Meatless Cheese Meatballs Recipe

Ingredients

¼ cup olive oil
3 small onions (peeled and chopped)
4 garlic cloves (peeled and minced)
3 cans tomatoes (chopped)
1 cup fresh basil (chopped)
Sea salt and pepper, to taste
6 oz hardened Sara Lee® Artesano™ Bread (crusts removed)
6 oz grated hard cheese
¾ garlic clove (peeled)
4 large eggs
¼ cup fresh parsley leaves
Pinch of cracked black pepper
Grated Parmesan or pecorino cheese

	PREP TIME 10m	COOK TIME 20m	TOTAL TIME 30m
YIELD 6 servings

Instructions

For the Sauce:
Heat the oil in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan. Add the onion, until tender, then add the garlic and cook another minute until fragrant. Add tomatoes and basil and season with salt, and pepper, mix well. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, add a cup of water to your sauce and mix well.

For the bread and Cheese Balls:
In a food processor, blend the bread and garlic until you have created coarse crumbs. Add the cheese and parsley. Empty the bread mixture into a bowl. Add one egg at a time using as many eggs as needed until you have created a mixture that is moist, but firm enough to handle. Using your hands (moisten with water if necessary), form small egg-sized balls and drop carefully into the sauce. Make as many bread and cheese balls as available. Simmer on low heat for 15 minutes, then gently turn the meatballs over. Simmer another 10 minutes, adding additional water if the sauce begins to thicken too much. To serve, place a large spoonful of sauce in each of 4 bowls, and then add three meatballs on top, sprinkle with cheese.

Dinner