Meatballs in Marinara 

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 lb ground pork 
• 2 teaspoons salt 
• 1 teaspoon pepper 
• 1 lemon, zested 
• 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs 
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme 
• 1/2 teaspoon dried sage 
• 2 tablespoons flat leaf parsley, chopped 
• 3/4 cup freshly grated parmesan 
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream

For the marinara: 

• 1 shallot, minced 
• 3 cloves garlic, minced 
• 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
• 1/4 cup red wine 
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste 
• 32 oz tomato sauce, Pomi or Colavita is my favorite 
• 1 parmesan rind 
• 2 teaspoons salt 
• 1 teaspoon pepper 
• fresh basil & parmesan for topping 

INSTRUCTIONS: 

For the meatballs, place meat in bowl along with the rest of the ingredients. Mix until JUST combined. Do not over mix! Form meat mixture into balls about two tablespoons in size. 

In a large skillet, drizzle 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium hight heat. Brown meatballs on all sides, not worrying about fully cooking them. Remove and set aside. 

In the same skillet we will make our marinara. After meatballs are removed, turn heat down to medium. If there are not enough drippings in the pan, add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add shallots and garlic. Sprinkle with a dash of salt. Cook on low heat just until fragrant. About 1 minute. Add herbs. Turn heat up to high and pour in red wine to deglaze pan. Let reduce for 1 minute. Turn heat up to medium and add tomato paste, stirring for 30 seconds. Add tomato sauce, salt & pepper, and parmesan rind. Turn heat sauce down to a slow simmer. Add meatballs to the pan. Cover and cook simmering for about 20 minutes. The longer and slower you simmer the meatballs the more tender they will be! Top with fresh basil and parmesan. Serve with pasta or spaghetti squash.