Caprese Meatball Bake

Caprese Meatball Bake

This is my first blog post in a very long time. I was experiencing personal health issues that made it very difficult to do anything other than sleep. BUT I’m back.

My first post is for Caprese Meatball Bake. Caprese salad is a classic Italian salad made of fresh tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, balsamic vinegar and fresh basil. I just added meatballs and gnocchi. You can buy premade meatballs and cut the cooking time by 40 minutes. I just like homemade meatballs. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Servings: 4-6
Hardware:  A cutting board and knives, measuring spoons and cups, a mixing bowl, un-powdered latex gloves, a deep skillet that can be used on the stove top and in the oven-if you do not have an oven proof skillet you will need an 8X8 glass baking dish, a large pot, a slotted spoon or a skimmer
Time:  Cook time: 1-hour, active time: 20 minutes, Dinner in about 1 hour and 45 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ pound ground beef
• ½ cup breadcrumbs
• ¼ cup Parmesan cheese
• ¼ cup milk
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• ⅛ teaspoon pepper
• ⅛ teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 4 cups of your favorite marinara sauce
• 16 ounces gnocchi
• 8 ounces of FRESH mozzarella
• Fresh basil
• Balsamic vinegar for drizzling (optional)

1. Pre-heat the oven to 400˚.
2. Put on latex gloves. Combine the first 8 ingredients in the bowl and mix with your hands. Make golf ball sized meat balls. You should get 12 meatballs.
3. Heat the oil on medium. Brown the meatballs on all sides for about 8 minutes. Turn them ¼ time every 2 minutes.
4. Drain the fat from the skillet.
5. Add the marinara sauce to the skillet. Simmer them for about 45 minutes, turning them over at the 20-minute mark. Check the largest meatball to see if it is done.
6. Close to the time for the meatballs, put on the pot of  salted water on to boil. If you are using a glass baking dish, grease the bottom and pour the meatballs and sauce into it. If your skillet is oven proof, just remove it from the heat.
7. Add the gnocchi to the boiling water. Gnocchi cooks in 3-4 minutes. It is done when it floats. Use the slotted spoon or skimmer to scoop the floating pasta out of the pot and place it in the skillet with the meatballs. Gently stir so that you don’t mush the meatballs or gnocchi.
8. Slice the mozzarella and place it on top of the meatballs. Place the dish/skillet in the oven and bake for about 8-10 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
9. Shred the basil leaves. Sprinkle them on top of the dish. You can also drizzle balsamic vinegar (lightly!) over everything.