Not your Mama's Meatballs

Now I get it

Everybody has the best meatball recipe. Period

It’s your Grandma’s…..or your Mom’s, etc, and I would never challenge something like that

In fact we have our own favorite recipe

That being said, is exactly why we refer to these as “Not your Mama’s Meatballs’!

It was a weekend and time to make a “big dinner” but the ideas were few. We had some ground beef and hot Italian sausages

Easy path?

Sausage and meatballs over pasta?

Boring!

How about meatballs made with sausage and beef over pasta? Okay…Now we are starting to think

How about a sauce with some roasted peppers? That’s Simply Sunday’s thinking for sure!

So let’s start with the sauce (which can be made ahead of time)

I’m placing 2 red bell peppers right on the grates of my stove in order to roast them and get some smoky flavor going on

Keep turning the peppers to ensure you roast all sides

Charring the skin is fine because we will peel it off anyway

Once completely charred remove from the heat and place in a bowl

Cover immediately with cling wrap

The heat from the peppers will get trapped and act like a steam bath allowing you to peel them very easily

Peel the peppers and then remove the seeds and stem

Place into a food processor, puree until smooth and set aside

This will essentially become a replacement for tomato paste in the sauce and will add a smoky and subtle sweetness

Lets continue with the sauce

We will need 1 onion, 1 carrot, 1 celery stalk, 4 garlic cloves, 2 bay leaves and 1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a heavy saucepan

Add in the bay leaves and crushed red pepper

Cook 1-2 minutes until they are releasing some aromatics

Peel the onion and chop along with the celery

Peel the skin off the carrot, then peel the flesh and give it a chops as well

Add the garlic to a food processor and finely chop

Add the onions, carrot, celery, garlic and 1 teaspoon each of kosher salt and ground black pepper to the pot

Cook 6-8 minutes or until the veggies start to soften and the onions start to become translucent

Next we will need three 28 ounce cans of crushed tomatoes, 1 cup of dry red wine (like a Cabernet), the red bell pepper puree and 1 tablespoon of sugar

Deglaze the pan with the red wine, scraping up any bits from the bottom

Cook for 4-5 minutes to burn off the alcohol from the wine

Next add in the red pepper puree

Stir to combine and cook another 2-3 minutes

Add in the crushed tomatoes and sugar

Bring to a low boil then reduce the heat and allow to simmer for around an hour while we work on the meatballs

Time to get the meatballs going

Preheat your oven to 350 F

Here I have 1 1/2 pounds of 80% ground beef and 1 pound of hot Italian sausages

Remove the sausage from its casing

I am running the sausage meat through a meat grinder

You can omit this step, just make sure you break the sausage up enough that you can fold it evenly throughout the beef

I like to grind it again because it makes the meat finer and it is easier to work with

I move the bowl around as I grind to evenly distribute the sausage

Next we will need 1 cup of panko (Japanese breadcrumbs), 1 cup of grated romano cheese, 4 eggs, 5 garlic cloves, 1/2 cup of fresh parsley and 1 teaspoon each of kosher salt, ground black pepper, garlic powder and onion powder

Add the panko and romano to the meat mixture along with the seasonings

Next finely chop the garlic and parsley

Add this to the meat mixture as well

Next whisk up the eggs

Add this to the meat

Using your hands gently fold all the ingredients together

If you need to, add a little more panko to help bind the mixture

Line a sheet pan with parchment paper

Using a 1/3 measuring cup, scoop out the meat onto the parchment then roll them up

Place in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until nicely browned

Remove from the oven and stand guard because these are awesome as is!

Not pictured here are the ones we already ate

Gently place the meatballs into the sauce

Simmer in the sauce for around 30 minutes

Serve with your favorite side of pasta and some crusty bread!

Enjoy!!!

Simply Sundays! ~ Not your Mama's Meatballs

Servings: 6-8
Time: Sauce: Prep 15 Min, 1 hour 30 Min, Meatballs: Prep 10 Min, Cook 20-25 Min in Oven, Simmer 30 Min in Sauce
Difficulty: Medium
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Ingredients

For the sauce

2 red bell peppers (roasted, peeled and pureed)

1 onion

1 carrot

1 celery stalk

4 garlic cloves

2 bay leaves

1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes

kosher salt

ground black pepper

1 cup of dry red wine (like a Cabernet)

3-28 ounce cans of crushed tomatoes

1 tablespoon of sugar

2 tablespoons of olive oil

For the meatballs

1.5 pounds of 80% ground beef

1 pound of hot Italian sausage

1 cup of panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)

1 cup of grated romano cheese

4 eggs

5 garlic cloves

1/2 cup of fresh parsley

1 teaspoon each of kosher salt, ground black pepper, garlic powder and onion powder

Directions

For the sauce

Place 2 red bell peppers right on the grates of your stove. Keep turning the peppers to ensure you roast all sides. Once completely charred remove from the heat and place in a bowl. Cover immediately with cling wrap. Peel the peppers and then remove the seeds and stem. Place into a food processor and puree until smooth and set aside

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add in 2 bay leaves and 1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes. Cook 1-2 minutes until they are releasing some aromatics. Peel 1 onion and chop along with 1 celery stalk. Peel the skin off of 1 carrot, then peel the flesh and give it a chop as well. Add 4 cloves of garlic to a food processor and finely chop

Add the onions, carrot, celery, garlic and 1 teaspoon each of kosher salt and ground black pepper to the pot. Cook 6-8 minutes or until the veggies start to soften and the onions start to become translucent

Deglaze the pan with 1 cup of dry red wine (like a Cabernet), scraping up any bits from the bottom. Cook for 4-5 minutes to burn off the alcohol from the wine. Next add in the red pepper puree. Stir to combine and cook another 2-3 minutes. Add in the crushed tomatoes and sugar. Bring to a low boil then reduce the heat and allow to simmer for around an hour while we work on the meatballs

For the meatballs

Add 1.5 pounds of 80% ground beef to a large bowl. Remove 1 pound of Italian sausages from their casings. Either run the sausage through a meat grinder or break into small pieces to ensure even distribution throughout the meatballs

Add 1 cup of panko and 1 cup of grated romano cheese to the meat mixture along with 1 teaspoon each of kosher salt, ground black pepper, garlic powder and onion powder. Next finely chop 5 garlic cloves and 1/2 cup of fresh parsley and add to the meat mixture

Whisk 4 eggs and add them to the meat. Using your hands gently fold all the ingredients together. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Using a 1/3 measuring cup, scoop out the meat onto the parchment then roll them up. Place in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until nicely browned. Remove from the oven and gently place the meatballs into the sauce. Simmer for 30 minutes

Serve with a side of pasta and crusty bread

Tools used to make this recipe

Anchor Hocking 8 Cup Measuring Cup Glass Batter Bowl with Spout

Architec Gripperwood Cutting Board

Royal Classique 10 Piece Measuring Cups and Spoons Set

OXO Good Grips Flat Whisk

Pyrex Prepware 4-Quart Rimmed Mixing Bowl, Clear

KitchenAid 3-Speed Hand Blender