Meatballs for Pasta

I’ve made these as a single recipe for ten people and in quantity for 200. Always a crowd-pleaser. Use with either my pomarola or light tomato sauces.

Yield

Serves about 10 people.

Ingredients

2 tbsp	olive oil
2	onions, chopped fine
4 cloves	garlic, minced
½ tbsp	dried oregano
¼ tsp	red pepper flakes
4 slices	white sandwich bread
¾ cup	milk
1 cup	grated Parmesan cheese
½ cup	chopped fresh parsley leaves
2 large	eggs
2 cloves	garlic, minced
1½ tsp	salt
½ pound	sweet Italian sausage
2½ lbs	ground beef chuck (80 percent lean)

Preparation

1. Heat oil in sauté pan over medium-high heat until shimmering. Cook onions until golden, 8-12 minutes. Don’t blacken. Add garlic, oregano and pepper flakes. Cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

2. Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 475°. Mash bread and milk in bowl with onion mixture until smooth. Add ingredients from second list, except meat, to bowl and mash to combine.

3. Add meat and knead with hands until well combined. Form mixture into 2-2½-inch meatballs (you should have 16-20 meatballs). Place on rimmed baking sheet and bake until well browned, about 20 minutes. There will be liquid left over in the sheet so don’t use an unrimmed cookie sheet unless you want smoked meatballs and a mess to clean up.

4. Transfer meatballs to a pot with your tomato-based sauce. Simmer for 15 minutes. Serve over pasta.