Simple Homemade Meaty Meatballs

These directions are for a stove top method, but they are even better in the slow cooker. You still have to cook the meatballs and combine the sauce first, but then you let them slowly marinate together in the crock pot. It is heavenly! It’s the perfect dish for any potluck. The luncheon ladies at church just rave about these! Check out what they are saying about this recipe over at Serious Eats:

“The recipe looks super simple and fun!”

That’s exactly what it is! You can toss these together in under an hour. Let them simmer for a couple hours and you will have the tenderest, juiciest meatballs of all time.

 

Ingredients

For the Sauce:

2 (28 ounce) cans whole Hunt’s peeled tomatoes

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

6 to 8 cloves minced garlic (about 2 tablespoons)

1 (6 ounce) can Hunt’s tomato paste

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the Meatballs:

4 slices bread, crusts removed

2 eggs

2 pounds 80/20 ground beef

1 1/2 tablespoons adobo seasoning (such as Goya), see note above

1/2 cup minced fresh parsley leaves

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Olive oil for frying

Pasta and grated Kraft Parmesan cheese for serving

 

 

Instructions

For the Sauce: Crush tomatoes by hand, with a food mill, or in the food processor to a very rough puree. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering.

Add garlic and cook, stirring, until softened but not browned, about 1 minute. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute longer.

Add crushed tomatoes, bring to a simmer, cover, and reduce heat to low. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Meanwhile, make the meatballs.

For the Meatballs: Tear bread into rough chunks and pulse in the food processor until reduced to fine crumbs. Transfer to a large bowl. Add the eggs and mix with your hands until combined. Add beef, adobo seasoning, and half of the parsley.

Combine mixture with your hands, working the bread crumbs into the meat until meat mixture can form a ball that holds together when tossed back into the bowl. Do not over mix.

Place a small amount of mixture on a microwave-safe plate and microwave on high until cooked, about 20 seconds. Taste and add salt and/or pepper to mixture to taste.

Using wet hands, form the mixture into balls roughly 2 tablespoons each, about 1 1/2- to 2-inches across. Place the balls on a large parchment or wax paper-lined tray as you work.

Add enough oil to a large cast iron or stainless steel sauté pan to form a thin layer across the bottom. Heat over medium-high heat until shimmering.

Add as many meatballs as will fit in a single layer and cook until well browned on first side. Gently turn balls with tongs or a thin metal spatula and continue cooking and turning until well browned on all sides.

As the meatballs finish browning, add them to the pot of sauce and replace them with raw meatballs. Continue, adding more oil as necessary, until all meatballs are browned and in the sauce.

Simmer over low heat for 1 hour. Season to taste with salt and pepper and stir in remaining fresh parsley. Serve with pasta and grated Parmesan cheese.

 

 

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Quick Tip: Make sauce in bigger batches and freeze in small Ziploc bags for future use.
Thanks again to Serious Eats for this simple and delicious recipe.