Meatballs and Sunday Gravy

Meatballs and Sunday Gravy Dish Guide

For the Meatballs

1lb meatball/meatloaf mix or 1/3 lb each of ground beef, pork and veal

½ cup breadcrumbs

1/3 milk (any kind … ok not chocolate)

1 egg

¼ cup chopped fresh parsley

2 cloves minced garlic

½ cup minced onion

¼ cup grated parmesan cheese (more or less to taste)

Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix thoroughly, adding more breadcrumbs or milk if the meat mixture is too loose or too mealy. Form into roughly golf-ball sized balls by rolling in your palms. Place meatballs in a (preferably) non-stick skillet over medium heat and cook until the first side is golden brown. Flip meatballs and cook until the opposite size is also brown. From here you can either place on a baking sheet and place in a 375 oven for about 30 minutes or until cooked or you can transfer them into a red tomato sauce to finish.

For the Sunday Gravy

1 T olive oil

1 onion, minced (anywhere from 2/3-1 cup is fine)

3-4 garlic cloves, minced

Splash (1-2 t of balsamic vinegar)

1 T dry Italian seasoning

2 t of granulated sugar

1 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes plus ¼ cup of water used to rinse tomato can

Salt and pepper to taste

Sweat the onions and garlic in the olive oil over medium heat until they are soft and translucent (8-10 min). Add the Italian seasoning and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and water, vinegar and sugar and stir to combine. Simmer covered for at least 15 minutes to cook everything through. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as desired. At this point you have a basic Italian red sauce. Add the meatballs now if you wish and cook covered on medium low for an addition 45 to an hour ideally (though the meatballs will be done in 15-20 minutes the flavor and texture is far better with a little simmering.

For the Meatball Sub

Meatballs and Sunday Gravy

Sub or Hoagie roll

2 slices of provolone

Parmesan and herbs to garnish

Cut the top center out of a sub or hoagie roll and dig out a bit of the bread making a “canoe” for your meatballs and sauce to sit in. Place 2-4 meatballs in the bread boat and top with provolone cheese. Park under the broiler until the cheese is melted and golden brown and the bread is toasted (2-3 min). Garnish with fresh Parmesan and/or chopped basil and parsley.

Dish Notes

The term Sunday gravy refers to any Italian red sauce that has had meat simmered in it for a period of time. The sauce adopts a more luxurious texture from the fats and even connective tissues in the meats. Try a big batch with braised short ribs, sausages or braciole! If you cook your meatballs in a stainless steel pan, add a splash of water to the delicious fond on the bottom of the pan after you take it out and scrape up all those yummy bits and get that in your Sunday gravy! Ok – no more tips or the mafia will be after me. Enjoy.