Housemade Meatballs Recipe
Housemade Knoche's beef & Fraboni's sausage meatballs in a sauce of San Marzano tomatoes, soffritto, white wine, roasted cherry tomatoes & fresh basil, garnished with Sartori MontAmore cheese
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Ingredients
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Meatballs
Sauce
Finishing & Garnish
Method
Meatballs
- 1
Soak breadcrumbs
Place the fresh breadcrumbs in a small bowl and pour the milk over them. Let sit 5 minutes until absorbed and mixture is soft.
- 2
Mix meatball ingredients
In a large mixing bowl combine ground beef, removed sausage meat, soaked breadcrumbs (including any remaining milk), egg, grated cheese, chopped parsley, minced garlic, salt, and pepper. Gently mix with your hands or a fork until just combined — do not overwork or the meatballs will be tough.
- 3
Portion and shape
Portion the mixture into 1 3/4-inch (about 2-2.5 oz) meatballs using a scoop or tablespoon. Roll between your palms to form smooth balls. You should get roughly 18-22 meatballs.
- 4
Brown meatballs
Heat 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add meatballs in a single layer without crowding (work in batches). Brown on all sides, turning carefully, about 6-8 minutes total. They do not need to be fully cooked through. Transfer browned meatballs to a plate lined with paper towel.
Sauce
- 5
Make soffritto
In a wide, deep skillet or heavy saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add the diced onion, carrot and celery and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened and translucent, about 8-10 minutes. Add minced garlic and cook 30-60 seconds until fragrant.
- 6
Deglaze with wine
Increase heat to medium-high and pour in the white wine. Scrape up any browned bits from the pan and reduce until nearly evaporated, about 2-3 minutes.
- 7
Add tomatoes and roasted cherry tomatoes
Stir in the tomato paste and cook 1 minute. Add the crushed San Marzano tomatoes and the halved cherry tomatoes. If the sauce seems very thick, add up to 1/2 cup stock to reach a saucy consistency. Season with dried oregano, salt and pepper.
- 8
Simmer with meatballs
Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer. Nestle the browned meatballs into the sauce, spooning sauce over them to submerge partially. Reduce heat to low, cover partially, and simmer gently 20-25 minutes, turning meatballs once halfway, until meatballs are cooked through and sauce has melded. If sauce reduces too much, add a splash of water or stock.
- 9
Finish with basil
Stir in the torn fresh basil leaves in the last 2 minutes of cooking. Taste and adjust seasoning with additional salt and pepper if needed.
Finishing & Serve
- 10
Plate
Spoon a ladle of sauce onto warmed plates or a family-style serving dish. Arrange meatballs on top and spoon additional sauce over them.
- 11
Garnish
Sprinkle the grated Sartori MontAmore cheese generously over the meatballs and sauce. Tear or place whole basil leaves on top and finish with an optional light drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.
- 12
Serve
Serve immediately with crusty bread or over pasta if desired.