Whenever I thought about meatballs as a kid, I thought about stereotypes where a family has a large bowl of spaghetti and meatballs in a family-sized bowl. That is the only way I knew meatballs were to be eaten.
Until recipes like this appeared in my life.
These meatballs have so much flavor from the onions, garlic, and mixture of ground beef and ground pork that they are actually the best meatballs I’ve ever eaten. With my wife, Stephanie, eating gluten-free, we ate them plain and substituted gluten-free bread crumbs.
No pasta. No hoagie roll for a meatball sub sandwich.
I think it’s also fun to give our Foodness Gracious Followers a peek behind the curtain of making a recipe and taking our best photographs of the food. We set up the photo for Meatball Marinara and just had to include some bread (for me).
Stephanie went to the pantry to grab some bread to make buttered garlic bread with Italian seasoning. If you look at the photos and are asking yourself, “Are those hot dog buns split in half?”
Yes. Yes, they are.
Meatball Marinara
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 1/2 cup chopped white onion
- 3 cloves minced garlic
- 1/3 cup Italian breadcrumbs (can substitute gluten-free breadcrumbs)
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. pepper
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1 large egg
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 1/2 lb. ground pork
Sauce and Cheese
- 32 oz. Marinara sauce
- 2 cups shredded mozirella cheese
- fresh parsley, chop for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add 1/2 cup chopped white onions and cook for 5 minutes.
- Add 3 cloves of garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Set aside and let cool.
- Combine 1/3 cup breadcrumbs, 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese, 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and set aside.
- Crack an egg in a small bowl and whisk it. Add 1/3 cup milk and whisk to combine.
- Combine the dry mixture with the wet mixture to form a smooth paste. Mix in the onions and garlic.
- Add the 1 lb. ground beef and 1/2 lb. ground pork to a large bowl and top with the mixture.
- Use your hands and gently mix until just barely combined.
- Roll into 1 1/2-inch meatballs. Our
9×13 pan held golf-ballish sized meatballs. - Pour 3/4 of the marinara sauce on the bottom of a 9×13 pan. Add the meatballs. Spoon remaining sauce over the top.
- Cover and bake for 30 minutes.
- Uncover and top with 2 cups of mozarella cheese.
- Bake 15 more minutes.
- Broil for additional 1-2 minutes at the end if desired.
- Top with fresh chopped parsley.
yes, I agree that meatballs deserve their own spotlight apart from pasta, sandwiches, etc so I appreciate this dish! No need to always pair them with carbs, and I love all types too, even chicken but this beef pork combo works too, thank you