyfriend's hands to mix the whole mess together - not for too long, though!  Just mix the meat until everything's combined evenly.

The mixture should be firm and not too goopy - add more bread crumbs and parm if you think your mixture is too wet.  It should hold together with you form small balls.

Small balls.

Now, at this point you can cover the meat and stick it in the fridge.  Or, if you're serving the meatballs that day (even way later is fine), preheat the oven to 425F and roll the meatballs into 1-inch balls.

If you can, set a baking rack inside of a baking sheet to cook the balls.  This way, they'll hold their shape and lots of the fat will drip away as they cook.

If you don't have a baking rack set them on a regular sheet pan and move on with your life.

Nice.  Now, bake the meatballs for 10-15 minutes until they're sizzling and still moist on top.  Cut one open if you need to - they'll keep cooking out of the oven and once you put them in the sauce, so it's a good thing if they're still a little pink inside!

Yum!  These babies are delicious.  Stick them back in the sauce and let it sit - turn the stove back on low about an hour before serving so your meatballs and sauce will be nice and hot!

Ahhhh yum.  Now, I just serve these at parties with toothpicks, but you could of course put meatballs, sauce, and extra cheese on top of pasta for dinner!

Whatever you do, enjoy! These are delicious.