Y’all know about my kids and meatballs. I make them a lot since 2 of them won’t touch meat sauce with a ten foot pole, but they’ll happily devour all the same ingredients in a meatball form.

This is a super easy weeknight dish, that pulls out all of those italian comfort food flavors we know and love.

And yes, I cheat a bit by adding in jarred tomato sauce, so I don’t have to spend too long simmering the marinara on a busy weeknight. A quick timesaver swap, if you will.

When I add in jarred sauce, I stick to lucini. Clean ingredients, no added sugar, it’s as close to the fresh stuff as you’re gonna get.

I also make sure to start with fresh ingredients, to make it all homey.

Ingredients:

marinara

2 Tbsp evoo

1 yellow onion, grated

6 basil leaves, torn

1/2 cup chardonay

1 cup chicken stock

24 oz strained tomatoes

pinch of salt

24 oz lucini tuscan tomato sauce

5 leaves basil, torn

meatballs

1/4 cup grated sweet onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

5 leaves basil, thinly sliced

1/2 cup pork panko

2 eggs

handful minced italian parsley

2 scallions thinly sliced, green and light green parts

1/2 tsp white pepper

1 tsp salt

2 lbs ground beef

1 lb ground pork

Directions:

Preheat oven to high broil.

In a large sauce pan or brasier, heat evoo over medium heat until shimmering.

Add in 1 cup of grated yellow onion. Sauté until softened.

Add 4 cloves of minced garlic and 6 leaves of sliced basil.

Stir to combine.

Add in wine and stock. Bring to a boil.

Once boiling, add in strained tomatoes, and a pinch of salt. Let simmer for 30 minutes.

While simmering, make meatballs.

Combine 1/4 cup grated sweet onion, 2 cloves minced garlic, 5 leaves sliced basil, pork panko, eggs, italian parsley, 2 scallions, white pepper, 1 tsp salt, ground beef and pork.

I like to use my hands. Be careful not to over work mixture.

Use a cookie scoop to make uniform sized balls, but then your hands to shape them.

Place on a tin foil lined oven safe tray.

Broil for 8 minutes or until browned. Flip over and broil for an additional 8 minutes, or until golden brown.

Once marinara has simmered for 30 minutes, add in 24 oz lucini tuscan tomato sauce, stirring to combine.

Add broiled meatballs to pan, and let simmer in marinara sauce for 20 minutes.

Top with 5 leaves of sliced basil before serving.