TINY MEATBALLS RECIPES

Steps:

• Heat two tablespoons of olive oil in a heavy stainless steel saucepan over a gentle heat and add the onion and garlic. Cover and sweat for four minutes, until soft and a little golden. Allow to cool.
• In a bowl, mix the minced beef with the cold sweated onion and garlic. Add the herbs and the beaten egg. Season the mixture with salt and pepper.
• Fry a tiny bit to check the seasoning and adjust if necessary. Divide the mixture into approximately 24 round balls. Cover the meatballs and refrigerate until required.
• Meanwhile, make the tomato sauce. Heat the oil in a stainless steel saucepan.
• Add the sliced onion and the crushed garlic, toss until coated, cover, and sweat on a gentle heat until soft and pale golden.
• Slice the canned tomatoes and add, with all the juice, to the onion mixture.
• Season the contents with sugar, salt and freshly ground pepper.
• Cook the tomatoes uncovered for approximately 30 minutes or until the tomato softens (while this is cooking make the meatballs).
• Heat a frying pan and cook the meatballs for about 10 minutes in about three tablespoons of olive oil.
• When they are cooked, put them into an ovenproof dish with the tomato sauce and top with the grated mozzarella. Place under a preheated grill until the cheese has melted.
• Serve with spaghetti.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Brush a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with oil.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the spaghetti according to the package instructions for al dente. Strain, add back to the pot and toss with some oil.
• Meanwhile, make the meatballs: Soak the bread with 2 tablespoons of the milk in a medium bowl, tossing occasionally, until completely soft, about 5 minutes. While the bread softens, combine the beef, pork, 1 of the eggs, 1/3 cup of the Parmesan, the minced garlic, 1 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper in another medium bowl. Add the soaked bread to the meat mixture. Gently incorporate all the ingredients with your hands until well combined.
• Brush a baking sheet with oil, and drop teaspoonfuls of the meatball mixture onto it. Brush your hands with a little oil, roll the mounds into balls and space them out evenly on the baking sheet. Bake until golden brown and almost completely cooked through, about 10 minutes.
• Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Add the meatballs, mozzarella and sun-dried tomatoes to the cooked pasta, toss to combine and transfer to the prepared baking dish.
• Whisk together the marinara sauce, the remaining 5 eggs, 2/3 cup Parmesan and 1/4 cup milk, the sliced garlic and 1 teaspoon salt in one of the empty bowls. Pour the sauce mixture over the spaghetti mixture, and press the spaghetti into a flat, even layer. Sprinkle the parsley over the top. Cover with foil, and bake until the casserole is hot and almost completely set, about 30 minutes. Remove the foil, and continue baking until the top of the casserole is set, about 10 minutes more. Let cool for a few minutes. Cut into squares, and serve warm.