This is a sweet Italian sausage meatball tucked inside of a beef meatball. Very yummy and a great conversation starter. This is a labor intensive effort, but it is one of the most flavorful and moist meatballs I’ve ever eaten. It is also a very fun way to serve a very standard but beloved dish. Serve with your favorite pasta.
Ingredients
Small Meatballs
- 4 sweet Italian pork sausage, casings removed
- ½ cup water, or as needed
Large Meatballs
- 2 ¼ pounds ground beef
- ½ cup Italian-seasoned bread crumbs
- ¼ cup ketchup
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoons granulated garlic
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
Sauce
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ sweet onion, minced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 1 (15 ounce) can no salt-added diced tomatoes with Italian herbs
- 2 teaspoons white sugar
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon dried sweet basil
- ½ teaspoon lemon juice
Directions
Step 1
Form pork sausage into small 1/2-inch meatballs using a small scoop. Fill a skillet with enough water to make a 1-inch depth; bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer. Cook meatballs in the simmering water until cooked through, about 15 minutes. Remove meatballs with a slotted spoon and cool on a paper towel-lined plate. Drain water.
Step 2
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Step 3
Mix ground beef, bread crumbs, ketchup, Parmesan cheese, Worcestershire sauce, egg, granulated garlic, and 1 teaspoon black pepper in a large bowl. Scoop ground beef mixture into about 1-inch portions using an ice cream scooper; form each portion around 1 small pork meatball to cover completely. Arrange double meatballs on a baking sheet.
Step 4
Bake in the preheated oven until meatballs are browned and partially cooked, about 25 minutes.
Step 5
Heat olive oil in a pot over medium heat; cook and stir onion and garlic in the hot oil until onion is softened, about 10 minutes. Add crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, sugar, Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon black pepper, basil, and lemon juice; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer sauce for 20 minutes. Add meatballs to sauce and simmer, stirring gently, until meatballs are fully cooked, about 20 more minutes.
Cook’s Note:
My 5 pork sausage links made 28 meatballs, but my beef only made 20, so I have 8 nice little meatballs I'm going to cut up and use on pizza next week. I would imagine 2 1/2 pounds of beef would probably make 28 meatballs, or use only 4 links of sausage instead of 5 for 2 1/4 pounds of beef. Whatever works!
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
Nutrition Facts | |
---|---|
Servings Per Recipe 8 | |
Calories 483 | |
% Daily Value * | |
Total Fat32g | 41% |
Saturated Fat12g | 58% |
Cholesterol121mg | 40% |
Sodium878mg | 38% |
Total Carbohydrate19g | 7% |
Dietary Fiber2g | 9% |
Total Sugars8g | |
Protein31g | |
Vitamin C17mg | 87% |
Calcium125mg | 10% |
Iron5mg | 28% |
Potassium766mg | 16% |
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
**Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.
(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient.If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.
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source by allrecipe
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