Are You Ready For Some Meatballs?

There’s much excitement in the Vaughan household this weekend.  Our local team, the New England Patriots are back in the Super Bowl in a rematch for championship with the New York Giants.  So as we cheer on the Pats we’ll be chomping down on some meatball sandwiches slowly cooked in an Italian “Sunday Gravy” sauce. 

For the meatballs, I’ve used a combination of lamb and beef, but leaner meats such as ground chicken and turkey are also perfectly acceptable options.  If using poultry, a heavier hand with the herbs and spices is recommended to keep the flavor from falling flat. 

Lamb & Beef Meatballs

Ingredients

1 pound ground lamb

1 pound ground beef, 90% lean

1 cup bread crumbs

1 egg

1 tablespoon dried basil

1 tablespoon dried oregano

2 tablespoons dried parsley

2 cloves garlic, minced

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl.  I find it easier to dig right in with your hands kneading the mixture until all ingredients are distributed evenly.

Roll out equally sized balls and place on a rimmed cookie sheet about 1 inch apart.   This size of meatball required me to bake them in 2 batches.  Bake in preheated oven.  Balls composed of about 2 tablespoons of the meat mixture took 20-25 minutes.  They should be slightly firm to the touch and browning at the bottom.

To reduce transfer of grease to the sauce remove meatballs from the sheet using a slotted spatula and toss in the sauce simmering on your stovetop…

While the meatballs are baking, start your sauce.

“Sunday Gravy” Sauce

Ingredients

1 medium onion diced

2 cloves garlic, whole

2 bay leaves

1 tablespoon dried basil

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon olive oil

6 ounce can tomato paste

2 - 28 ounce can crushed Italian tomatoes

35 ounce can whole peeled Italian tomatoes

¼ cup coarsely torn fresh basil

Directions

Heat olive oil over medium high heat in a Dutch oven or large pot with lid.  Sauté onion, garlic, bay leaves, basil, and oregano until soft and herbs are fragrant.  Add tomato paste and continue to sauté for an additional 2 minutes.  Add canned tomatoes and basil.  Bring pot to a slow simmer over medium heat stirring occasionally.

When meatballs are complete and added to sauce, reduce oven temperature to 275 F and place covered pot on middle rack.  Cook for at least 3 hours stirring sauce occasionally.  After the first hour or so the whole tomatoes will begin to fall apart.  After the 3^rd hour, the sauce will begin to thicken and take on a deeper red color.

Enjoy!