Cheesy Italian Meatballs
My name is Ali, and I am a messy cook. There. I said it. I admit it and I'm proud! Well, maybe I wouldn't go that far. But I'm here to embrace it. If you find me tossing a salad, you'll also find remnants of lettuce, cheese and croutons scattered all over within a 3-foot radius. You catch me baking cookies and the kitchen looks like the aftermath of World War III. Friends and family who've witnessed my cooking can agree that yes, I am a good cook, but a darn messy one.
But I'm going to fill you in on a little secret and fun fact: the messier the food, the better it tastes. It's true. I dare you to think of an instance where this is not the case!
The fact that I not only strongly believe but exemplify this notion makes me the poster child of messy food. And what better messy food to make than some cheesy, saucy Italian meatballs?
My messy meatball recipe goes the pretty traditional route with a mixture of ground pork and beef, paired with flavor enhancers like sharp, nutty parm, milk, panko breadcrumbs, fresh parsley for color and, of course, garlic powder. Then I take them to a whole new level with a super simple yet robust tomato sauce, complete with fried garlic, red pepper flakes and a healthy splash of red wine. Finish them off in the oven with thick slabs of fresh mozzarella and Parmesan to achieve optimum melty, cheesy nirvana. Drooling yet?
The real messy part comes in though by digging in hands first with crusty garlic bread to soak up all that saucy, cheesy goodness which is a total requirement. From start to finish, it's a mess - in true Hungry Ali form - but it's one delicious mess that you just have to experience first hand.
Cheesy Baked Meatballs
Ingredients
1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground pork
3 eggs
1/2 cup freshly grated parm plus more for serving
3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon plus 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 28-ounce can of tomato sauce
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Splash of red wine
Fresh mozzarella, sliced
Fresh parsley, for serving
Parmesan, for serving
Directions
Add ground beef, ground pork, eggs, parm, breadcrumbs, milk, parsley, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper to a large bowl. Using your hands (because there's no other way to combine meatballs - get your fork/spoon outta here), combine mixture. Create about 20 meatballs with mixture and place on a baking sheet. Refrigerate for up to an hour to firm up.
Heat olive oil in a cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Brown meatballs in three separate batches, about 8 minutes per batch, flipping meatballs to brown evenly. Once meatballs are browned, remove from cast iron skillet and set aside. Lower heat to medium low. Add garlic and saute for about 1 minute, stirring frequently - don't let the garlic burn! Gently add tomato sauce and red wine and let simmer for about 10 minutes, until wine is reduced. Season with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes.
Preheat oven to broil. Add meatballs to sauce and stir to coat meatballs. Let meatballs simmer in sauce on low for another 10 minutes. Top with mozzarella slices and broil for about 5 minutes, until cheese is melty and gooey. Top with fresh parsley and grated Parm. Served warm with garlic bread and/or pasta.
