March 9th is “National Meatball Day. Yes, that is a real holiday, and how could I not share a meatball recipe with everyone. I’ve given this a lot of thought and wanted to share a meatball recipe that I believe is original and, of course, delicious. The way this recipe came about was I had a couple pounds of Italian sweet sausages, some onions and bell peppers that I was planning on using for that classic Italian sub sandwich. Then it hit me, being I am the “Meatball Mastermind” (thank you Appetito magazine for my new title), I decided to turn these delicious ingredients into a meatball!
So, my sausage, pepper and onion meatball was born, or should I say braised? Along with the meatball, I had to marry them with a special sauce, so these meatballs are braised in a delicious pepper and onion sauce.
Some thoughts:
- You’ll notice I am not adding salt, and that’s because the cheese and sausage will handle that for us, and I also like to have the flavors of our ingredients be the stars.
- You may also notice that the recipe yields a lot of sauce, but it’s so delicious you will want to freeze some for another day.
- About 30 minutes into the braising, the aroma is going to fill the kitchen, and your going to want to try a meatball and dunk a piece of bread in the sauce. That’s standard procedure, and go ahead and do it. Cut the meatball in half to be sure it’s cooked through(if not, just put it back for a couple more minutes). But do dunk the bread.
- I often get asked why I always say “whole tomatoes” this is because I don’t trust what ends up in cans of crushed. With “whole” you see what you starting with, full size tomato and besides crushing them with your hands is calming.
I believe cooking should be a enjoyable process, so I hope you enjoy making my “National Meatball Day Sausage, Pepper and Onion Meatball.”
Happy National Meatball Day!
A “Mastermind’s” Recipe for National Meatball Day
4-6
servings30
minutes1
hour20
minutesIngredients
- For the Meatballs
2.5 lbs. 2.5 mild Italian pork sausage meat, removed from the casing
1 large 1 large egg
1/2 1/2 green bell pepper, minced
1/2 1/2 red bell pepper, minced
1/2 cup 1/2 yellow onion, minced
1/2 cup 1/2 Pecorino Romano cheese, freshly grated this yourself
1/2 cup 1/2 plain bread crumbs (or Panko)
4 4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup 1/2 chopped fresh parsley
extra virgin olive oil
- For the sauce
4 cans 4 whole plum tomatoes crushed with your hands
1/4 cup 1/4 olive oil
2 2 garlic cloves
1/2 cup 1/2 onion, chopped
the other half of the red and the green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 cup 1/2 water
1/2 cup 1/2 red wine (a Chianti is perfect, and this addition is optional)
Directions
- To Make the Meatballs
- Add all the meatball ingredients to a bowl and mix together with your hands but don’t over work the meat just blend it all together.
- Coat your hands with olive oil then form golf ball size meatballs (the olive oil will allow you to easily roll the meatballs).
- Add 1/2” olive oil to a non stick skillet.
- When the olive oil is hot, brown the meatballs on all sides.
- Remove to a plate.
- Add more oil as needed (be sure to bring the temperature up before adding more meatballs).*
- To Make the Sauce
- In a large pot, add the olive oil over medium heat.
- When shimmering, add the onion, garlic, bell pepper and sauté for 5 minutes.
- Add the tomatoes, wine, and water.
- Bring this to a boil, then lower to a simmer.
- Carefully add the meatballs.
- Cook the meatballs on a low, simmering heat uncovered, carefully turning about every 15 minutes for one hour.
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