Pork Meatballs With Rosemary

By Craig Claiborne and Pierre Franey

Total Time
1 hour
Rating
4(30)
Comments
Read comments

Volumes have been written about ''new'' combinations of sauces and flavors for the delight of those who dine on pasta. We find this laudatory and have ourselves introduced ''new'' flavors for pasta. There are times, however, when we still have a slight craving for one or another of the basics, such as spaghetti with meatballs.

These meatballs are easy to prepare and go well with the tomato sauce, the preparation of which we have also detailed. A bit of gustatory nostalgia never hurt anyone at the table.

Featured in: FOOD; Back to The Basics

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings
  • ¾pound ground lean pork
  • 4 to 6tablespoons olive oil
  • 1cup finely chopped onion
  • ½teaspoon finely minced garlic
  • ¼pound mushrooms, finely chopped, about one cup
  • 1teaspoon finely chopped dried rosemary
  • Salt to taste, if desired
  • Freshly ground pepper to taste
  • 1cup fine fresh bread crumbs
  • 1egg, lightly beaten
  • ¼teaspoon dried, hot red-pepper flakes
  • ½cup flour
  • 5cups tomato sauce, approximately (see recipe)
  • 1pound spaghetti, cooked to the desired degree of doneness
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

593 calories; 17 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 10 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 82 grams carbohydrates; 7 grams dietary fiber; 11 grams sugars; 28 grams protein; 1043 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

  1. Step 1

    Put the pork in a mixing bowl.

  2. Step 2

    Heat two tablespoons of the oil in a saucepan, and add the onion and garlic. Cook, stirring, until onion is wilted. Add the mushrooms and cook until they give up their liquid. Continue cooking until liquid evaporates.

  3. Step 3

    Add the mushroom mixture to the meat. Add the rosemary, salt and pepper to taste, bread crumbs, egg and pepper flakes. Blend well with the hands.

  4. Step 4

    Shape the mixture into 18 balls. Dredge the balls in flour and shake off excess.

  5. Step 5

    Heat enough of the remaining oil in a skillet to reach a depth of about one-eighth inch. Add the balls and cook, turning as they brown, until browned all over. Add the balls to the tomato sauce and cook about 30 minutes.

  6. Step 6

    Serve with cooked spaghetti.

Ratings

4 out of 5
30 user ratings
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Comments

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Karen

Used fresh rosemary, thyme and oregano, only because they were in the garden. Also added a quarter of a boconccinni at the centre of each meatball. It added a nice slightly stretchy mozzarella feel to each bite. Loved the texture that the mushrooms added to this recipe! Will definitely cook this again!

Sally

I soaked a piece of bread in water, squeezing out the excess before adding it. This adds more moisture than crumbs and the meatballs held together perfectly, even though I had skipped the dredging in flour. I also added crushed fennel seed, and finely chopped bulb fennel to the sauce. Served with lots of grated Romano cheese. Excellent and traditional enough that my husband loved it!

Marina

I used sweat Italian sausage since that's what I had on hand and it was fantastic! I loved the texture of the diced mushrooms in it. Even my Italian-American husband approved. This will definitely become a staple in our household.

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