Rao's Meatballs With Marinara Sauce
- Total Time
- About 1½ hours
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- ¼cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2ounces salt pork, thinly sliced
- 3tablespoons minced onion
- 2garlic cloves, minced
- 228-ounce cans imported Italian crushed tomatoes
- 6leaves fresh basil, torn into small pieces
- Pinch of dried oregano
- Salt and ground black pepper
- 1pound ground lean beef
- ½pound ground veal
- ½pound ground pork
- 2large eggs
- 1cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese
- 1½tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 1small garlic clove, minced
- Salt and ground black pepper
- 2cups fine dry bread crumbs
- 1cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1clove garlic, lightly smashed
For the Sauce
For the Meatballs
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
1018 calories; 74 grams fat; 17 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 45 grams monounsaturated fat; 8 grams polyunsaturated fat; 49 grams carbohydrates; 8 grams dietary fiber; 14 grams sugars; 44 grams protein; 1254 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Make the sauce: Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat, then add the salt pork. Sauté until fat has rendered, about 5 minutes. Remove and discard salt pork. Add onion and sauté until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and sauté just until softened. Add tomatoes with their juice and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until sauce is slightly thickened, about 45 minutes. Add the basil, oregano and salt and pepper to taste. Cook for 1 minute more.
- Step 2
Make the meatballs: In a mixing bowl, combine the beef, veal and pork. Add the eggs, cheese, parsley and minced garlic, then salt and pepper as desired. Add the bread crumbs and mix well. Slowly add up to 2 cups water, ½ cup at a time, until the mixture is moist; all the water may not be needed. Shape into 1½ -inch meatballs.
- Step 3
Heat the oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the smashed garlic and sauté until lightly browned, 1 to 2 minutes, then discard the garlic. Working in batches and taking care not to crowd the pan, add meatballs and fry until undersides are brown and slightly crisp, 5 to 6 minutes. Turn and brown the other sides, about 5 minutes more. Transfer cooked meatballs to paper towels to drain, then add to the marinara sauce. Mix gently and serve.
Private Notes
Comments
Please please don’t buy veal ~ It is an unbearably cruel existence for these calves. Using a high fat ground beef (86%) will taste just as good and cost less.
Yes, Mary. My nonni also made them with day old bread soaked in water and squeezed out. She would never use breadcrumbs and there wasn't any need for additional water. The soaked bread gives a silkier texture than soaked breadcrumbs.
We use at least 1/4 cup of finely chopped parsley. We've found that putting the uncooked meatballs in the refrigerator for at least 1/2 lets them set up and keep their round shape better than cooking them immediately after making them.
My husband's family is 100% Sicilian. This recipe is almost exactly like the one used for generations. Don't over think Italian food. It is meant to be simple. The amount of water is determined by the consistency. You want to be able to roll it so it holds together, but not so tight as to be dry in the center. The amount of fat in the meat will affect it as well. Make sure you use good cheese, and tomatoes. No Kraft in a can! Quality ingredients only. It should be delicious not bland.
These meatballs are not my go-to. I never added water before to my meatballs and it softens the bread crumbs and makes the meatballs so creamy, they melt in your mouth. The sauce is good but not great. Salt pork can be hard to find and we didn’t think it added enough to the flavor profile to use it again. Instead, I sautéed onions, added garlic and red pepper flakes the last minute then added a good red wine and reduced the liquid. Added San Marzano tomatoes and simmered for 20 minutes. I used an emersion blender then added several sprigs of basil and simmered for another 10 minutes. Remove the basil before serving. Best tomato sauce I’ve ever had and pairs well with the Rao’s meatballs.
Fine Cooking had a recipe for Rao's sauce and meatballs years ago. It was very similar, minus the salt pork. It's awesome that way, and at least in my grocery store, salt pork is not easy to find. I've made the meatballs with all beef, beef and pork, and the three-meat mixture called for, and they are always delicious! One tip - meatballs that large will NOT cook through with browning. The FC recipe calls for simmering them in the marinara for 30 minutes.
This marinara calls for salt pork but the Rao’s jarred marinara does not have this ingredient. Presumably this is to make the jar sauce sellable to a wider market including veggies and vegans. Whether you use the pork or not for this sauce, definitely substitute the oil with Hershey’s chocolate syrup. It gives the sauce a deep dark red color, almost black, and makes it taste terrible.
This recipe is not meant to mimic Rao's jarred sauce, It is the recipe for the sauce served in Rao's restaurant. Also, don't use Hershey's syrup if you are veggie or vegan. It contains ground chicken feet.
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