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Pork Meatballs in Tomato Sauce

An easy recipe for pork meatballs in tomato sauce, this meatball dish can be made with leftover meatballs as well.

Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
1 hr
Total Time
1 hr 20 mins
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 595 kcal
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Romanian

Ingredients

Quick version:
  • leftover meatballs
  • marinara sauce from a jar See note 1
Recipe from scratch
Marinara sauce:
  • 1 onion
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 pack pureed tomatoes 500 g/ 17.6 oz (See note 2)
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 bay leave
  • 1 pinch of sugar
  • fine sea salt and pepper
Pork meatballs:
  • 1 onion
  • 1 thick slice white bread crusts removed (about 50 g/ 1.7 oz)
  • 2 large garlic cloves
  • 500 g/ 1.1 lbs ground pork
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • fine sea salt and pepper
  • 1-2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 2 ½ tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1-2 tablespoons chopped parsley to serve

Instructions

Quick version:
    Cup of Yum
  1. Heat the meatballs in the sauce, sprinkle with parsley and serve.
Recipe from scratch:
  1. Chop the onion and the garlic very finely.
  2. Heat the oil in a sauce pan and cook the onion and the garlic until translucent.
  3. Add pureed tomatoes, tomato paste, dried thyme, bay leave, a pinch of sugar, some salt and pepper and stir well to combine.
  4. Bring to a boil and cook on a medium high heat for about 20 minutes, covered but leaving a crack open.
  5. Lower the heat and continue cooking for about 15 minutes or until the sauce thickens slightly.
  6. If you are using leftover meatballs you can give them to the sauce during the last 10 minutes or so and heat them through.
  7. Adjust the taste with salt and pepper and another small pinch of sugar, if necessary.
Pork meatballs:
  1. Chop the onion finely.
  2. Heat ½ tablespoon oil in the pan you will use for frying the meatballs later and cook the onions until softer and golden. Transfer to the mixing bowl and let cool slightly.
  3. Remove the crust from the bread and soak the bread in some cold water. Squeeze it well and add it to the bowl.
  4. Add the grated garlic, ground pork, egg, parsley, thyme, about ½ teaspoon salt (to taste) and pepper. Mix well with your hand, form small meatballs. Wet your hands from time to time, it works better. Press the meatballs slightly to make them flatter.
  5. Place the flour on a large plate and turn the meatballs into the flour. Pat them carefully to remove the excess flour.
  6. Heat 1 tablespoon of the remaining oil in a large cast iron or non stick pan and fry the meatballs, in batches if necessary, adding a bit more of the remaining oil between the batches.
  7. Fry for about 2-3 minutes on each side, until they are deeply browned on the outside.
  8. Check one to make sure that they are cooked through.
  9. Add the meatballs to the hot sauce and stir well to coat the meatballs with the sauce.
  10. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve.

Notes

  • Use as much sauce as needed, it depends on how many leftover meatballs you have.
  • Not tomato paste.

Nutrition Information

Serving 1/4 of the dish Calories 595kcal (30%) Carbohydrates 21g (7%) Protein 37g (74%) Fat 40g (62%) Saturated Fat 11g (55%) Polyunsaturated Fat 25g Cholesterol 164mg (55%) Sodium 712mg (30%) Fiber 3g (12%) Sugar 7g (14%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 4servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 595

% Daily Value*

Serving 1/4 of the dish
Calories 595kcal 30%
Carbohydrates 21g 7%
Protein 37g 74%
Fat 40g 62%
Saturated Fat 11g 55%
Polyunsaturated Fat 25g 147%
Cholesterol 164mg 55%
Sodium 712mg 30%
Fiber 3g 12%
Sugar 7g 14%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.