Recipes · Main dishes
Oven-Baked Meatballs in Tomato Sauce
AI-written · not yet kitchen-tested
The meatballs cook right in the sauce, which keeps them juicy. Mix the meat briefly, shape it with damp hands and keep the balls the same size: that way they stay tender and finish at the same time.
Oven-Baked Meatballs in Tomato Sauce
This recipe was written with AI assistance and has not yet been kitchen-tested. Check quantities and times as you cook, and follow safe core temperatures for meat, poultry, fish and eggs.
Ingredients
- 40 g (1.4 oz) plain dry breadcrumbs
- 4 tbsp milk
- 600 g (1.3 lb) ground beef and pork half beef, half pork
- 1 onion very finely diced
- 1 clove garlic finely chopped
- 1 egg large
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 0.5 bunch flat-leaf parsley finely chopped
- 1 tsp salt
- black pepper to taste
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion finely diced
- 2 clove garlic finely chopped
- 700 g (1.5 lb) tomato passata or strained tomatoes; crushed tomatoes, blended smooth, also work
- 100 ml (3.4 fl oz) water
- 1 pinch sugar
- 0.5 tsp salt
- 250 g (8.8 oz) fresh mozzarella 2 balls, well drained, torn into pieces
- 0.5 bunch fresh basil leaves
Method
- Heat the oven to 400 °F (200 °C) conventional, or 350 °F (180 °C) convection. Stir the breadcrumbs into the milk and let them soak for 5 minutes.
- For the sauce, heat the oil in a saucepan, cook the onion for 3 minutes and add the garlic for 30 seconds. Add the passata, water, sugar and salt, simmer for 8 minutes and pour into a baking dish, about 9 × 12 inches (22 × 30 cm).
- With dampened hands, briefly work the ground meat, onion, garlic, soaked breadcrumbs, egg, oregano, parsley, salt and pepper into an even mixture. To check the seasoning, fry a cherry-sized piece through in a skillet and taste it.
- With damp hands, shape the mixture into about 20 equal balls (about 1 1/2 oz or 40 g each, a little over 1 1/2 inches or 4 cm across) and set them into the sauce. They should sit one third to one half submerged.
- Bake the dish uncovered for 25 minutes.
- Scatter the mozzarella over the meatballs and bake for another 10 minutes, until it has melted. Cut one meatball open: it must not be pink inside, and the core temperature is at least 162 °F (72 °C).
- Let the dish rest for 3 minutes, tear the basil over the top and serve with pasta or bread.
Tip: Mix the meat mixture only briefly, or the meatballs turn dense. The test ball in the skillet tells you whether salt and herbs are enough.
Tip: Equal-size meatballs finish at the same time. Weigh the first two (about 1 1/2 oz or 40 g each) and shape the rest to match.