Italian Meatballs in a Basket
- Ready In:
- 30mins
- Ingredients:
- 11
- Serves:
-
8
ingredients
- 2 lbs beef chuck, Ground
- 2 tablespoons margarine
- 1 medium green pepper, Chopped
- 1 medium onion, Chopped
- 1 (16 ounce) can stewed tomatoes
- 1⁄2 teaspoon basil
- 1⁄4 teaspoon thyme
- 2 tablespoons unbleached flour
- Italian bread basket
-
GARNISHES
- green pepper ring
- cherry tomatoes
directions
- Lightly shape ground beef into 1 1/2-inch balls.
- Lightly brown balls in margarine in large frying-pan, about 5 minutes.
- Add the green pepper and onion to meatballs; cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Drain tomatoes, reserving liquid.
- Add tomatoes, all but 1/4 c tomato liquid, basil and thyme to meat balls.
- Cover tightly and cook slowly 5 minutes.
- Combine reserved tomato liquid with flour, stirring until smooth.
- Stir into meatballs, cover tightly and cook 5 minutes or until slightly thick.
- Meanwhile prepare Italian Bread Basket and place on platter.
- Spoon meatball mixture into and around bread.
- Garnish with green pepper rings and cherry tomatoes, if desired.
-
Italian Bread Basket:
- 1 Loaf (16 ozs) Italian Bread, Unsliced
- 1/4 Cup Margarine, Melted
- 1/4 Cup Parmesan Cheese, Grated
- Cut a 3/4 slice from top of bread.
- With fork, scoop out inside of bread to form basket, leaving 1-inch bread on all sides and bottom of loaf.
- Place loaf on foil in shallow baking pan.
- Brush top, sides and inside of bread with melted margarine.
- Sprinkle loaf with Parmesan cheese, coating sides evenly.
- Bake in hot oven (400 Degrees F.) for 10 minutes.
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Reviews
-
I took the advice from Brenda Horn's review and added the red (I substituted red for green) pepper, onion & spices to the meatballs. I didn't have the steamed tomatoes on hand so I had to settle for Ragu. It was all very good. Although it's a nice presentation in the bread basket, I think next time I'll just slice the bread and cook it as directed. It was kind of awkward to serve from the "basket." Great recipe!
RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
_Pixie_
Canada
I'm a retired IT professional who enjoys cooking and trying new recipes...