Easy Meatballs in Red Sauce

Serving Size: 6-8 people (around 20 meatballs)

Ingredients:

For Meatballs:

1 pound of ground beef

1 pound of ground pork

2 eggs

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)

1 tbsp Richmond Table Timeless Trio

2 tbsp Richmond Table Italian Herb Seasoning

 For Red Sauce:

1 28 oz can of tomatoes (used crushed or whole tomatoes and crush by hand)

1 tbsp of Richmond Table Italian Herb Blend

Salt to taste

Directions:

1. Combine all meatball ingredients into a bowl and mix well.
2. Shape ingredients into meatballs. These should be about 1 3/4 inch in diameter or weigh roughly 50 grams.
3. Preheat dutch oven or a similar large pot on medium heat. 
4. Place meatballs into preheated dutch oven/large pot.
5. Cook meatballs until a nice crust is developed on the bottom of them. They should easily unstick once crust is formed. 
6. Flip meatballs and brown on the other side. 
7. Cook meatballs until internal temperature reaches about 150 degrees. 
8. Add tomatoes and 1 tbsp of Richmond Table Italian Herb Blend. 
9. Turn heat to low and simmer for around 10 minutes or until meatballs reach an internal temperature of 160 degrees.  Salt to taste.
10. Serve meatballs and red sauce with your favorite noodle or veggie dish (more detailed options below). 

Details:

This recipe is very similar to our Oven Roasted Meatballs recipe. The biggest difference here is that you are taking advantage of the drippings and flavors that your meatballs produce and rolling that into a red sauce. That creates a red sauce with an added depth of flavor. It’s still one of our “easy recipes” which focus on minimal prep and quick, tasty results. 

If you’re looking for a complete dish here, let me give you a couple of quick options. 

The best option is to pair with 1 pound of your favorite pasta shape. This can be spaghetti, bowties, cavatelli, or anything else that you would like. Cook according to the package ensuring that your noodles are al dente. When you plate, add pasta to plate and then top with desired amount of meatballs and sauce. 

Another great option would be with your favorite veggie dish. If you’re staying away from gluten (or just like vegetables), this option would be for you. Roast your favorite veggies such as cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, etc. You could even bread sliced eggplant for an eggplant parm type of dish. Then, you can pour the meatballs and sauce over your plated cooked vegetables.