It’s Meatball Time!
I get so excited whenever I make meatballs because it’s my favorite food to eat!
Although I love all meatballs, it’s something about Meatballs with Red Sauce that makes me extra happy!
First, these are not your regular meatballs.
I took ground turkey, you could use beef!
Next, I added ground bacon, YES, ground bacon to the ground turkey.
I also pureed my vegetables in a blender which adds moisture to the meatballs.
Lastly, I added a bunch of my favorite spices like creole seasoning, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and oregano.
Don’t forget the bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese.
Roll these babies into balls and set them aside as we prepare to fry them up!
I rolled the balls into a little seasoned flour then fried them in olive oil.
Make up a batch of my red sauce and allow the meatballs to finish cooking in the sauce for about 40 minutes.
Serve over hot pasta or eat them with the sauce and a side of crusty bread like I did.
I ate so many meatballs I had to stop eating the pasta because it was making me too full!
Don’t forget to garnish with extra Parmesan cheese.
Enjoy!
Meatballs with Red Sauce
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
Ingredients
- 2 lbs ground turkey or beef
- 6 slices bacon
- 1 cup bread crumbs
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup chicken stock
- 1 cup red onion, diced
- 1 cup Italian parsley
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 1/2 tablespoon of creole seasoning
- 1/2 tablespoon black pepper
- 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1/2 tablespoon onion powder
- 1/2 tablespoon dried oregano, crushed
- 2 cups flour
- extra virgin olive oil
For the Red Sauce:
- 2 28 ounce cans tomatoes, crushed
- 1 6 ounce can tomato paste
- 2 1/2 cups chicken broth
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 cup red onion, diced
- 1/2 cup Italian parsley
- 1 tablespoon creole seasoning
- 1/2 tablespoon black pepper
- 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1/2 tablespoon onion powder
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano, crushed
- pinch of red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- extra virgin olive oil
- pasta to serve
- garnish with fresh parsley and cheese
Instructions
- Mix seasoning blend together and set aside.
- Add flour to a large bowl, add 1 tablespoon of seasoning blend and mix well, set aside.
- Add bacon to blender or food processor and chop finely.
- Place bacon in a separate bowl from flour.
- Add onion, parsley, and garlic to food process and puree.
- Add vegetable puree to bacon, add remaining meatballs ingredients and seasonings to the bowl and mix well.
- Form meatballs by using 1/2 dry measuring cup.
- Place about 3 tablespoons of olive oil into a large skillet over medium heat.
- Roll meatballs into flour mixture removing excess flour.
- Add meatballs to hot oil and fry about 3-4 minutes per side.
- Transfer meatballs to a plate and repeat until all meatballs are fried.
To Prepare the Red Sauce:
- Add about 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a large pot over medium heat.
- Add onion and saute about 5 minutes.
- Add garlic and cook 2 minutes more.
- Add tomato paste and cook 5 minutes.
- Add remaining ingredients to pan, stir and bring to boil.
- Reduce heat to low, add meatballs to pan and cook about 40 minutes, uncovered.
- Serve with hot pasta and extra cheese
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4-6
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