Meatballs With Spicy Tomato Sauce

Meatballs With Spicy Tomato Sauce

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Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 pound ground beef, I used 80/20

• fresh oregano, about 5 tbsp, divided

• cumin about 2-3 tsp

• smoked paprika , about 3-4 tsp

• breadcrumbs or panko breadcrumbs, about 3/4 -1 cup

• 1 egg

• S + P

• garlic cloves, about 8 minced or grated very finely, divided

• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes

• 1/2 onion, chopped

• chopped parsley, about 1 1/2 tbsp

• brown sugar, about 2 tbsp

• a handful of basil

• lots of red pepper flakes

Instructions:

1. To make your own breadcrumbs, toast 2-3 pieces of bread in the oven with some olive oil ( I always use sourdough) , then process it in a food processor with thyme, rosemary and pepper. If you choose to not make breadcrumbs, you can also ake the bread and run it under water until dampened, but not soaked. Gently squeeze the excess water out of the the bread and then crumble the dampened bread into pieces and add it to the ground beef.

2. Preheat the oven to 400 F. Add the ground beef to a mixing bowl. To the bowl, add the egg, breadcrumbs (or soaked bread), olive oil, about 1-2 tbsp of the oregano, cumin, smoked paprika, some of the garlic (about 1 tbsp), S+P and chopped parsley. Coat your hands with a bit of olive oil, and roll the meat into your choice sized balls(I made 4 BIG mealtballs), Place the meatballs in a cast iron ( or baking dish) and place in the oven. Bake for 15 minutes or until the meatballs are crisp on the outside, but not yet cooked through on the inside.

3. To make the tomato sauce, remove the meatballs from the cast iron and leave the leftover liquid in the pan. place the pan over medium- high heat and caramelize the onion and garlic with the red pepper flakes. Add the canned tomatoes and cook for 1-2 minutes stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Add about 1-2 cups of water, brown sugar, cumin, smoked paprika, oregano and season with salt and pepper. Add the meatballs back to the sauce and simmer for about 20 minutes.

4. Remove from the heat and add basil along with your choice of cheese (if using) and more pepper.

5. Enjoy!