So I will not claim to be the authority on Italian food...... especially since my future mother-in-law is the queen of the kitchen when it comes to her insanely amazing homemade sauce and meatballs! I will say, that I get rave reviews, and the stamp of approval from Mr. Sicily himself ( Joey )!
Yield: 6-8 servings
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Total time: 45 minutes
Ingredients:
1 Pound Ground Hot Italian Sausage
1 Pound Ground beef
1/2 Cup Bread Crumbs
2 Whole Eggs
1 Diced Small Onion (yellow or white)
1 Chopped Green Onion
2 Cloves Fresh Garlic Minced
2 Tablespoons Finely Chopped Fresh Thyme
2 Tablespoons Finely Chopped Fresh Parsley
1 Tablespoon Finely Chopped Fresh Basil
1/2 Tablespoon Dry Oregano
2 Tablespoons Himalayan Pink Salt
1 Teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper
1/4 Cup Olive oil
Preparation
First take both the Italian sausage and the ground beef and place them in a large mixing bowl. Mix them together and then set to the side.
Chop all fresh ingredients (Onion,Garlic,Green Onion, Thyme,Parsley, Basil) and fold into the ground beef/Italian sausage mixture.
Once all the fresh herbs and veggies have been added, go ahead and mix in the Oregano, Himalayan Pink Salt, crushed red pepper, and bread crumbs. Fold in each egg one at a time so that it properly binds the mixture together prior to cooking. Then form into balls about 1-2 inches around and place on a wax paper/parchment paper lined tray and set to the side.
In a large saucepan add in half the olive oil and bring it up to about medium heat. and place a few meatballs at a time so that you do not overcrowd the pan. Cook them in batches until they are browned and slightly crispy on all sides, but still a little pink inside (so about 3-5 minutes each batch depending on how big/small your meatballs are). Then transfer back to the lined tray.
At this point you can either place the meatballs into the oven to finish cooking for about 15 minutes at 400 and use in a recipe that does not include pasta sauce. BUT for this recipe we will transfer our meatballs to a large pot and lower the temperature to let them simmer for about 20 minutes in the sauce of your choice.
My sauce preference is ALWAYS Rao's, I just haven't found anything better (besides homemade)! Depending on how many meatballs you make, you will need between 2-3 Rao's jars of sauce. You want just enough to cover the meatballs.
Once the meatballs and sauce have cooked for about 20 minutes, remove from the heat and serve with your favorite pasta and garnishes!