Tender Italian-Style Meatballs in Tomato Sauce (No Frying Required)

Name: Tender Italian-Style Meatballs in Tomato Sauce (No Frying Required)
Ingredients: olive oil; 4 strúčik garlic; tomato paste; whole peeled crushed tomatoes; water; salt; black pepper; fresh basil; 450 g beef; 225 g pork; stale bread; whole milk; 1 Šálka Parmesan cheese; 1 egg

#meatballs#tomato sauce#basil#Italian recipe#beef

These tender Italian-inspired meatballs simmer gently in a flavorful tomato sauce infused with garlic and fresh basil. Made without frying, the meatballs stay soft and juicy thanks to soaked bread and a blend of beef and pork, creating a comforting dish perfect for a cozy meal.

Ingredients extracted via AI

olive oil4 strúčik garlictomato pastewhole peeled crushed tomatoeswatersaltblack pepperfresh basil450 g beef225 g porkstale breadwhole milk1 Šálka Parmesan cheese1 egg

Procedure generated via AI

Heat a generous amount of olive oil in a pan and add several garlic cloves. Let the garlic infuse the oil without burning. When you start to smell the garlic aroma, add the tomato paste and whole peeled crushed tomatoes.
Pour in some water from the canned tomatoes jar, cover, and gently shake the pan to incorporate all the flavors.
Season the sauce with salt, black pepper, and plenty of fresh basil. Stir and let the sauce simmer slowly. Once it starts to boil, reduce the heat to low.
For the meat mixture, use 450 g of beef (85% lean) and 225 g of pork. Soak a piece of stale bread in whole milk until fully absorbed to create a moist base for soft meatballs.
After soaking, squeeze out the excess milk from the bread well to prevent the meatballs from becoming too soft. Add the bread to the meat mixture along with one cup of grated Parmesan, one egg, a pinch of salt, black pepper, and freshly grated garlic.
Mix all ingredients thoroughly by hand until well combined and you get a uniform mixture with a pale pink color.
Shape the mixture into meatballs of your preferred size and immediately place them into the gently simmering tomato sauce.
Cook the meatballs in the sauce over low heat for about 30 to 40 minutes, allowing the meat to cook through and the sauce to absorb their flavor.
Once cooked, serve the meatballs separately as a main course (secondo) with fresh bread and a spoonful of the sauce on top.
Test the tenderness of the meatballs by lightly pressing them with a fork—they should be very soft and juicy.