Food 52

Baked Meatballs With Orzo in Roasted Pepper Sauce

These could probably be the best meatballs & pasta youll ever make. Therere so many hidden layers of flavors in this dish. The meatballs are tender but firm, made with ground beef and ricotta. Then drenched in a rich eggplant & roasted bell pepper tomato sauce together with the orzo. Good news! You only need one pan to cook the entire dish. To nail this dish, we add ricotta and softened bread crumbs to the meat. This way the meatballs will never come out dry and youll get a softer, but still toothsome meatball. We mix them with our hands, but be sure you dont over mix. The shorter you mix and form the balls, the lighter they will be. If you overwork the meatballs, theyll get tough. When all the meatballs are formed, we brown them in olive oil, then transfer to a plate and throw the chopped shallot and garlic into the pan. Let them sweat a bit, then add the eggplant. It will add a nice texture and flavor to the sauce without dominating it too much. Now we also add orzo, and pour in the tomato sauce mixed with roasted bell peppers, some tomato paste and chicken broth. The roasted bell peppers are a must. I used a jar, so no effort, but this is what makes the sauce taste so delicious. It adds a subtle sweetness you cant get with any other ingredient. The tomato paste gives the sauce a perfect concentrated flavor together with the crushed tomatoes so youll have a rich and a pretty smooth sauce. The depth of flavor it adds is almost like youve been letting it cook for hours. We cook the orzo in that flavorful sauce, then transfer the meatballs back into the pan. As finishing touch, we add mozzarella and bake everything a couple of minutes in the oven. And there you have it...the best meatballs ever. Yep, and only one pan.