The Dangers of Watching TV Over Breakfast

So, we were lounging about yesterday morning, thrilled at having no plans for the entire weekend (a rare occurrence indeed). We were enjoying some (deer) steak and eggs for breakfast and watching The Pioneer Women on the Food Network channel. We like Ree a lot. They seem to have a really cool family, and her recipes sound delicious and totally make-able.

Anyway, while we were eating breakfast yesterday, Ree was making Rigatoni and Meatballs. The meatballs looked amazing, and the more we watched, the more we thought we needed meatballs for dinner last night. I've made meatballs plenty of times, but have always used either my mom's recipe or no recipe at all. We decided we needed Ree's meatballs.

And so, as we ventured out in the rain and drizzle for a few Christmas things, we stopped by Kroger for meatballs fixin's. And nothing against rigatoni, but decided we really wanted spaghetti with our meatballs.

Three things we did differently: We used 3/4 cup breadcrumbs instead of processing fresh bread slices. We didn't freeze our meatballs before searing them. We used jarred sauce instead of homemade so we could eat a little sooner.

In short, they are delicious. We woke up this morning talking about meatballs for lunch, dinner, at work tomorrow...you get the idea. Without further ado, here's the recipe as found on Food Network.

The Pioneer Woman's Meatballs.

6 thick slices crusty bread
12 ounces ground beef
12 ounces ground pork
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus more for serving
1/4 cup whole milk
1/4 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley, plus more for serving
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup olive oil
 
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F. Place the bread on a baking sheet. Bake until totally dry, about 30 minutes.

Break the bread into chunks. Pulse in a food processor until the bread turns into crumbs. Throw in the meat into a large mixing bowl. Add the breadcrumbs, Parmesan, milk, parsley, garlic, eggs, salt and some pepper. Use clean hands to mix together until well combined.

Use a scoop to retrieve a small amount of the meat mixture, and roll it in your hands to make meatballs (about 25). Place on a pan and put the pan in the freezer for 10 to 15 minutes, just to firm them up.

Heat the olive oil in a heavy pot over medium-high heat. Working with 8 to 10 meatballs at a time, cook them until brown but not cooked all the way through, 2 to 3 minutes per batch. Remove from the pot to a plate while you make the sauce.

**This is what we did here: deglaze the pan with a generous splash of red wine. Pour in your sauce of choice and season as desired (we add extra basil and garlic). Carefully return the meatballs to the sauce and simmer for about an hour or until the meatballs are cooked through. Spoon over the cooked pasta of your choice and sprinkle with additional Parmesan cheese.

Photo to come later today!

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