Meatballs: Part 1

My youngest son has taken a liking to meatballs lately, so I went on the hunt to try out a bunch of new meatball recipes...a little meatball trip around the world, if you will. To start our journey, we will start with Italy, because honestly, when I think of meatballs, Italian meatballs are the first that come to mind. Here is my favorite recipe for spaghetti and meatballs. This recipe is a close second.

However, when my son asked for meatballs for dinner, I found a very basic recipe simply served with bread to sop up the sauce (as opposed to pasta or rice).

Meatballs with Garlic Bread

Ingredients:

3 hoagie rolls
1 pound ground beef chuck
1 large egg, lightly beaten
3 teaspoons minced garlic
Coarse salt and ground pepper
3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes
1 can (15 ounces) whole peeled tomatoes

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Tear 1 roll into pieces; pulse in a food processor until fine crumbs form. In a large bowl, toss crumbs with 1/3 cup water. Add beef, egg, 1 teaspoon garlic, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon oregano; mix just until combined. Gently form into 12 meatballs.

In a large Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat 1 teaspoon oil over medium-high; swirl to coat. Add meatballs and cook, turning occasionally, until browned, about 7 minutes.

Add crushed and whole tomatoes with juice (breaking up tomatoes), 1 teaspoon garlic, teaspoon oregano, and pinch of sugar. Season with salt and pepper. Bring sauce to a boil; reduce to a rapid simmer and cook until meatballs are cooked through, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, split two rolls and place, cut side up, on a rimmed baking sheet. Brush with 2 tablespoons oil and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon garlic; season with salt and pepper. Bake until golden, about 10 minutes. Serve meatballs with garlic bread.

Source: Everyday Food, October 2009. You can find it here.

Notes: I improvised on this recipe a lot. I didn't have hoagie rolls, so I used sandwich bread (about 3 pieces) in my meatballs. I didn't pulse it in a food processor either. I just poured the 1/3 cup water over the bread, let it sit, and then mixed it with all the other ingredients.

I also got more than 12 meatballs (maybe I formed my meatballs smaller than the recipe stated). I baked them in an oven for 25 to 30 minutes at 350 degrees rather than browning them due to my son's egg allergy.

I made homemade French bread. You can find that recipe here. I didn't toast it initially, and I didn't put garlic on it. However, when I had leftovers, I toasted the bread and it was awesome dipped in the marinara. I would highly suggest that you toast the bread.

This was a very basic, easy meatball recipe. Comfort food at its best!