Tender flavorful meatballs served in a Marsala wine and mushroom sauce!
So what inspired me to go come up with this recipe?
Well I’m a Marsala fanatic
Chicken marsala, veal marsala… heck even pork marsala and you can count me in!
In case you have never heard of it marsala is wine that can be dry or sweet and is used to create some of the best sauces you can imagine
True marsala is produced in the region surrounding the Italian city of Marsala in Sicily
I typically favor the sweet but you will have to decide that for yourself
Now even though Marsala cooking wine is easily found in most supermarkets I’m urging you to leave those on the shelf
Go to a wine store and by a true Italian Marsala
The difference in quality and the flavor of the finished dish will be night and day
Trust me you will never by grocery store Marsala again
I was craving a Marsala but felt like breaking away from the tradition
Then I had an idea
Meatballs!!!!
I mean what’s more versatile than meatballs?
They are the perfect vessel for most flavor combinations and thus the Marsala meatball was born!
A classic Marsala ingredient are mushrooms and I want these meatballs to embrace that
So we are going to start off with 3.5 ounces of shiitake mushrooms and 1 onion
Peel and chop the onion
Remove and discard the stems from the mushrooms and slice the caps
Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat and add in the onions
Sprinkle with a pinch of kosher salt and ground black pepper
Cook 2-3 minutes or until the onions are lightly browned and translucent
Add in the mushrooms
Cook another 2-3 minutes or until the mushrooms soften and lightly brown
Remove from the heat and allow to cool
Place the onions and mushrooms in a food processor
Pulse until finely chopped, you want to avoid it becoming pureed
Next we will need 3 pounds of ground turkey
You can certainly use any ground meat you like, beef, veal, pork, chicken etc.
Add the onion and mushroom mixture to the ground meat
Next we will need 1 egg whisked, 1/2 cup of Panko (Japanese breadcrumbs), 1/2 cup of grated parmesan cheese, 3 grated garlic cloves, 1 tablespoon of fresh chopped parsley and 1 teaspoon each of kosher salt and ground black pepper
Add all of these ingredients to the meat
Using your hands gently fold the mixture together
Preheat your oven to 350 F
Line a sheet pan with parchment paper sprayed with cooking oil
Using a 1/4 cup measure start scooping the meat onto the pan
Roll them into balls
I found that dampening my palms with a bit of water makes rolling meatballs easier
We were able to get 24 meatballs out of this
Place them in the oven and cook 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned and firm
Remove them and set aside
Now let’s start working on the sauce
You can actually start this step while the meatballs are cooking in the oven
Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat
Next we will need 2 garlic cloves sliced, 1 tablespoon of sliced sun dried tomatoes in their oil and 1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes
Sun dried tomatoes are my secret Marsala sauce weapon
They just add a wonderful flavor
Add them to the pan
Saute 2-3 minutes
Next we will need 12 ounces of baby bella mushrooms
Brush any excess dirt off of the mushrooms and slice them stem and all
Add them to the pan
Saute for 4-6 minutes
Next we will need 2 cups of Marsala wine
Add the wine to the pan
Bring to a boil then reduce the heat and simmer 6-8 minutes to cook the alcohol off
Now we are going to make a roux to thicken the sauce
Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a pan over low heat
Sprinkle in 1/4 cup of flour and more as needed
Whisk the butter and flour together until it forms a paste and lightly browns
You want to cook out the flour taste
Add a little of the roux in at a time to the sauce until you get the desired consistency
Remember you can alway add more but you can’t take it out
Once the sauce has thickened slightly add the meatballs to the pan tossing them around to coat
Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for 10-12 minutes to allow the flavors to meld and heat the meatballs through
I like to finish the dish off with fresh herbs
In this case a handful of fresh parsley and basil will do
Pile the basil and parsley together and give them a fine chop
Sprinkle the herbs over the meatballs
Serve over noodles or with crusty bread and dig in!!!
Enjoy!!!
Simply Sundays! ~ Marsala Meatballs
Ingredients
For the Meatballs
1 onion
3.5 ounces of shiitake mushrooms
2 tablespoons of olive oil
3 pounds of ground turkey
1 egg whisked
1/2 cup of Pano (Japanese breadcrumbs)
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
3 grated garlic cloves
1 tablespoon of fresh chopped parsley
1 teaspoon each of kosher salt and ground black pepper
For the sauce
2 tablespoons of olive oil
3 sliced garlic cloves
1 tablespoon of sliced sun dried tomatoes in their oil
1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes
12 ounces of baby bella mushrooms sliced
2 cups of Marsala wine
2 tablespoons of butter
1/4 cup of flour (more if needed)
1 handful of fresh chopped parsley
1 handful of fresh chopped basil
Directions
For the meatballs
Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Peel and chop 1 onion. Remove and discard the stems from 3.5 ounces of shiitake mushrooms and give them a slice. Add the onions to the pan and sprinkle with a pinch of kosher salt and ground black pepper
Cook 2-3 minutes or until the onions are lightly browned and translucent. Add in the mushrooms. Cook another 2-3 minutes or until the mushrooms soften and lightly brown. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Place the onions and mushrooms in a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped
Place 3 pounds of ground turkey in a large bowl along with the mushroom onion mixture. Next add in 1 egg whisked, 1/2 cup of Panko (Japanese breadcrumbs), 1/2 cup of grated parmesan cheese, 3 grated garlic cloves, 1 tablespoon of fresh chopped parsley and 1 teaspoon each of kosher salt and ground black pepper
Using your hands gently fold the mixture together. Preheat your oven to 350 F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper sprayed with cooking oil. Using a 1/4 cup measure start scooping the meat onto the pan. Roll them into balls. Place them in the oven and cook 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned and firm. Remove and set aside
For the sauce
Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. To the pan add 2 garlic cloves sliced, 1 tablespoon of sliced sun dried tomatoes in their oil and 1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes. Saute 2-3 minutes
Brush any excess dirt off of 12 ounces of baby bella mushrooms and slice them stem and all. Add them to the pan. Saute for 4-6 minutes. Add in 2 cups of Marsala wine. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat and simmer 6-8 minutes to cook the alcohol off
Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a pan over low heat. Sprinkle in 1/4 cup of flour and more as needed. Whisk the butter and flour together until it forms a paste and lightly browns. Add a little of the roux in at a time to the sauce until you get the desired consistency
Once the sauce has thickened slightly add the meatballs to the pan tossing them around to coat. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for 10-12 minutes to allow the flavors to meld and heat the meatballs through
Pile a handful of fresh parsley on top of a handful of fresh basil. Give them a fine chop. Sprinkle the herbs over the meatballs. Serve over noodles or with crusty bread
Tools used to make this recipe
Architec Carving Board, Gripperwood
KitchenAid 3-Speed Hand Blender
NuWave Flex Precision Induction Cooktop
Cooks Standard Multi-Ply Clad Stainless Steel Tagine and Extra Glass Lid, 4.5-Quart
Wilton Recipe Right Non-stick Cookie Sheet Set, 2-Piece
OXO Good Grips Flat Wire Whisk
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