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5 from 1 vote

Spicy Meatballs

These meatballs are a delicious weeknight staple that can be made with what you already have in your fridge!
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: meatballs
Servings: 24 meatballs
Author: Emily - My Messy Kitchen

Ingredients

For the meatballs:

  • 2 lbs ground meat I like 80/20
  • 1 lb ground hot Italian sausage
  • 1 small white or yellow onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
  • 3 eggs, slightly beaten
  • ½ cup Parmesan cheese
  • 1 tbsp garlic powder
  • 2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
  • 2 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
  • 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
  • 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
  • ½ cup green pepper, chopped
  • ½ cup saltine crackers, crushed

For the sauce:

  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
  • 2 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
  • ½ cup white or yellow onion, chopped
  • 2 28 ounce cans crushed tomatoes
  • ¼ cup red wine

Instructions

For the meatballs:

  • Add Italian sausage and ground beef to a large bowl, along with the garlic powder, onions, eggs, cheese, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Mix until combined, then stir in fresh basil and parsley.
  • To crush saltines, you can easily use a food processor and grind until it's almost a saltine dust. Little chunks are okay! Add the saltine mixture to the bowl, and using a spatula or your hands, mix until thoroughly combined.
  • After combined, line a baking sheet with parchment paper. I like to use a large ice cream scoop to make my meatballs the same size and roll them from there, but feel free to scoop by hand if you prefer! This should make 24 meatballs if you use the scoop (about 1/4 cup each)
  • After all of the meatballs are made, add 3 tbsp of olive oil to a large sauté pan and turn to medium heat. Using tongs, place meatballs in the pan and sauté, flipping throughout, until all sides are brown and crispy.
  • After the meatballs are done cooking, remove from the pan and place in a bowl or the previously use sheet pan. Don't clean or throw out the remnants in the pan, these will help to flavor your sauce!

For the sauce:

  • In the same pan you cooked your meatballs in, add garlic and chopped onion, and up to 2 additional tbsp of olive oil if necessary. Sauté until translucent, about 2 minutes. Add in red wine. This will help to deglaze the pan! At this point, using a wooden spoon or your utensil of choice, scrap the bottom of the pan to get up any remnants of the meatballs that stuck. This will really help to flavor your sauce!
  • After the wine cooks out a bit, about 3 minutes, add in both cans of crushed tomatoes, Italian seasoning, and basil.
  • At this point, add meatballs back into the sauce, cover and simmmer for 20 minutes. Make sure you bring your sauce down to a low heat so it doesn't burn.
  • While your sauce is simmering, cook pasta. After the sauce is done, assemble with extra cheese, herbs and wha la!