Mac And Minty Meatballs Marinara

My son loves meatballs.As a matter of fact, we all do. Ergo,I always make large batches and freeze a portion of them in single serving boxes cause I never know when or how often he(we) would want it..badly! Meatballs are an ultimate comfort food for many and its no different in our family. I am constantly experimenting with new ingredients, alternating between baking and stove-top cooking but always coming to the same conclusion- Fabulous! Yea, this is one dish that has never failed me so far. So beyond being tasty, comforting and substantial it is also very very forgiving! That is what I love about meatballs. You can't really go wrong with the taste no matter how hard you try. Now that is something you cannot say about many dishes.
I also have to say that I am partial to meatballs in marinara sauce(If you follow me regularly you would know how I have sung praises about this wonder sauce here) which is pretty much why I always use it to coat my meatballs in. Have you ever tried meatballs with raisins? I was inspired to try it after I saw Oprah rave in one of her talk-show episodes about her favorite meatballs that had a secret ingredient -- Raisins.Yeah, Trattoria Mollie's meatballs has black raisins. So here is an adapted recipe for Turkey-Sausage Meatballs With Raisins. I also tried my hand at baking the Meatballs with Broccoli Rabe.You can read that success story here.

Ingredients:

• 2 Cups Ground Meat (Can be Minced Turkey/Chicken/Pork or a mixed choice)
• 1/4 Cup Chopped Mint
• 1/8 Cup Chopped Cilantro
• 1/4 Cup + 1 Tbsp Reduced-fat Milk
• 1/2 Cup Chopped Red Onion
• 2 Cloves Garlic, grated
• 3-4 Stale Brown Bread, toasted and crumbed
• 1 Egg
• 1 Tbsp Coriander Powder
• 1 Tbsp Cracked Black Pepper or less
• 1/4 Cup Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese
• 1 Tsp Salt or more/less
• 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
• Olive Oil for browning the meat balls
• 1/2 of 26 Oz Jar of Low-sodium Marinara Sauce , any brand

Procedure:

• Add all of the above ingredients in a wide shallow bowl except the Marinara Sauce.

• Combine the meat,bread crumbs, mint, cilantro, garlic, chopped onions, salt, cracked pepper, 1 tbsp olive oil and the cheese ONLY until combined. Over mixing will yield tough meatballs.

• Let the mixture rest for 10-15 minutes.

• Divide the mixture into golf-ball sized balls (= 25 meatballs ~).

• Coat a wide non-stick skillet with Olive oil and brown the meatballs in batches for 2-3 minutes per side. Don't fully cook it as it will get cooked in the Marinara Sauce.

• Drain them on paper towels.

• Bring the sauce to a boil. Add more salt or pepper if needed. Drop the partially cooked meatballs. Lid the pan and cook the meatballs for 15 minutes turning them gently midway.

• Enjoy them as is or with any choice of pasta. This time we had it with macaroni because my son loves it.

Enjoy!