Italian Sausage Meatballs with Puttanesca Sauce Recipe - EatSimpleFood.com

Recipe: https://eatsimplefood.com/sage-sausag... This puttanesca sauce recipe stands alone as a vegetarian dish, but sage sausage meatballs takes it to another level. Add spaghetti or favorite pasta or polenta or grits for a savory and comforting Italian pasta puttanesca. Garnish with Parmesan cheese. This easy and savory Italian sausage and sage meatball recipe is oven baked, simmered in a puttanesca tomato based sauce with olives, garlic, anchovies, olive oil, and capers. Serve pasta puttanesca with sage sausage meatballs over creamy polenta, grits, or pasta / spaghetti. Gluten free? Substitute gluten free or regular pasta if for pasta or stick with polenta or grits which are naturally gluten free. The Origins of This Pasta Puttanesca Recipe This recipe for the puttanesca sauce came from Antonio Laudisio from Boulder, Colorado. His restaurant is now closed, but we featured him as our Chef of The Month for our meal delivery service a long time ago. When I first requested the recipe, I was quite intimidated. Laudisios was one of our favorite restaurants. We also had a booth at the Boulder County Farmers Market and they had a pop-up in the food court. We ate lunch there every Saturday, and I always choose Boulder Polenta with Puttanesca sauce. He put my mind right at ease when I didn't want to mess up the recipe. He told me it was now mine to interpret as I liked. I was a young chef with no to minimal professional training and his lack of ego and relatability really stuck with me through my career thus far. I have tried to honor his puttanesca sauce, but don't even have the original anymore and certainly don't remember it. At any rate, this is my homage to him. Thanks, chef! What is Puttanesca Sauce? Puttanesca sauce translate into spaghetti made in the style of a prostitute. I guess we can assume that means whatever she's got laying around 🙂 . This "lady of the evening" Italian dish typically includes tomatoes, anchovies, olives, capers, garlic, and lots of olive oil. This "kitchen sink" puttanesca sauce is versatile. Put your favorite ingredients in it: artichokes, chives, red pepper flakes, basil, mushrooms, fennel, or eggplant. There is not a lot of olive oil in the puttanesca recipe because so many people are watching their calories or fat. In real life, I don't skimp on the olive oil and like to see a thin glossy layer coating the sauce. Italian Sausage Meatballs For Pasta Puttanesca This pasta Puttanesca sauce has sage sausage meatballs. However, the meat type does not matter in any meatball. And really, meat is not need at all. We eat vegetarian pasta puttanesca all the time. Don't have or like sausage? Try ground lamb, turkey, chicken, or beef. Don't have sage? Herb choice does not matter in a meatball. If you don't like or have sage and are feeling basil, tarragon, oregano, rosemary, then use those herbs instead. Dried herbs can also be substituted at ⅓ of the ratio for fresh herbs. What is Panko? First, panko is a binder to help food ingredients to stay together. Next, panko is a Japanese crustless bread crumb that is lighter (less dense) than regular bread crumbs and is lower in calories. More importantly, panko is a larger bread crumb that produce a lighter texture than regular breadcrumbs. Having said that, any breadcrumb will work in a pinch 🙂 Serves 4 Ingredient List Meatballs: -1 lb ground mild Italian sausage -¼ tsp salt -¼ tsp black pepper -1 small egg, beaten -½ cup panko bread crumbs -3 Tbsp fresh sage, chopped Ingredient List Sauce & Grits: -2 Tbsp e.v. olive oil -1 Tbsp garlic, minced -2 Tbsp capers, drained -1 Tbsp anchovy paste or 3 whole anchovies -¾ cup Kalamata olives, pitted and halved -⅓ cup pepperoncini, diced -¼ tsp dried oregano -~28 ounces crushed tomatoes or pasta sauce -3 Tbsp fresh sage or parsley, chopped - optional as garnish -¾ cup Parmesan cheese, grated - optional as garnish -1 cup polenta or grits or 1 pound uncooked pasta Instructions: Make Meatballs: -Preheat oven to 375F. -In a large bowl, mix sausage, salt, pepper, eggs, bread crumbs, and 3 tablespoon sage (reserve rest of sage as garnish). -Form 1 ½" meatballs and place on an aluminum lined baking sheet. -Bake for ~13-15 minutes or until cooked through Make Grits or Polenta: -Cook grits according to package instructions. Make Puttanesca Sauce: -Bring a large pan to medium high heat and add olive oil to lightly coat the pan. When hot add garlic and cook 1-2 minutes or until fragrant. -Add capers, anchovy paste, olives, pepperoncinis, and oregano, and stir together. Add crushed tomatoes or tomato sauce. -Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cook covered 20 minutes. -Stir in meatballs. and serve over polenta, grits, or pasta. -Garnish with fresh sage or parsley and parmesan . Add salt to taste. Happy Eating! Beckie