Easy Meatballs In A Light Tomato Sauce

This recipe for easy meatballs in a light tomato sauce was found in a cookbook one night, long ago, when ground beef was going to be the protein of the day. I did not want to make a heavy tomato sauce with meatballs and spaghetti.

Meatloaf did not sound good and a Mexican dish did not sound particularly appetizing either. Searching through cookbooks for something new and different, I found this recipe. Since then, it has become one of my favorite ways to use ground beef.

This is such an easy recipe to make. Bread crumbs, an egg, salt, pepper, and a little bit of water are added to the ground meat and mixed well. Then, meatballs are shaped and browned in a skillet. Next, they are removed and placed on a plate.

The vegetables are cut and added to the drippings in the pan. They are cooked for five minutes. Then, white wine, basil, and the tomatoes with juice are stirred into the vegetable mixture.

The vegetables are cooked for a few minutes until crisp-tender. The fresh vegetables cooked this way are really delicious. (I don't like them overcooked.)

Then the meatballs are returned to the skillet. The mixture is brought up to a boil. The stove is turned down to a simmer and the skillet is covered with a lid.

Then, the mixture is simmered for about 15 minutes or until the meat is done.

These meatballs are tender and juicy. The fresh breadcrumbs added to the ground beef gives them a nice texture and the added bread crumbs with the extra water make the meatballs so moist!

I usually use canned petite diced tomatoes, unless it is summer and we have fresh garden grown tomatoes. Most of the tomatoes from the store are not as flavorful and are mushy. The canned tomatoes are picked and canned at the optimum time and will still have a better flavor than those from the grocery.

In an earlier post, I wrote about how I tested two different kinds of canned tomatoes on a whim. Boy, was I surprised! The 'Hunt's' brand tomatoes were so much better tasting, in my opinion! Who would have thought there would be such a difference from one brand to another? You might want to try this for yourself! Clearly, that has affected my choice of canned tomatoes.

If you want to use fresh ripe tomatoes, just peel them and dice them before adding to the recipe. A little water or chicken broth can be added to thin the sauce if it seems too thick.

My family likes this over thin spaghetti, which cooks in 6-minutes, but it would be good over rice, too. Add some fresh parsley on top of each serving. I know it seems a little strange to me, but lemon zest sprinkled on top of each serving adds a little tang to this dish and really brightens the flavor. I highly recommend trying it, at least once.

So, if you are looking for something a little different for a ground beef recipe, try this recipe for Easy Meatballs in A Light Tomato Sauce.

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