Italian Meatball Sandwiches

As promised, here is the second of the 3 meatball recipes that I have been trying out.

ITALIAN-STYLE MEATBALLS IN TOMATO BASIL SAUCE

Meatballs:

1/3 c. water
2 tbsp. milk
1/2 c. breadcrumbs (I used a bunch of crumbled crackers)
1 lb. ground beef
1 small onion, finely diced
1/3 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped
pepper, to taste

Sauce:

680 ml (23-ounce) jar strained tomatoes (I used a large can of stewed tomatoes, strained them, and pureed them)
1/4 c. water
1 tbsp. tomato paste
1/2 c. red wine (I unfortunately didn't have any wine on hand, so I used some vegetable broth)
1/4 tsp. crushed chili flakes
1/4 c. fresh basil, chopped (I used oregano)

Combine water, milk, and breadcrumbs, then add remaining meatball ingredients. Form into large meatballs and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 375 F for 25-30 minutes, turning once.

Place the sauce ingredients in a pot (leave out the basil/oregano until the end.) Gently simmer for about 10 minutes. Place cooked meatballs in the sauce, cover partially, and simmer for 15 minutes. Stir in basil, and serve on garlic bread or pasta.
These were pretty darn good, although they were also pretty darn messy! I made my own garlic bread with a store-bought french loaf of bread and some garlic paste and butter. Always a good thing. We had some Caesar salad on the side, and even with only 2 meatballs on my sandwich, it was an incredibly filling meal.

I also made up the meatballs for the third recipe in this set (Meatball & Black Bean Chili with Canadian Lager), but we are going to my mom's for supper tomorrow, and we're just plain sick of meatball meals, so I cooked the meatballs and put them in the freezer for another day (or week.)