It was a dark and stormy night…same as the last two weeks. After enough dreary weather, my family starts demanding comfort food as if they were Eskimos stuck in igloos for the next month or so. That means there have been many chicken casseroles, warming soups, and beef concoctions, but when it all comes down to it….they want spaghetti. There are spaghetti rules in our family and only a few times have I tried to break those rules, always with limited success. One rule, set in stone, is that if we are staying in a beach condo we must have spaghetti the first night. I did not realize what a breach of etiquette I had committed by making shrimp Alfred until the pained glances brought me back to reality. It was spaghetti the next night and that was a mistake has never been repeated. Last night was predicted to be so very rainy that the cry for spaghetti went up early in the day. This was not what I had planned. I was thinking of some kind of chicken Parmesan – maybe as an open face sandwich just to be different. It became evident that spaghetti was in strong demand and so I made the yummiest Meatball Parmesan Marinara you can imagine. It covered everyone’s cravings. It was great on pasta It would have made a lovely sandwich if the right kind of bread had been present. I even tucked a little spinach in mine for a fresh taste. And best of all, I made the entire thing in my Grandmother’s old iron skillet. It was a gorgeous dish with no leftovers, I just checked again in case some were hiding. I will make this again and again and definitely serve it to company – it is so pretty and so versatile. You are going to want to make Meatball Parmesan Marinara for the weekend. Enjoy! Hope for leftovers!
Ingredients
1 lb ground, beef, turkey, or chicken
1/2 cup panko or dry bread crumbs - divided
¼ cup buttermilk or cream
1 egg
2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese - divided
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp each, dried oregano and basil
½ tsp garlic salt ½ tsp kosher salt
Olive or canola oil for frying
4 to 5 oz good mozzarella cheese
I jar marinara sauce
1 can diced tomatoes drained
To serve: Pasta of choice or crunchy French rolls
Directions
In a large mixing bowl, soak panko in buttermilk while you assemble the remaining ingredients.
Add meat to the bowl along with egg, Parmesan, garlic oregano, basil and salt.
Mix with your hands and form into meatballs about the size of a ping-pong ball or a golf ball.
Mix reserved panko and Parmesan and roll each ball lightly in the mixture.
Heat oil in a large iron or non-stick skillet over medium high heat.
Brown meatballs a few at a time adding more oil if necessary (they will fully cook in sauce).
Move browned meatballs to a plate as you cook.
When meatballs are done, drain and carefully wipe the skillet.
Add marinara sauce and tomatoes to the same skillet and heat until just warmed.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Add meatballs to sauce stirring to incorporate top with sliced mozzarella cheese and bake until cheese is bubbly and starting to color, about 30 minutes.
Serve on pasta or French bread with extra Parmesan if desired. Delicious!
