Thanks to our friend Trader Joe, I have not made meatballs from scratch in at least a year.  Maybe more.  But I know in my heart that the Trader Joe's turkey meatballs we've been eating really do pale in comparison to homemade meatballs, so yesterday I gave in and made the real thing.  You know, it only took maybe 10 min of prep time and I cooked them in the oven, so there wasn't a big greasy mess, and I didn't have to stand around watching them the whole time.  I can do this more than once a year!

Before I give you the recipe, I do just want to say that buying good ground beef is really important.  Did you read that article in the Sunday Times a few months ago about how ground beef is processed in this country?  http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/04/health/04meat.html  Not.  Good.  Really.  Not good.  So now I buy ground beef at Whole Foods, because it is a) from a single farm and b) ground in the store.  Mr. Simmer the Pot is sure he can taste the difference from using good quality meat, and he is an extreme foodie, so who knows, maybe he's right.

You don't need to buy the meat at Whole Foods--but at the very least, ask at the butcher counter to make sure the meat is ground in the store where you buy it.

Sauce recipe follows, in case you really feel like doing it up.

Happy cooking!

2 lbs ground beef

(Many people swear by a combo of meats; you can combine 1/2 lb ground veal, 1/2 lb ground pork, and 1 lb beef)

2 slices of bread soaked in 1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs

2 Tbsp chopped fresh Italian (flat-leaf) parsley

1/2 c freshly grated Parmesan cheese (if you don't like it or don't have it, just leave it out.)

2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

2 eggs, beaten

3/4 cup warm water

- Preheat the oven to 375, and cover two baking sheets in foil

- Put the slices of bread in a bowl, cover w. the milk, let the bread soak it up

- In the meantime, beat the eggs in a large bowl

- Add the bread and all other ingredients to the large bowl
(Those who are inclined to sneak more good-for-you things into your family's food: meatballs are perfect for this.  Add 1/4 c ground flax seeds, or sautee some finely chopped onion and carrots or kale and add to the meat mixture.)

- Gently mix everything together.  Some say to do it with a fork--you can try, but your hands are going in anyway, so just use them.  But take your rings off first.

- Mix w. hands (um, fork, whatever) until all the ingredients are well combined.  Try not to squish the meat too much.

- Make into 2-inch meatballs.  Put onto baking sheets covered w. aluminum foil. (You will need 2 sheets.)

- Bake at 375 for 10 min.  Then gently turn them so they won't be flat on one side.  If you forget--so, they're a little flat.  They will still taste good.  Bake 10-15 more min, or until done.

- When done, add to the sauce and simmer them in there for a while.  This will make both the sauce and the meatballs more delicious.

There are some really good jarred sauces out there now, so if you are not inclined to make your own, your dinner will still be great.  For jarred sauce, I like Jerry's Homemade Marinara http://jerryshomemade.com/OnlineStore.html

or Cento San Marzano Pasta Sauce (on sale at Shop Rite for $3.99!)

or honestly, plain old Ragu Old World Style.  That's what we ate as kids and it's not over-spiced.

BUT...if you do want to make sauce from scratch, it's not hard, and it will be extremely yummy and you will have leftover sauce which you can then freeze and whip out some night in the future.

Here's how:

Pasta Sauce


One medium Spanish or Vidalia onion (in a pinch, whatever you have is ok, really)
2 Tbsp olive oil
2-3 cloves of garlic
1 can tomato paste
2 28-oz cans chopped tomatoes (Jersey Fresh are remarkably good, Muir Glen if you want organic.)
1/4 cup of fresh chopped basil (or 1 Tbsp dried basil)
Small handful of fresh chopped parsley (or 1 Tbsp dried)
1/4 tsp dried oregano (don't overdo the oregano)
Salt and pepper to taste

- Finely dice the onion
- In a big pot, sauteé it in the olive oil over low-medium heat
- Once the onion is softened (3 min) add 2-3 cloves finely chopped garlic.  Sautee to soften the garlic but don't brown it or it will be bitter
- After 2-3 min, add 1 small can tomato paste; stir well. Cook 1-2 minutes
- Add 2 28-oz cans of chopped tomatoes.   Stir, stir, stir, scraping the good stuff from the bottom and mixing it into the sauce
- Stir in 1 cup water
- Add a handful of fresh chopped basil.  If you don't have fresh, add 1 Tbsp of the dried kind, along with the parsley and oregano
- Allow to simmer for 15 min uncovered.  Taste, then add salt and pepper.  Add the meatballs if you've made them and sauteé 15 min more. (If you don't have time, just mix the meatballs into the sauce and serve w. pasta--the meatballs/sauce will taste even better tomorrow!)

Enjoy your dinner.  And let me know how it turns out!