Italian Meatballs with Marinara

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Enjoy a beautifully balanced Sangiovese, an easy sipping wine that pairs perfectly with Italian food. Try this recipe, using the wine for making a rich, delicious sauce; then enjoy the rest with your meal. You will be coming back for more wine so save yourself the trip and pick up two bottles. Serve meatballs as an appetizer or over pasta.

Italian Marinara wine sauce with meatballs

Serves 8
Prep time: 20 minutes
Total time: 1:35

Ingredients:

Sauce:

  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 1 green bell pepper, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 1 large can diced tomatoes
  • 2 cups beef broth
  • ½ cup dry red wine (such as a Sangiovese blend)
  • 1 bay leaf
  • ½ teaspoon each fresh thyme, basil, and marjoram, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • Salt and pepper to taste

    Meat balls:

  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 4 ounces ground pork sausage
  • ¼ cup dry bread crumbs
  • 1 egg, well beaten
  • ¼ cup milk
  • 1 medium sage, finely chopped
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Corn meal

    Instructions:

    Sauce: Sauté onion, green pepper and garlic in oil until softened. Blend in flour, add tomatoes, broth and wine. Cook stirring constantly until mixture comes to a boil. Reduce heat, add herbs, sugar, salt and pepper, cover and simmer gently for one hour. Meanwhile prepare the meatballs.

    For the meatballs: Combine all ingredients except for the corn meal, mixing well. Form about 1 teaspoon of mixture into a ball and roll in the corn meal. Repeat until all the meat mixture has been shaped. Place on a baking sheet and cook until browned. Add to sauce and simmer for 15 minutes.

    Terri's Tips:

    Prepare sauce in advance and refrigerated overnight with the meatballs to allow the flavors to blend and develop

    Cooking Wiser:

    Decrease fat- Substitute ground turkey for pork and use lean ground beef

    Make it Your Own

    Serve meatballs over pasta, on French bread for a sub sandwich- add mozzarella cheese on top and melt under broiler for 2 minutes, or on skewers as an appetizer- serve additional sauce on the side