Beef & bacon meatballs & cheesy mushrooms
We put up our Christmas tree this weekend, and it suddenly hit me: Time flies, and it keeps flying by!
This year is coming to an end, and I feel like I was planting my tomatoes just yesterday. I am nowhere near the cheerful-comfort-food-making mood this time of the year usually brings, but I figured maybe there are a few people out there that aren’t as disconnected from the holidays as I am this year haha!
So, here’s the ultimate comfort food recipe: meatballs, bacon, mushrooms and melted cheese (Loll!)
Particularities
- Serves4
- Prep time30 mins
- Cook time1 hour 10 minutes
- Timeout5 mins
- FreezingFreezes well
Ingredients
- 1 cup of Mozzarella, sliced to melt
- 7 – 8 fresh basil leaves
Meatballs
- 5 – 6 slices of bacon, chopped
- 1 cup of white mushrooms, minced
- Salt & pepper, as preferred
- 1 pound (450 g) of ground beef
- 1 egg
- 1/3 cup of quick oats
Replacement optionsbreadcrumbs, Panko
- 2 tablespoons of fresh parsley, chopped
Replacement optionsThyme, oregano, rosemary, sage, Herbs of Provence
Sauce
- 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
- 1 yellow onion, minced
- 1 garlic clove, chopped
- 1 can (156 ml) of tomato paste
- 1 can (796 ml) of crushed tomatoes
- 3 cups of water
- 1 tablespoon of maple syrup
- Salt & pepper, as preferred
Steps
- Cook the bacon and mushrooms in a pan over medium heat for 15 minutes or until they are golden. Season. Set aside in a bowl then let cool entirely.
- Add the remaining meatball ingredients, season again then stir. Set aside.
- Heat the vegetable oil over medium heat in a large casserole then brown the onion and garlic for 10 minutes, or until they soften. Add the tomato paste, then continue cooking for 5 minutes. Add the remaining sauce ingredients and stir. Bring to a boil then simmer over medium-low heat.
- Shape the meatballs with slightly wet hands, then lay into the sauce. Cook over medium-low heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
- Cover the meatballs with the cheese slices, then finish cooking under the grill for 10 minutes, or until the cheese is golden.
- Sprinkle the basil leaves atop it all then serve with olive oil croutons.
Recipe published on August 19, 2018
