I think my husband would eat pasta every day if I would allow it. He can’t get enough!
I find pasta to be a bit heavy. But I do still try to please the husband by making it fairly often.
I made the noodles from scratch. This seemed like a hearty dish, so I cut them fairly wide - which was perfect. This is absolutely a hearty dish!
The meat balls have a ton of flavor. Using both ground beef and ground pork gives them a lovely meaty flavor. The pork helps add some fat, so they are very moist.
The parmesan gives the meatballs a little touch of saltiness and a little bit of cheese goodness. The oregano and basil give them a lovely herb taste.
The sauce was quite lovely as well. I love pasta sauce that has chunks of vegetable! No puree for me!
I do think more mushrooms would have been nice. It’s supposed to be a mushroom sauce, why not add more! I used baby portobello for my mushrooms. I like the earthiness they provide. I just didn’t think there was enough of them.
The sauce flavors blend very well during the nearly hour long cook time.
I did change how I cooked the meatballs. You are supposed to simmer them in the sauce, which is fine. But I opted to put the balls in the oven while the sauce cooked.
This worked great for me - the meat balls were cooked through and they didn’t fall apart while cooking in the sauce.
I did add them to the sauce for the last 20 minutes of cooking time, so they still absorbed the sauce flavor.
Great and hearty dish!
ITALIAN MEATBALLS IN MUSHROOM SAUCE
3/4 Pound Hamburger
1/2 Pound Ground Pork
1/2 Cup Bread Crumbs
1/2 Cup Milk
2 Eggs, Slightly Beaten
4 Tablespoons Grated Parmesan
2 Cloves Garlic, Crushed
1/4 Teaspoon Oregano
1/4 Teaspoon basil
2 Tablespoons Minced Parsley
1 Teaspoon salt
1/4 Teaspoon Pepper
Flour
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 Tablespoons Oil
3 Cups Sliced Mushrooms
1/2 Cup Chopped Onion
1 Bell Pepper, 1 Inch Diced
1/2 Cup Chopped Celery
1/2 Teaspoon Paprika
1/2 Teaspoon Monosodium Glutamate
1 Clove Garlic, Crushed
1 Cup Diced Tomatoes
1 Cup Tomato Juice
1 bay Leaf
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
Dash Pepper
Soak bread crumbs in milk. Add hamburger, pork, eggs, parmesan, 2 cloves garlic, oregano, basil, parsley, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Form into 16 balls, roll in flour and brown on all sides in 2 tablespoons olive oil. Mix together oil, mushrooms, onion, bell pepper, celery, paprika and monosodium glutamate. Cover and cook over low heat for 10 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and stir to blend. Add meatballs. Simmer for 40 minutes.
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