Beef and Pork Meatballs with Tomato and Garlicky Bread Crumbs

Jason McKinney

· December 14, 2022

55 min

Total

Servings

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All I Want is Steak Gift Box

ButcherBox

Ribeyes (2 x 10 oz steaks)
New York Strips (2 x 10 oz steaks)
Top Sirloin Steaks (4 x 6 oz steaks)
Filet Mignons (2 x 6 oz steaks)

For the true steak lover, this box is pure holiday joy. A premium lineup of grass-fed, high-flavor steaks that guarantees smiles, sizzling pans, and plates worth celebrating.

Our Sourcing Standards

Ingredients

12 oz focaccia
3 tbsp olive oil

plus more for forming meatballs and serving
6 cloves garlic

finely grated or minced
Diamond Crystal kosher salt
3/4 cup whole milk
2 cups finely chopped yellow onion
1 cup finely chopped parsley

plus more whole leaf or chopped parsley for serving
3 eggs
1 tsp fennel seed
1 tsp 1 teaspoon black pepper
1 tsp chili flakes
4 tbsp unsalted butter
1 can tomato purée

(28 oz.)
1 lb ButcherBox Ground Beef
1 lb ButcherBox Ground Pork

Step By Step

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Tear or chop the focaccia into small pieces, no bigger than marble-size bread crumbs, into a large bowl. Transfer half of them to a sheet pan and toss with 3 tablespoons of olive oil and 3 cloves of the garlic, then season with salt. Place the pan on the middle rack of the oven and bake, tossing them every few minutes with a metal spatula, until golden, about 7–9 minutes.

Pour the milk into the focaccia bowl and toss the bread and milk together by hand, making sure the bread is fully saturated. Add (but don’t mix in yet) 1 cup of the onion, the remaining garlic, eggs, parsley, fennel seed, black pepper, chili flakes, and 4 teaspoons salt. Rinse your hands and let that sit for 10 minutes.

Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat and add the remaining onion, a big pinch of salt, and cook, stirring regularly until the onions are soft and translucent, about 7–9 minutes. Stir in the tomato purée, bring to a simmer, turn the heat down to low, cover with a lid, and cook, stirring every few minutes, for about 20 minutes to heat the tomato and meld flavors. Season with salt: taste, add more if needed and even a splash or two of water if the sauce gets too thick for your liking.

Mix everything in the soaked focaccia with your hands to combine well. Add the ground beef and pork and gently work into the mixture until just combined with the mixture. (Overworking the meat into the mixture can result in rubbery meatballs!)

Line the sheet pan with parchment paper, lightly oil your hands with olive oil, and start forming the meat mixture into handball-size balls. Place them on the tray, evenly spaced. You should end up with 22–23 balls. Bake until lightly browned and cooked through, measuring 145°F (62.8 °C ) with a thermometer inserted, about 25 minutes.

To serve, heat the tomato sauce and ladle on to plates, top with the meatballs, garlic bread crumbs, whole parsley leaves, and a drizzle of olive oil.

Total Time 55 min

Servings 4

Try Butcherbox

All I Want is Steak Gift Box

ButcherBox

Ribeyes (2 x 10 oz steaks)
New York Strips (2 x 10 oz steaks)
Top Sirloin Steaks (4 x 6 oz steaks)
Filet Mignons (2 x 6 oz steaks)

For the true steak lover, this box is pure holiday joy. A premium lineup of grass-fed, high-flavor steaks that guarantees smiles, sizzling pans, and plates worth celebrating.

Our Sourcing Standards

All I Want is Steak Gift Box

Ingredients

Instructions

Every Recipe Starts With Great Meat