Catelli’s Summer Meatballs
Ingredients:
One egg, lightly beaten.
1 pound of ground beef.
1 pound of bulk Italian sausage (mild or spicy).
1 1/2 cups of ricotta cheese.
1 cup panko Japanese style breadcrumbs.
1/2 cup finely chopped onion.
1/2 cup grated/shaved Parmesan cheese plus
2 tablespoons garnish.
Five or six garlic cloves, minced.
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme.
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley and
1 tablespoon garnish
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning.
1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt.
Two large cans crushed tomatoes with garlic and basil or your preferred tomato / pasta sauce.
Directions: check out the video!
Pre-heat oven to 450.
In a large bowl combine beef, sausage, ricotta cheese, panko, onion, the 1/2 cup of Parmesan, garlic, thyme, 1/4 cup parsley and salt... mix with your hands... try not to overwork the meat but ensure that it’s mixed properly for compacting into 40 1/2 inch meatballs.
Heat your crushed tomatoes with garlic and basil or warm up your pasta sauce in a saucepan.
Brown meatballs in an extra large cast-iron skillet with olive oil. Brown meatballs about 10 to 20 at a time in the hot skillet without crowding about 10 minutes per batch then cover with sauce place all in the oven and bake for 10 minutes!
Place meatballs into a serving dish, garnish and serve!