Linguini & Meatballs

Linguini & Meatballs.. I will start right off admitting that I did not in fact make these meatballs. I bought them from the butcher at this new wonderful market that I love called Mariano's. They were Dahlish.

On the Menu:
Homecooked meatballs, homemade marinara sauce with linguini and steamed broccoli

Super Simple, Super Dahlish.

How To:
In a large/deep sauce pan I sauteed the 4 large meatballs on medium to high heat to brown. I have stainless pots and pans so mine got a bit stuck to the bottom for the first few minutes but once they started browning they moved more easily. Once they had a nice crispy brown layer on the outside I placed them in a Pyrex baking dish and put them in the oven at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes.

During that time I removed most of the oil and meat remnants leaving just a few little bits to add some flavor to the sauce I was fixin' to make. I added a touch more olive oil and a few cloves of pressed garlic and let it saute for just a minute and then added a 28oz can of diced San Marzano tomatoes. THESE ARE THE BEST. I added a bit of salt and pepper to taste as well as a palm full each of crushed dried oregano and crushed dried basil. I tossed in a couple bay leaves and added a splash of white wine and let it come to a rapid simmer. I let it simmer on high for a few minutes stirring occasionally. I then let it simmer a bit lower until the meatballs had spent their 15 minutes or so in the oven. I took the meatballs out and placed them in sauce, covering them with spoonfuls of the tomatoey goodness. I put a lid on the saute pan and let the meatballs finish cooking in the sauce for about 15-20 minutes on a very low simmer. 

Whilst my meatballs were simmering I dropped some linguini in a salty boiling bath and quick steamed a big bunch of broccoli  Once the linguini was done I fetched it out with tongs and dropped it right into my meatball/sauce pan to absorb/coat itself in the sauce for a few minutes before serving. I also gave a liberal squeeze of lemon juice to my bright green broccoli florets and bam dinner was done.

It was super easy and extremely hearty. But I didn't feel too guilty besides for the carbs, I didn't add any butter to the sauce so I felt good about that! Hope you all have a Dahlicious weekend - I'm looking forward to a yummy double date dinner at Balena tonight!