Chef notes
Meatball salad is a fun and creative way to serve these classic Italian bites. The warm, saucy meatballs go great with a cool, crisp green salad.
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground veal
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 pound ground pork
- 5 cloves garlic, chopped
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 handful parsley, chopped
- 6 Calabrian chilies, chopped
- 1 cup cubed white bread
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1/2 cup prosecco
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/4 cup chopped white onion
- 3 cloves garlic
- One 28-ounce can whole tomatoes in puree
- 1 handful basil
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Mixed green salad
- Salad dressing, homemade or store-bought
Preparation
For the meatballs:
1.Preheat oven to 400°F.
2.In a mixing bowl, combine chopped meats with a pinch of salt and black pepper. Add garlic, eggs, grated cheese, parsley and chilies and mix well.
3.Dip the cubed bread in the prosecco.
4.Add soaked bread into the mixing bowl with the rest of the ingredients and combine by hand, mixing it all together.
5.Portion the mixture into 6-ounce balls.
6.Place meatballs on a rimmed baking sheet and place in the preheated oven for 18-25 minutes, until the centers are no longer pink.
For the sauce:
In a saucepot over medium heat, add the olive oil and sauté the onion and garlic, add tomato puree. Season with salt and pepper add basil and let simmer.
Transfer the meatballs from the oven into the simmering sauce with all the juices and continue to cook on simmer for 4 hours.
To serve:
Plate salad first and then add one meatball, in sauce, atop. Douse with prepared salad dressing and serve.
