Meatballs in homemade tomato sauce

What does it include?

Ingredients

• 500 g minced meat (mixed or beef)
• 1 egg
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 small onion
• 2 tablespoons breadcrumbs
• 2 tablespoons of milk
• 400 g crushed tomato
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste (optional)
• 1 bay leaf
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Chopped fresh parsley

How to prepare it step by step?

Preparation

1. Prepare the ingredients: finely chop 1/2 onion and 1 clove of garlic; grate or chop the parsley. Measure breadcrumbs and milk.
2. Mix the meat: in a large bowl place the minced meat, add the egg, chopped onion and garlic, breadcrumbs, milk, salt, pepper and parsley. Mix with your hands (clean) until integrated: about 2–3 minutes, avoiding overworking so that they are not hard.
3. Form the meatballs: moisten your hands and form balls of uniform size (approx. 25–30 g each). Place them on a tray without stacking.
4. Sear the meatballs: Heat a large skillet with 2 tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat. Brown the meatballs on all sides in batches (do not overcrowd the pan) until they color, 2–3 min per batch. It is not necessary to cook them completely. Reserve on a plate.
5. Make the base of the sauce: in the same pan add 1 tablespoon of oil if missing and sauté the other clove of chopped garlic and the remaining chopped onion over medium heat until translucent (6–8 min). Scrape away any juices left behind by the meatballs to add flavor.
6. Add the tomato: add the crushed tomato and the concentrate if you use. Add the bay leaf, salt and pepper. Bring to a gentle boil and reduce the heat.
7. Complete cooking: return the meatballs to the pan, partially cover and cook over medium-low heat for 15–20 minutes, turning occasionally to coat them with the sauce. If the sauce is too thick, add 50–100 ml of water or broth.
8. Adjust seasoning and texture: taste the sauce and adjust salt, pepper and parsley. If you want a thinner sauce, put it through the blender before adding the meatballs (in that case, reserve a few to put on top).
9. Serve: Serve hot with white rice, puree or bread. Sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley and, optional, a splash of raw oil.