These mini sausage meatballs are based on a Nigella Lawson recipe from her book Nigelissima. It stretches a pound of sausage to serve 4 people rather comfortably, plus the recipe is really easy to make. I love serving this with angel hair, but feel free to serve this with any pasta you prefer (or even rice for that matter).
Looking for another delicious sauce idea to make during a busy workweek? Try my easy weekday bolognese.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20-25 minutes
Serves 4 people
Ingredients
1 lb hot or sweet Italian sausages
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp dried oregano
1/4 c dry red wine
2 14-oz cans fire-roasted diced tomatoes
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
2 bay leaves
salt and pepper, to taste
Preparation
Remove the casings from the sausages, then roll small cherry-tomato-sized meatballs. You should have about 40. I remove the casings, cut each sausage in half, then cut those halves in half, and then cut those halves in half. There are usually 5 sausages in a 1 lb package, giving you 40 meatballs.
In a Dutch oven or large, heavy pan, heat your oil then add the meatballs, frying until golden. When all of the meatballs are in the pan and browned, add the oregano and stir around for 30 seconds to 1 minute.
Add the wine, let cook for about 1-2 minutes, then add the canned tomatoes. Fill half of one of the empty cans with cold water, then tip into the other empty can, then into the pan. This way you’re getting all of that tomato goodness into your pan.
Add the garlic powder, onion powder, and bay leaves then bring to a simmer. Continue to cook, uncovered, for 20 minutes. The sauce will thicken slightly and the meatballs will cook through. Taste for seasoning and add some salt and pepper if you’d like.
During this time you can prepare whatever you’d like to have with the meatballs, whether it be pasta, rice, garlic bread, or whatever.
Once the mini sausage meatballs are ready you can serve immediately or let them sit for 15 minutes off the heat. The sauce will continue to thicken while standing.
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