Baked Meatballs With Tomato Sauce

Ingredients

Tomato Sauce

• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 onion, finely diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes
• 2 Tbsp. fresh basil, chopped
• 1 tsp. salt (plus more as needed)
• 1/2 tsp. pepper

Meatballs

• 1 lb. lean ground beef
• 1/2 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
• 1 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated
• 1 cup panko bread crumbs
• 1 egg
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 small shallot, minced
• 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• salt & fresh cracked pepper to taste

Directions

Tomato Sauce

1. Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
2. Add onion and cook, stirring, until softened.
3. Add garlic and crushed red pepper flakes and cook, stirring, for another minute.
4. Stir in the tomato tomato paste and the canned tomatoes, fresh basil, salt and pepper.
5. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and allow to simmer while you make the meatballs.

Meatballs

1. Prepare a cast-iron frying pan by wiping with olive oil. Pre-heat oven to 400 ° F.
2. Place all the meatball ingredients into a mixing bowl and combine the ingredients first with a wooden spoon and then by hand to combine all the ingredients evenly.
3. Form 8 meatballs and place them into the cast iron frying pan. Place into the preheated oven and bake for 40 minutes until the meat has cooked through.
4. Continue to simmer the tomato sauce, stirring occasionally and breaking up larger pieces of tomato.
5. After 40 minutes of cooking, remove the frying pan from the oven. Spoon off any fat that has accumulated in the pan, without moving the meatballs.
6. Taste your tomato sauce and add salt and pepper as needed, to taste.
7. Pour the tomato sauce over the meatballs and distribute evenly in the pan.
8. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and return to the oven and allow to cook a further 20-30 minutes, until the sauce is reduced.
9. Serve over your favorite pasta.