What’s not to love about jumbo meatballs, right? And these ae even better now that I have found a local butcher that grinds bacon into his ground beef to make this luscious bacon-y beef that would be perfect for lots of things — I’ve used it for bolognese, burgers and these here jumbo meatballs (also works with regular mince, if you can find the bacon-y kind. The meatballs are the size of my fist and one is usually enough per person (though I usually make extras. Totally hearty and filling!
Ingredients
For the meatballs
Olive oil
3 cups white Italian style bread cut in 1” dice
1 cup whole milk
1 egg lightly beaten
2 pounds ground “bacon and Beef”*
1/2 medium onion chopped
1/2 cup finely minced fresh parsley (2 tablespoons if dried)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
3 ounces (1 cup) finely grated parmesan cheese
1 cup whole milk Ricotta cheese
salt and pepper
For the sauce
4 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 medium onion chopped
2 garlic cloves minced
24 ounces roma tomatoes, whole
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
salt and pepper
to serve
1 pound spaghetti
basil leaves, torn (optional)
additional parmesan (optional)
Directions
Preheat the oven to 450F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and drizzle with olive oil. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the cubed bread and milk. Set aside for 2-3 minutes until bread is softened. Using your fingers, a fork or a potato masher, mix the bread and milk until thoroughly combined. Add the egg and thoroughly combine, to create a panade. Add all remaining ingredients for meatballs. Mix until combined. Turn out on a cutting board and divide into 8 equal pieces. Shape into large meatballs. Place the meatballs on the prepared baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.
While the meatballs are baking, prepare the sauce. Using scissors or a knife, make the whole canned tomatoes smaller (cut right in the can or stab at them with the knife). In a large Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the onions and cook 4-5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for one additional minute. Add the tomatoes (if you want a smoother sauce, use a tomato masher to mash some of them, otherwise leave them chunky), oregano, basil, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until you remove the meatballs from the oven.
Transfer the browned meatballs to the pot with the tomato sauce. Spoon tomato sauce over the meatballs, turn the heat down to a steady simmer and cover the pan. Cook 30 minutes or until meatballs are cooked through (150-159F internal temperature).
While the meatballs and sauce are simmering, cook the pasta according to its package directions. Serve one meatball per person along with some of the sauce over a serving of pasta. Top with shaved Parmesan or Romano cheese if desired.
*Some butchers will grind bacon and beef together, creating a bacon-y ground beef. If you can’t find it, you can just use ground beef (85% lean) or add some rendered bacon drippings or finely chopped raw bacon to your beef.
