When this time of year comes around, we love to prepare meatballs at home. We also make them in large quantities to be able to enjoy them several alternate days or to freeze them and be able to take them out one of those days that we do not feel like cooking. Are cheesy meatballs in spicy tomato sauce they have been the last that I have prepared.
I have made the meatballs in a traditional way with a mixture of beef and pork, but I have also added the dough some cream cheese. And, sometimes, having the need to release ingredients that are about to go bad in the fridge invites us to try different things with excellent results, don't you agree?
Beyond the meatballs, the grace of this dish is in its tomato sauce. A simple tomato sauce to which I have incorporated a couple of chilli peppers for a spicy touch and that I have allowed to reduce without haste. Because in the kitchen, sometimes, the rush is bad. That said, do we get down to business?
The recipe
- 400 g. minced meat (mixture of beef and pork)
- 1 slice of old town bread (the crumb only)
- 70 ml. milk
- 1 egg
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- ¼ white onion, finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 3-4 tablespoons cream cheese
- Extra virgin olive oil
- 1 glass of chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1-2 cayenne peppers
- 1 chopped onion
- 400 g. crushed tomato
- ½ teaspoon of sugar
- 1 teaspoon of dried oregano
- Salt and pepper to taste
- We start by preparing the sauce. To do this, fry the onion and chillies in a saucepan with two tablespoons of oil for 8 minutes.
- Then add the crushed tomato, the sugar, the dried oregano and salt and pepper to taste and cook over medium heat to reduce, stirring from time to time.
- We take advantage of that time to prepare the meatballs. To do this, mix the meat, bread soaked in milk, egg, salt, pepper, onion and garlic in a bowl, either with a spoon or with your hands.
- When all the ingredients are well integrated, we form the balls with the meat mass, placing in the center of each one at the time of making them a little (approximately half a teaspoon) of cream cheese.
- With all done, it only remains fry them in batches until well browned.
- Then we put them in the sauce that at this point it will be very chubby and we add a glass of chicken broth. Mix and cook for a couple of minutes with the lid on.
- Next, we raise the heat and cook without a lid for a few more minutes so that the sauce reduces again.
- Finally we put out the fire, let stand 5 minutes And we finally enjoyed these hot cheesy meatballs in spicy tomato sauce.