Meatball and Marinara from Cook's Country Tv
"Delicious recipe. Well worth the effort."
- Ready In:
- 2hrs
- Ingredients:
- 21
- Yields:
-
8 Cups
- Serves:
- 8-10
ingredients
-
Onion Mixture
- 1⁄4 cup olive oil (3 onions, chopped fine)
- 8 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 3⁄4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
-
Marinara Sauce
- 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
- 1 cup dry red wine
- 1 cup water
- 4 (28 ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
- 1⁄2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1⁄4 cup fresh basil leaf
- salt
- 1 -2 teaspoon sugar, as needed
-
Meatballs
- 4 slices hearty white bread
- 3⁄4 cup milk
- 1⁄2 lb sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1⁄2 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
- 2 large eggs
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 1⁄2 teaspoons salt
- 2 1⁄2 lbs ground chuck (80 percent lean)
directions
- 1. For the onion mixture: Heat oil in oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Cook onions until golden, 10 to 15 minutes. Add garlic, oregano, and pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Transfer half of onion mixture to large bowl and set aside.
- 2. For the marinara: Add tomato paste to remaining onion mixture in pot and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add wine and cook until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Stir in water and tomatoes and simmer over low heat until sauce is no longer watery, 45 to 60 minutes. Stir in cheese and basil and adjust seasonings with salt and sugar.
- 3. For the meatballs: Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 475 degrees. Mash bread and milk in bowl with reserved onion mixture until smooth. Add remaining ingredients, except ground beef, to bowl and mash to combine. Add beef and knead with hands until well combined. Form mixture into 2 1/2-inch meatballs (you should have about 16 meatballs), place on rimmed baking sheet, and bake until well browned, about 20 minutes.
- 4. Transfer meatballs to pot with sauce. Simmer for 15 minutes. Serve over pasta. (Meatballs and marinara can be frozen for up to 1 month.).
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Reviews
-
This has been my go to recipe for several years now since I found it on the Cooks Country website. I do not like sausage, so the only modification I make is that I substitute ground veal in its place. Depending on where I buy my meat, I may only be able to buy prepackaged veal, which is sold in 1 pound quantities. When that happens, I tend to reduce the amount of ground beef to 2 lbs for a 2:1 ratio. There is sufficient flavor from all of the other meatball and sauce ingredients that the flavor is still great. Also, if you use a wine with a bit more kick, like a cabernet or chianti, you will likely get a slightly more flavorful sauce. -
The same recipe appeared in a publication with step by step instructional photos. I needed the visual instructions for this complicated recipe. Preparing this recipe is time consuming. It is absolutely a 5 star recipe. I have modified the recipe and instead of making the marinara sauce, I purchased a spicy tomato and basil pasta sauce by Classico and it tastes great. The meatballs are awesome!!!!
