pretty by the bay

A couple of months ago, I dined at one of my favorite SF restaurants – SPQR – and enjoyed a lovely appetizer of meatballs served with a chunky tomato sauce and melt-in-your-mouth borlotti beans. The dish offered an interesting mix of flavors and textures, and after thinking about it for a few weeks I decided it was easy enough to recreate at home. Plus, it gave me the opportunity to try this purchase from A Southern Season:

Porta Mangiare made it pretty easy to whip up meatballs on a weeknight. Their mix includes a blend of breadcrumbs and spices to season one pound of ground meat. Add two eggs, some Romano cheese and a bit of milk, and presto! Instant meatballs. The mix was super convenient and fairly tasty, though if I purchased it again I would use less than the full package – it was a little too breadcrumby for me.

The best part about this process is that it was more of a method than a recipe. You can use any meatball recipe, or take the easy route with frozen ones. You also have flexibility with your beans – make them from scratch, or use canned. (You probably won’t find canned borlotti beans, but cannellini would work just as well.) Finally, I whipped up a quick homemade tomato sauce to mimic the rustic sauce at SPQR, but you could certainly use a chunky jarred sauce. Any combination of meatballs + beans + sauce will be delicious!

Meatballs with Borlotti Beans and Chunky Tomato Sauce

serves four

12 meatballs (homemade or store bought, beef, turkey or vegetaria), cooked according to recipe/package directions

2 c cooked borlotti or cannellini beans, warmed to an appropriate temperature for serving

1 tbsp olive oil

1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes with basil

1 small onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1/2 to 1 tsp dried Italian seasoning (add according to your tastes)

1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

salt and pepper, to taste

handful Italian parsley, chopped

grated parmesan or romano cheese, for serving

Heat the oil over medium heat in a large nonstick skillet. Add the chopped onion and cook until translucent and fragrant, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for an additional 2 to 3 minutes, until it is fragrant but not too dark. Season with salt, pepper, Italian seasoning and crushed red pepper. Add the crushed tomatoes and simmer the sauce for 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in chopped parsley during the last 2 minutes of cooking.

To build the dish, place 1/2 cup cooked beans in the bottom of a bowl. Top with a generous serving of tomato sauce, then 2 to three meatballs. Garnish with additional sauce, if desired, along with grated cheese and parsley.