I remember back when my birthday would last an entire month…not just one day. I remember that far back because last year, (when I was 8 1/2 months preggo), was the first year my birthday didn’t last a whole month. In fact, it barely lasted at all..I worked a 12 hour shift that day…we went to dinner, but of course I was exhausted from being on my feet all day, being the size of a whale, and the only cocktails involved were virgin. I guess I got Lucky having 22 years of month long celebrations…I am grateful for them, because they are forever gone…this Thursday its my birthday, and I will be working and my fiance is writing about 12 different research papers in five days. boo. We’re getting all glammed up and going out Friday night, so I’m kind of using that as my birthday celebration!
Its funny because I completely forgot about my birthday..Ive been so focused on planning my sons first birthday party, it almost slipped my mind until I realized today is May 1st…funny how things change 🙂 I’m so glad they did!
So remember last week when I told you I was a single girl for four days..my fiance had to go away for training…well his training involved being in the woods for four days..cold, rainy, and wet. So when he came home Sunday night, I could think of nothing better to make than a nice hot, hearty, home cooked, comfort food of spaghetti & meatballs! What a happy man he was! Ive made meatballs plenty of times..Ive even blogged about them before…but these babies were the best I have had to date! And the sauce..mmm it was so flavorful, a hint of heat, and the perfect accompaniment to these divine meatballs..I could smell them in my house for the few hours before I went to pick him up…my little guy and I couldn’t keep our fingers out..we just kept munching! You want to make these, they are SO wonderful! Perfect Italian dinner!
Ingredients
- 1/2 of a small yellow onion, minced
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 lb. 90% lean ground beef
- 1 lb. extra lean ground turkey
- 4 garlic cloves, grated
- 2 Tablespoons Worcestershire
- 1/2 cup Pecorino Romano, freshly grated (plus extra for serving!)
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 Tablespoon red wine
- 1/2 cup whole wheat seasoned bread crumbs
- 1/2 of a yellow onion, diced
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 3-28 ounce cans crushed tomatoes
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley, roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup beef broth
- 20 fresh basil leaves
- 2Tablespoons red wine
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire
- salt and pepper to taste
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
- In a skillet, on medium heat, heat up 1 teaspoon olive oil. Add the minced onion, and cook until soft and translucent. Set aside.
- In a large bowl combine the ground beef, ground turkey, garlic, Worcestershire, pecorino Romano, the beaten egg, red wine, bread crumbs, and the sautéed onions. Mix well, using your hands is best!
- Spray baking sheet with cooking spray.
- Roll meat into 1-1 1/2 inch round meatballs and place on baking sheet about an inch apart. Bake the meatballs for 10-12 minutes, until no longer pink.
- While the meatballs are in the oven, get started on your sauce. In a large saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat.
- Add the diced onion, garlic, and crushed red pepper. Sauté until soft, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add the three cans of crushed tomatoes, fresh parsley, beef broth, basil leaves, red wine, oregano, Worcestershire, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix to combine.
- Bring to a boil, and reduce heat to a simmer.
- Once the meatballs are done, pull them from the oven and add them to the sauce.
- Simmer on low for anywhere from 30 minutes to a couple hours. I let mine simmer for about two hours and I feel like it really brought the flavors out and allowed the meatballs to soak up some of the delicious sauce!
- Serve with some freshly grated cheese and Enjoy!
Notes
Adapted from : Rachael Ray
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