Making meatballs at home
For this classic dish in marinara, turn to the multicooker
It’s hard to find anyone who doesn’t love a bowl of spaghetti topped with meatballs and marinara, but stovetop versions are often messy (between the spattering oil from frying the meatballs and the sputtering tomato sauce), and the sauce requires a long simmering time to develop rich, deep flavour.
We turned to the multicooker for the neatest and most efficient method for making classic meatballs in marinara. Meatloaf mix provided a combination of ground beef, pork and veal all in one, making our grocery list short without sacrificing flavour.
The meatballs were a bit dry, so we added an egg and a panadea paste of bread and milk-for the moisture the meatballs needed, creating tender meatballs that would also hold their shape.
We seared the meatballs until they were crisp and brown; the deep pot of the multicooker kept spattering to a minimum, and the fond made a flavourful foundation for our marinara. We cooked some aromatics, added crushed tomatoes and tomato puree and returned the meatballs to the pot.
From there, we could either briefly pressure cook the mixture or leave it unattended to gently cook for the next few hours on the slow cook setting. Either way, we never had to worry about splattering grease or sauce.
The final product was a pot full of flavourful and tender yet firm meatballs in a robust, savory tomato sauce. If you cannot find meatloaf mix, substitute 8 ounces 85 per cent lean ground beef and 8 ounces ground pork.
MEATBALLS AND MARINARA
Servings: 4-6
Pressure cook total time: 1 hour Show cook total time: 4 hours 30 minutes
2 slices hearty white sandwich bread, torn into 1/2 inch pieces
1/4 cup whole milk
1 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated (1/2 cup)
3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
1 large egg, lightly beaten
6 garlic cloves, minced
Salt and pepper
1 pound meatloaf mix
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons minced fresh oregano or 2 teaspoons dried
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 (28 ounce) can tomato puree
1 pound spaghetti
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil Using fork, mash bread and milk into paste in large bowl. Stir in Parmesan, parsley, egg, half of garlic, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Add meatloaf mix and knead with hands until thoroughly combined. Pinch off and roll mixture into 12 meatballs (about 1/4 cup each).