Meatballs in Tomato Sauce

Baked beef meatballs, finished by simmering in a herbed passata. Baking first sets the meatballs so they hold together in the sauce without any frying.

Ingredients

Meatballs

  • 1000 grams ground beef

  • 100 grams eggs (2 eggs)

  • 80 grams dry breadcrumbs

  • 6 grams salt

  • 1 gram ground black pepper

  • 7 grams smoked paprika

  • 150 grams onion (1 medium onion), grated

  • 15 grams garlic (5 cloves), crushed

  • Oil, for greasing the parchment and spraying the meatballs

Sauce

  • 120 grams water, plus more to cover

  • 680 grams strained tomatoes (one 24 oz jar; sold as passata or tomato puree)

  • 1 gram dried oregano

  • 1 gram dried basil

  • 1 gram dried thyme

  • 2 grams smoked paprika

  • 0.5 grams ground black pepper

Method

  • Combine the beef, eggs, breadcrumbs, salt, the 1 gram of pepper, the 7 grams of smoked paprika, the grated onion, and the garlic. Knead until homogeneous.

  • Roll into balls the size of a ping-pong ball, about 30 in all.

  • Line a baking sheet with parchment and grease the parchment. Set the balls on it and spray them with oil.

  • Bake at 350°F (180°C) for 20 minutes. Take the sheet out, flip the meatballs, and return for another 10 minutes.

  • Put the 120 grams of water in a pot and add the baked meatballs.

  • In a bowl, mix the strained tomatoes with the oregano, basil, thyme, the 2 grams of smoked paprika, and the 0.5 grams of pepper. Pour over the meatballs.

  • Add water until the meatballs are just covered.

  • Bring to a boil, uncovered, over high heat (400°F). You are waiting for bubbles across the whole surface, not just at the edges.

  • As soon as it boils, turn the dial down to 225°F and set the lid on ajar. Start the 30 minute timer now, not when the pot went on.

  • Check after 5 minutes. You want a steady simmer: small bubbles breaking the surface across the pot every second or two. It should never go quiet, and never boil hard. If it has stopped bubbling, raise to 250°F; if it is boiling hard (big bubbles, splattering), lower to 200°F. Look again a few minutes after any change.

  • During the 30 minutes, stir gently once or twice, scraping the bottom so the tomato does not catch. Go easy so the meatballs stay whole.

  • After 30 minutes the sauce should coat a spoon and the meatballs are cooked through. Serve.

Notes

The original notes did not give amounts for the tomatoes or the dried herbs. 680 grams is one standard 24 oz US jar of strained tomatoes, which is what we cook this with; the herb amounts above are about a teaspoon of each, so adjust to taste.