Nonna’s Meatballs
A DISCLAIMER. Nonna does not tend to use exact quantities in her recipes. She cooks uses her senses, looking, smelling, tasting and touching along the way to ensure the chicken stock is properly salted, the flavors of the tomato sauce have melded, and the consistency of the risotto is perfect. I’ve added estimated quantities based on Nonna’s instructions for you to use as a guide. Taste as you go and make additions and substitutions as you see fit. That’s how I learned to cook and it’s my favorite part of being in the kitchen.
what you need:
1 pound ground beef
2 pieces of soft bread
1 egg
2 28 oz cans of whole san marzano tomatoes
6 oz can of tomato paste
freshly grated parmesan
6 garlic cloves
parsley (fresh for flavor or dried for convenience, as Nonna would say)
corn oil
1 pound of penne
what you do:
1: The Marinara Sauce
*for a more flavorful sauce, use the recipe for marinara sauce included in Nonna’s Red Risotto which uses braciole.
Add 1-2 tbsp of corn oil to your pot and heat before adding 3-4 garlic cloves that have been very roughly chopped. Cook garlic 3-4 until golden brown (not burned) and discard. Add 2 cans of pureed San Marzano tomatoes + one can of water. Cook for 10 mins, then add tomato paste, a handful of chopped parsley, and salt+pep. Simmer for ~2 hours (the longer the better) until the sauce is deep red and flavorful. Season with more s+p as necessary.
2: The Meatballs
Add ground beef to a bowl and season with ~ 1 tsp each salt+pep. Wet bread until moist but not too soggy (I know I know, sounds nasty, but trust Nonna and trust the process). Crumble bread into the meat mixture (making sure there are no large pieces) and add ~1/3 cup of freshly grated parm, 2 cloves of chopped garlic, 1 egg, healthy sprinkle of parsley. Mix using your hands and then form into 8-10 evenly sized meatballs.
Heat corn oil in your pot (enough so it’s 1/4- 1/2 inch deep) and add meatballs in one at a time (they should immediately start sizzling when they hit the oil). Fry until golden brown on one side, then flip. NONNA TIP: If your meatballs are sticking to the pan don’t try to turn them as they will just break apart instead, let them cook 1-2 mins longer. As they get darker brown they will naturally release from the pan. Once finished cooking, set aside in another pot. Once the marinara sauce is finished, ladle a few spoonfuls of sauce over the meatballs and keep warm over low heat.
3: The Pasta
In the meantime, cook your pasta. I suggest using penne or rigatoni. Really any shape will do but I have a real hatred for spaghetti (even Nonna agreed), so keep that in mind. Toss pasta with remaining marinara and more parm. Enjoy with your meatballs and a crusty loaf of bread.
