Recently my dear friend Alaina (remember her?) and I decided to have a ‘meatball day’. Now for those of you Jersey Shore fans who know what I’m referring to, this had nothing to do with getting plastered and running amok (although we are both under 5 feet and we did drink sparkling cider…)
In all seriousness though, the two of us really did get together to cook meatballs! Alaina and I wanted to see each other that week and the only day we both had free she was going to be spending in the kitchen.
Inspired, she said, “Why don’t I come over and we’ll cook together?!” It was perfect. We went to the grocery store just like the old days when we were college roommates! The two of us stocked up on supplies before rolling up our sleeves and preparing our ‘macaroni and gravy’ as her family fondly calls it.
This recipe is fantastic and she was so kind to pass it on to me so I could share it with each of you. Of course, I added my That’s SO Jenn twist by baking them in muffin tins. So fun!
The combination of beef and turkey meat makes these so luscious, especially when bathed in the semi-sweet sauce. When mixed with the secret ingredient (spoiler alert, it’s cheese!) you’ll feel like you’re eating right in her mama’s kitchen.
Manga!
Ingredients:
For sauce:
2 large cans Tuttorosso crushed tomatoes
1 large can peeled plum tomatoes
1 small can tomato paste
A few tablespoons of olive oil
1 white onion
3 cloves garlic
Dried basil to taste
1 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese
For meatballs:
About 1 lb ground turkey
About 1 lb ground beef
1 cup plain breadcrumbs
1 egg
1 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese
Sea salt, to taste (Don’t really taste the raw meat though…)
Crushed red pepper, to taste
Dried basil, to taste
Instructions:
Chop onion.
Mince garlic.
Add olive oil, garlic and onion to a large saucepan.
In the bowl of your food processor, pulse peeled plum tomatoes.
Pour crushed tomatoes into the pot.
Add tomato paste.
Sprinkle in parmesan cheese and basil.
In a large bowl, combine turkey meat and beef.
Crack in egg, then season with crushed red pepper and dried basil.
Pour in breadcrumbs.
Remove your rings and mash ingredients together with your hands. (It’s actually really fun!)
Wash your hands and use an ice cream scooper to form your meatballs.
Spray your muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray and place each meatball in a muffin tin.
Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes.
Add meatballs to sauce. It doesn’t have to be this blury when you do it.
Prepare pasta according to directions. Mix with meatballs and sauce.
Eat and enjoy with a roommate or great friend!
Watch me make That’s SO Jenn’s homemade marinara sauce on CT Style News 8!
