Braised Meatballs in a Hearty Marinara Sauce
User Reviews
5.0
3 reviews
Excellent
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Prep Time
30 mins
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Cook Time
1 hr
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Total Time
1 hr 30 mins
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Servings
4
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Calories
771 kcal
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Course
Main Course
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Cuisine
Italian
Braised Meatballs in a Hearty Marinara Sauce
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A classic recipe for spaghetti and meatballs using Italian meatballs that are braised in a marinara sauce.
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Ingredients
Tomato sauce
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ medium onion chopped fine
- 1 to 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes
- 1 28 ounce can whole tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons vermouth, white or red wine
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoon parsley chopped
Meatballs
- ½ cup panko
- ¼ cup milk or buttermilk
- ½ ounce Parmesan Cheese grated, plus extra for serving
- 1 tablespoon parsley chopped
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoon pine nuts, toasted and chopped
- 1 egg
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 pound spaghetti or other long pasta
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Instructions
Tomato sauce
- Make the tomato sauce. In a large pan with a lid, saute the onion in the olive oil over medium low heat for 5 to 7 minutes until soft.
- Add the garlic, salt, thyme, black pepper and red pepper flakes, and saute for one minute.
- Add the tomatoes and wine and raise the temperature until it starts to bubble vigorously. Reduce the temp to a slow simmer and partially cover. Cook on low, stirring intermittently to break up the tomatoes, while you make the meatballs. Before adding the meatballs, add the sugar and parsley and then salt and pepper to taste.
Braised meatballs
- To make the meatballs, combine the panko and milk or buttermilk in a large bowl and let soak for 10 minutes.
- Add the rest of the ingredients to the bowl and gently mix with your hands.
- Using a large scoop (about ¼ cup), form meatballs into large rounds and place on a plate or clean cutting board while you form all the meatballs. This should make 10 to 12 large meatballs.
- Place the meatballs gently into the tomato sauce, cover the pan, and keep at a slow simmer for 30 minutes. Once or twice, gently turn the meatballs so they are covered in sauce, and scrape the pan bottom. The meatballs should have an internal temperature of >165°F when done.
- Counting backwards from the end of the 30 minutes, cook your spaghetti or other pasta per directions. That is, if your spaghetti is supposed to take 12 minutes to cook, have the pasta water boiling so that you can salt the boiling water and put the spaghetti in the pot after the meatballs have been cooking for 18 minutes.
Notes
- Don't forget to start heating the pasta water. My cooktop takes forever so I turn it on high when I start making the sauce. Once it boils, I add a tablespoon of salt per quart and then keep it at a simmer until it's time to cook the pasta.
- It also helps to toast the pine nuts at the start of cooking so they cool down before chopping. You can toast nuts in the oven or on the stove top. If I have the oven on already, I check them at 5 minutes. If I'm starting with a cold oven, I check them at 10 minutes. Toasted nuts should smell nutty and not burnt.
- This recipe will make 18 to 20 meatballs using a medium sized cookie scoop. Cook for only about 20 minutes.
- If your sauce is thinner than you prefer, you can thicken this marinara sauce by partially uncovering the pan as it cooks.
- One additional thing to give pasta more flavor and to prevent it from sticking is to boil it only to al dente and then finish it off with some of the tomato sauce.
Nutrition Information
Show Details
Calories
771kcal
(39%)
Carbohydrates
95g
(32%)
Protein
43g
(86%)
Fat
23g
(35%)
Saturated Fat
7g
(35%)
Polyunsaturated Fat
4g
Monounsaturated Fat
9g
Trans Fat
1g
Cholesterol
119mg
(40%)
Sodium
798mg
(33%)
Potassium
735mg
(21%)
Fiber
5g
(20%)
Sugar
6g
(12%)
Vitamin A
215IU
(4%)
Vitamin C
3mg
(3%)
Calcium
128mg
(13%)
Iron
5mg
(28%)
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 4Serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories 771 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 771kcal | 39% |
| Carbohydrates | 95g | 32% |
| Protein | 43g | 86% |
| Fat | 23g | 35% |
| Saturated Fat | 7g | 35% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 4g | 24% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 9g | 45% |
| Trans Fat | 1g | 50% |
| Cholesterol | 119mg | 40% |
| Sodium | 798mg | 33% |
| Potassium | 735mg | 16% |
| Fiber | 5g | 20% |
| Sugar | 6g | 12% |
| Vitamin A | 215IU | 4% |
| Vitamin C | 3mg | 3% |
| Calcium | 128mg | 13% |
| Iron | 5mg | 28% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
Genuine Reviews
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5.0
3 reviews
Excellent
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