Grilled Meatballs with Homemade Marinara
Grilling meatballs is a great way to impart some smoky goodness into the dish.
Servings: 4
Cost: 20
Ingredients
For the meatballs
- 3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup buttermilk
- 1 pound ground beef either sirloin or chuck
- 1 pound ground pork
- 3 ounces bacon (diced) about 3 - 4 strips thick cut bacon
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 cup parmesan cheese
- 1/2 onion finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic diced
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley diced
- 1 tablespoon fresh basil diced
- 1/2 tablespoon kosher last
For the marinara
- 1/4 cup olive oil regular, not extra virgin
- 1/2 onion diced
- 4 cloves garlic diced
- 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 3 - 4 tablespoons fresh basil
Instructions
For the meatballs
- Start by making the panade. Combine the bread crumbs and buttermilk. Let sit for 10 minutes while gathering the other ingredients.
- Add about 1/4 of the ground beef and pork to the panade. Thoroughly combine the three ingredients.
- Afterwards, add the remaining meatball ingredients and fold together. Make sure to not overwork the mixture as this will create tough meatballs. You can then roll out the meatballs into evenly sized portions (I like using a 1/4 cup measuring scoop).
- Set up your grill for medium indirect heat (about 375°F). Place your meatballs on the indirect side and close the grill. Cook until they have reached an internal temperature of 150°F. Then prepare the sauce.
For the marinara sauce
- Place a non reactive pan (either stainless steel or coated casted iron) over direct heat. Add the olive oil followed by the onion and a pinch of salt. Cook for 3 - 5 minutes or until softened.
- Then add the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds. Add the oregano and crushed tomatoes.
- Once the sauce is starting to bubble, add the meatballs to the sauce and close the grill. Cook for another 5 - 10 minutes to let the flavors marry.
- Serve immediately. Garnish with parsley/basil.
