Meatball Gratin

Juicy homemade pork meatballs with garlic, onion, Italian seasoning, fennel seeds, and pancetta / bacon are browned then simmered in a rich tomato based sauce and lots of Gruyère until golden. It’s wholesome, hearty and so moreish. Serve with your favourite salad and plenty of crusty bread to soak up the sauce.

Pork Meatballs	Tomato Sauce
2 tbsp Lard or olive oil 150 g Pancetta or bacon, finely chopped 1 Medium red onion, finely chopped 3 Garlic cloves, finely chopped 2 tbsp Italian seasoning 2 tsp Fennel seeds, crushed ½ tsp Sea salt Black pepper to taste 600 g Pork mince	1 tbsp Lard or olive oil 2 Small red onions, finely chopped 2 Garlic cloves, finely chopped 1 tbsp Thyme leaves 250 ml Red wine (I used Chianti) 2 Bay leaves 1 Parmesan rind (optional) 700 g Tomato passata 300 g Gruyère, grated 1 tbsp Fresh herb, chopped (dill, fennel fronds or parsley)

Place the pancetta and half of lard or olive oil in a cold pan over medium heat. When sizzling, cook for 2-3 minutes until fat renders. Add the onion and cook, stirring, for 3-4 minutes until softened. Add garlic, Italian seasoning and fennel seeds.
Season. Cook, stirring, for 2-3 minutes until fragrant. Remove from heat and cool. In a large bowl, combine pork and pancetta mixture. Shape the mixture into 16 meatballs. In a frying pan and over a moderate heat add the remaining lard or olive oil and sauté the meatballs until brown, set aside to drain on paper towel.
Preheat oven to 200C/400F. For the sauce, heat the lard or olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, for 3-4 minutes until softened. Add garlic and thyme, and cook, stirring, for 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
Add wine, scraping pan with a spoon. Add bay leaves, Parmesan rind and passata. Season. Cover and cook for 15 minutes or until infused. Discard Parmesan rind.
Place meatballs in an ovenproof dish and pour over the sauce. Srinkle with grated gruyère. Bake in the middle of hot oven for 25-30 minutes until melted and nicely goldne. Sprinkle with chopped herb.

9 comments:

DEZMOND 8/2/25 13:13: Something cozy for todays cold weather. I made oats and sunflower veggieballs in tomato sauce yesterday for lunch.
Tom 8/2/25 14:20: ...Angie, this looks like a winner to me, thanks!
The Velvet Runway 8/2/25 14:44: Ooh, this looks amazing! I am going to make this for my daughter next time she's home! She loves meatballs and this is such an interesting way to cook them.
Julia x
https://www.thevelvetrunway.com/
Ivy's Closet 8/2/25 15:02: Oh, so tempting!
Caitlin'nMegan 8/2/25 15:03: Great to have this on a cold winter weekend we are having. Thanks so much!
ellie 8/2/25 15:03: Wow, such a beautiful presentation...I would even eat it for breakfast!
Lola Martínez 8/2/25 15:29: Las albóndigas son buenisimas, pero la salsa lo es aún más, con un buen pan de los que tú haces, es un placer degustarla.
eileeninmd 8/2/25 15:40: Looks delicious, I would enjoy this recipe.
Take care, have a great weekend.
Federica Simoni 8/2/25 16:09: wow sarà buonissimo!