Easy Meatball Sliders with Marcella Hazan's Simple, Homemade Tomato Sauce

Nothing tastes better when it’s cold outside than comfort food. I'm talking about the food we grew up with, the food our Mother’s cooked, simple, flavorful and fulfilling. This classic  recipe from Marcella Hazan, speaks to those memories. So easy, with just 4 ingredients, the flavor is simply sublime. Meatballs are my son-in-law's favorite, so much so that my daughter now throws him a meatball party for his birthday every January. Inspired by my daughter Lily, these tasty meatballs are super easy and are baked not fried so you are free to get other bites ready while they're baking. Serve as sliders to a Super Bowl crowd (Go Niners!!) or over pasta with more Parmesan and a little chopped parsley for an easy dinner. 

Marcella Hazan’s Really Simple Tomato Sauce
1 - 28-ounce can of San Marzano whole peeled tomatoes
6 T unsalted butter
1 onion, peeled and cut in half
pinch of salt
Place the tomatoes, their juices, the butter and the onion halves in a saucepan. Add a pinch or two of salt. Heat to a simmer over medium heat. Cook, uncovered, for about 45 minutes. Stir occasionally, mashing any large pieces of tomato with a spoon. Add salt as needed. Discard the onion before serving. This sauce is incredibly versatile:

• spoon over meatballs on slider buns
• add meatballs to the tomato sauce to heat, serve over pasta (sauce makes enough for 1 lb of pasta)
• thin with chicken stock and add a bit of cream for an easy tomato soup
• add 2 T of store bought basil pesto to the sauce for a different flavor direction

Meatballs
1/2 lb lean ground beef
1/2 lb mild Italian sausage
1/2 C panko breadcrumbs
2 T milk or half & half
2 T good red wine (or all milk or 1/2 and 1/2)
2 T finely chopped parsley
2 T grated Parmesan
pinch of kosher salt
pinch of red pepper flakes and/or freshly ground black pepper
1/2 t onion powder
2 large eggs
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 T currants (optional)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place meat, bread crumbs, milk, red wine, parsley, cheese, salt, pepper, onion powder, eggs,  garlic and currants (if using) in a large bowl. Mix everything together with your clean hands until evenly mixed. Form mixture into 2-inch meatballs (I used a 2 tablespoon scoop) and arrange on a sheet pan that has been lined with parchment paper and sprayed lightly with non stick spray. Roast for 12 minutes, until cooked through (you can cut one in half to see if they're done).

Grab some slider buns, top with a meatball, spoon over some sauce, add grated Parmesan and a sprinkle of parsley for color. Don’t forget the napkins!

If doing spaghetti and meatballs, just heat the meatballs in the sauce for 10 minutes before tossing with the pasta.