Casual meatballs and garlic bread
I know what you’re thinking, don’t you serve meatballs with spaghetti? Of course you totally can! But honestly, noodles are so fantastic on their own without meat and meatballs can be such a standout when prepared well that they may not be as perfect a pair as we think.
I love to nostalgically share the story of when I was a college intern living in NY for the summer, my most memorable meal was meatballs with marinara sauce and grilled bread. It was served in a cute mini cast iron skillet and topped with a basil leaf and some Parmesan. I was obsessed, and ever since then, I’ve found ways to remake it and get others on board.
This can be a moment where you make the meatballs and the sauce, or it can be an excuse for a quick weeknight dinner where you buy pre-made meatballs from the butcher counter and use your favorite jarred sauce. You’ll still get credit for cooking.
Here’s what you need: 6 pre-made meatballs, your fave jarred marinara sauce (I love Rao’s), a loaf of sturdy bread, shredded mozzarella cheese.
Here’s what you do:
Brown the meatballs on all sides. I do this over medium high heat in a nonstick or cast iron skillet with just a little bit of olive oil in the pan. Don’t fret about cooking them all the way through yet, just get them really browned all over.
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Slice some bread and melt 3 TBS butter in the microwave. Add two cloves of crushed garlic to the melted butter, season with salt and dried oregano. Brush this mixture on both sides of your sliced bread and place on a baking sheet.
Pour marinara sauce in mini cast iron skillets, or another oven-safe baking dish. Add your browned meatballs, coat with sauce and top with more as needed. Cover the top with shredded mozzarella cheese.
Bake the meatballs and garlic bread for about 10-15 minutes. Remove the garlic bread when it’s golden and crank up your oven to broil or a very high heat. Let the meatballs cook at this temp until the cheese gets nice and speckled with brown!
Top with dried oregano and grated Parmesan cheese. Serve with your garlic bread and a simple green salad.
