Meatballs in Marinara
Meatballs in Marinara - juicy, tender meatballs simmered in homemade marinara sauce. Serve with your favorite pasta. Easy, delicious, comforting!
Servings: 4
Calories:
Ingredients
MEATBALLS
- 1 1/2 pounds ground beef can sub ground turkey or chicken
- 2 tablespoons parsley finely chopped
- 1 small onion finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup Italian breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese grated
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil divided
MARINARA SAUCE
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 small pinch crushed red pepper optional
- 1 small onion diced
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1/2 cup dry red wine chianti, cabernet or merlot
- 28 ounces crushed tomatoes canned
- 3 tablespoons fresh flat leaf parsley chopped
Instructions
Turkey Meatballs:
- To a medium bowl add the ground beef, parsley, onion, garlic, egg, breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Blend using your hands (don’t overmix) then scoop into golf ball size meatballs. Use scooper if you have one.
- Drizzle one tablespoon of olive oil into a large deep skillet, pot or dutch oven (large enough to hold the sauce as well) medium to medium-high heat,
- Add the meatballs in a single layer. Sear to brown them then remove to a bowl and set aside. Work in batches, adding the remaining tablespoon of oil as needed. The meatballs will not be cooked through at this point!
- You’ll be using the same pot to make the sauce so don’t wash it!
The Sauce:
- Add another tablespoon of olive oil to the same skillet then drop in diced onion garlic, a very small and a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste then cook over medium heat 2-3 minutes or until the onions are tender. Stir often so the garlic doesn’t burn.
- Stir in the tomato paste and cook 1 minute then pour in the wine. Simmer 3-4 minutes or until the wine reduces by about half.
- Add crushed tomatoes, dry Italian seasoning and chopped parsley. Lightly season with salt and pepper then transfer the seared meatballs to the sauce. Cover and cook over medium-low heat 15-20 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked through.
- Serve with your favorite pasta or with toothpicks as an appetizer.
Nutrition
Serving: 0g | Carbohydrates: 0g | Protein: 0g | Fat: 0g | Saturated Fat: 0g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0g | Trans Fat: 0g | Cholesterol: 0mg | Sodium: 0mg | Potassium: 0mg | Fiber: 0g | Sugar: 0g | Vitamin A: 0IU | Vitamin C: 0mg | Calcium: 0mg | Iron: 0mg