Meatballs with Mushrooms and Red Wine Sauce

Some nights I like to take the time to make a dinner for my husband and myself that tastes like one you might eat in a restaurant (minus the butter and cream that's almost always guaranteed to be in your restaurant meal). When these whims hit, I turn to The Newlywed Cookbook by Robin Vitetta-Miller. Tonight I based our dinner on a combination of two of Robin's sauces and added my own spin to create a scrumptious dish.

Meatballs
1 pound mix of ground veal, pork and beef
1 boiling onion, chopped
1/4 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
1/4 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp. dried basil
2 tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground pepper
1 egg

Sauce
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 8 oz. package of sliced mushrooms
I buy Dole pre-cleaned ones, but I always re-rinse them under cold water
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 cup beef broth
I buy Health Valley, available in both fat free and no salt added fat free - contains no msg or artificial ingredients
1 tbsp. cornstarch
1/4 cup red wine
I had Reserve Tapestry on hand

Preheat oven to 360 degrees F
Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, coated with cooking spray (helps to prevent the meatballs from sticking)

Step 1 - In a large bowl, combine meat, onion, bread crumbs, spices, parsley, salt, pepper and egg. Mix well (I like to use a fork). Form mixture into sixteen 2 inch meatballs.

Step 2 - Place meatballs on lined baking sheet, evenly spaced and bake for 20-25 minutes until done.

When there is about 10 minutes left of cooking time for the meatballs, it's time to start preparing the sauce.

Step 3 - In a medium skillet, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add mushrooms and sauté for about 5-7 minutes or until tender and the juices start to be released.

Step 4 - Add the cooked meatballs to the mushrooms and add the thyme. Stir to coat the meatballs and mushrooms. Add the beef broth and simmer for 3-5 minutes.

Step 5 - Dissolve cornstarch in the red wine and add to skillet. Stir together and simmer until sauce thickens.

I like to serve the meatballs and sauce over pasta (whichever kind you like will work), and sprinkle on some grated parmigiano regiano cheese.


This dish is perfect to serve with Sautéed Brussel Sprouts. Simply heat a little olive oil in a small skillet, add in some frozen brussel sprouts, sprinkle with some ground pepper and sauté until tender. You may need to add in some water from time to time if there is too much sizzling happening and the brussel sprouts start to stick to the skillet. Sometimes, when time allows, I will toast some nuts in the skillet first, set them aside, and then sauté the brussel sprouts. When finished cooking, toss with the toasted nuts. Slivered almonds or pine nuts go well with this leafy vegetable.