In our house, Italian food is a staple. 
Zach and I both love to eat pasta, freshly baked bread with olive oil and herbs (inspiration from Carrabba’s), and all the marinara sauce our hearts can handle.
But every time we decide to treat ourselves to an Italian date night, it costs us an arm and a leg! I mean, don’t get me wrong, our Italian date nights are necessary to keep the romance alive, but as often as we crave Italian, our bank account simply can’t hang.
One of my favorite dishes is a simple meatball and pasta smothered in rich marinara sauce and cheese. Sometimes, I don’t even need the pasta…it’s just a nice added bonus.
But being on quarantine, we can’t go out to have our Italian date night dining experience, so I decided to bring Italian night to us!
I found this delicious recipe for the easiest, most savory meatballs you’ll ever eat. And the best part? This meal cost us all of $15 to make at home!
Italian Meatballs:
Ingredients:
- 1 lb of ground beef
- 1 lb of ground Italian sausage
- 2 egg yolks
- 1/4 cup of milk
- 1/2 cup of bread crumbs
- 1/2 cup of grated Romano or Parmesan cheese
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 cup of fresh Italian flat leaf parsley OR basil, minced
- Salt and Pepper
- 1 TBSP olive oil
- Jarred marinara sauce
- Shredded mozzarella
Directions:
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees
- Add all ingredients to a medium bowl and use your hands to combine…USE YOUR HANDS. I promise, it’s worth it.
- Heat a skillet with olive oil
- Use 1/4 cup measuring cup or ice-cream scoop to scoop out meat and use your hands to form into balls
- Sear your meat balls in the skillet on all sides until deep brown
- Transfer to a baking sheet sprayed with non-stick spray or lined with parchment paper, drain the skillet
- Bake on 375 for 10-15 Minutes
- Add the sauce to the skillet and let it begin to simmer
- Add the meatballs back into the sauce-filled skillet
- Top the meatballs with shredded mozzarella cheese and broil for 2-3 minutes or until cheese is melted.
- Serve with pasta or bread of your choosing
- Enjoy!
