Italian Meatballs
Serves 6 (18-20 Meatballs)
Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef (I prefer sirloin)
1 lb Italian sausage with casings removed
1/2 C freshly grated parmsean cheese
1/4 C dry bread crumbs
1/2 C finely chopped yellow onions
1/4 C freshly chopped basil
4 cloves minced garlic
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 tsp ground black pepper
1 large egg, beaten
2 Tbsp milk
32 oz of your favorite tomato sauce (fresh or jarred)
Process: Preheat oven to 475º F.
Combine all of the ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix with your hands until the ingredients are just evenly combined, take care not to over mix.
Roll the meat into individual meatballs. I typically use about 1/8 C of the meatball mix for each meatball, but feel free to adjust your meatball size to your preference.
Bake in a 475° F oven for about 10 minutes on each side, which will brown the meat. You will need less time if your meatballs are smaller than ⅛ C or more time if your meatballs are larger. I prefer to use a cast iron pan for this step, but if you don't have one a baking sheet also works well.
Transfer the meatballs to the stovetop. If you used a cast iron pan you can continue to cook in the same pan. Transfer your meatballs to a pot if you used a cookie sheet.
Gently simmer in your favorite fresh or store bought tomato sauce for at least 20 minutes, but for as long as 2 hours for a more tender meatball.