Meatball Parm Bake

Oven baked meatballs means no stove top splatter!
Serve them with pasta or rice. Or you could use them in a meatball sub!

Ingredients:

For the sauce:

2-28 oz cans diced tomatoes
1 - 2 tbsps olive oil
1 small onion chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsps tomato paste
1/2 tsp salt
black pepper
1 tsp oregano
pinch of fennel seeds
1/2 tsp thyme
1 tsp basil
1 tsp parsley
1/2 tsp sugar
some red wine if you have it ; )
1 or 2 carrots

For the meatballs:
1 lb medium ground beef
3 or 4 tbsps fresh baguette, torn in small pieces
2 tbsps balsamic vinegar or red wine
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1/3 cup onion, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp olive oil

1  1/2 - 2 cups pizza mozzarella, shredded

Start the sauce in a large pot...lightly brown onion and garlic in olive oil, then add the rest of the sauce ingredients. Simmer uncovered on low heat for about 1 hour or until the carrots are cooked. Remove the carrots to a plate and purée the sauce with an immersion blender.

For the meatballs, crumble the baguette and soak in 2 tbsps balsamic or red wine for about 10 minutes.

Add the ground beef, onion, garlic and parmesan. Combine the eggs, milk and olive oil and add to the meat.

Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or foil and spray with cooking oil. Take large heaping tablespoonfuls of the mixture, form into balls and place on the baking sheet.

Bake at 350 F for 30 minutes.

Spoon some of the sauce into the bottom of a baking dish, nestle the meatballs in and cover with more sauce.

Top with cheese and you could add some parsley or oregano.

Bake covered at 375 F for 20 minutes, then uncover and bake another 20 minutes. Broil the top for 2-3 minutes to get it good and golden!

There's enough sauce left for some pasta on the side.
And don't forget to serve those carrots!

Serves 4-6
Makes a dozen large meatballs