Print

Braised Meatballs with Buttered Noodles

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

4 from 1 review

Tender, savory meatballs simmered for hours in the oven paired with buttery noodles is the ultimate weekend comfort food experience.

Ingredients

Scale

For the Meatballs

  • 4 eggs
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 2 tablespoons 2% milk
  • 1 teaspoon fennel seed
  • 1teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 cup dried breadcrumbs
  • 1 pound ground pork
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1/4 cup olive oil

For the Sauce

  • 1/2 onion, cut into 2” chunks
  • 2 large carrots, sliced into 2” pieces
  • 4 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
  • 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 1 (28-oz) can whole peeled tomatoes
  • 1 cup vegetable stock
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1/2 cup roughly chopped parsley

Instructions

How to Make the Meatballs

  1. In a large bowl, mix the eggs, Parmesan cheese, milk, fennel seed, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and dried breadcrumbs. Add the ground beef and pork to the bowl and mix everything together until it’s combined (I use my hands to do this).
  2. Take about three tablespoons of the mixture and roll it between your hands to form the meatballs. You end up with about 24 balls.
  3. In a Dutch oven or stockpot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Working in batches, cook the meatballs in the oil just until they are seared on the outside, which should only take a few minutes on each side. Remove them from the heat and set them aside.

How to Make the Sauce

  1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
  2. Add the onion, carrot, and garlic to the same pan you used to brown the meatballs. Add the balsamic vinegar and, using a spatula or wooden spoon, scrape up any browned bits off the bottom of the pot. Add the whole tomatoes plus all of the liquid in the can. Add the vegetable stock and bring the pot to a simmer. Add the tomato paste and Worcestershire sauce. Add the meatballs to the pot making sure that they are submerged in the liquid. Add the parsley and cover the pot with a lid (leave it slightly open to allow steam to escape while in the oven).
  3. Place the pot in the preheated oven and cook the meatballs for an hour and a half.
  4. Remove the pot from the oven and take out all of the meatballs and set them aside. Using a fine-mesh sieve, strain the liquid and discard the solids. Pour the sauce back into the pot and bring it to a boil over high heat. Once it boils reduce the heat to maintain a strong simmer and reduce the sauce for 20 minutes or until it starts to thicken. Add the meatballs to the sauce and reduce the heat to keep it all at a low simmer while you make the noodles.

Notes

Recipe Inspired by Crunch Time Kitchen

Nutrition