Mouthwatering dish of Meatballs baked and served with delectable, rich Red Wine Sauce. This is an easy dish and can be served for any occasion, make it as a party appetizer or for a family dinner.
Let me tell you about this Red Wine Sauce…it’s amazing! This is definitely not your regular meatballs with marinara sauce or even cream sauce, this is a rich, flavorful sauce that demands attention and gets it. It is full of flavor and goes perfectly with other red meats. You can top off a nice steak with it or serve it on some juicy pork chops. Or, you can make it with some delicious meatballs.
If you want to make it for a family dinner, these Meatball with Red Wine Sauce go perfectly with mashed or roasted potatoes. Meatballs, rich sauce and potatoes… that would be one satisfying comfort meal for sure!
It may sound odd, because I absolutely love red wine, but I didn’t used to like cooking with red wine. There was something about the smell that came from red wine cooking in a hot pan. I just did NOT like it. That is until I figured out the problem…it was the kind of wine!
Some of you have seen me rant about “cooking wine” and how it’s not allowed in my kitchen. Well, there is a good reason for that, wine can make or break a recipe! Using cooking wine just won’t make that recipe what it should be. So as using cheaper wine. If you wouldn’t want to drink it, I don’t recommend you putting in the sauce. Using better wine, will definitely reflect in the dish you are making, especially when it comes to red wine. I used to pick up the cheapest bottle of wine that I could find just for cooking but quickly realized that the flavors were so much better when I used wine that I liked.
It took me a few tries to get a great red wine sauce. There are few key ingredients and steps that you should remember when makign your own. Make sure to remember to add sugar, it will make the world of difference here. Make sure to let the sauce cook out for a while or your sauce will be bitter. Wine needs time to cook down. Most important, taste, taste, taste as you go! (That last one is actually a good general rule in cooking.)
Meatballs in Red Wine Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 lb Casa Di Bertacchi Meatballs defrosted
- Red Wine Sauce:
- 2 shallots
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 1/2 Tbsp flour
- 1 garlic clove
- 6 Tbsp tomato paste
- 2 1/2 cups of red wine not dry
- About 3-inch rosemary sprig
- 1 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1/3 cup of beef stock
- Salt and fresh ground pepper
Instructions
- In a medium sauce pot, heat up olive oil over medium heat and add diced shallots and minced garlic.
- Saute until shallots are translucent and sprinkle flour over the top. Stir until shallots are all coated and slowly pour in the wine, while stirring. Keep stirring until all smooth.
- Stir in stock and tomato paste.
- Add sugar and rosemary sprig.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Simmer for about 20-25 minutes, stirring often.
- Preheat the oven to 350.
- Arrange meatballs in a lightly greased baking dish.
- Strain sauce through a fine strainer and pour it over meatballs.
- Bake for 15-17 minutes.
Nutrition
Constance says
Amazing! I was initially hesitant to try this recipe because so many red wine meat recipes use much less wine, so glad I tried this recipe! I used a sweet red wine, made my own turkey meatballs and seared them a little first. I used Demi glaze concentrate and water instead of stock because that is what I have on hand. I baked longer than your instructed time because I did not set my timer and lost track of time. Still amazing. This is now my go-to recipe! Thank you!!
LyubaB says
Thank you for sharing your experience! I’m happy to hear that you enjoyed the recipe and made it your own with homemade turkey meatballs and a sweet red wine!
Lita Watson says
The red color of the sauce looks so amazing. Can i use sage instead of rosemary sprig for this recipe? Will it make any change in the flavor?
MIss @ Miss in the Kitchen says
This sounds amazing! Can’t wait to try this versatile sauce!
Dorothy Teel says
I like the sound of this recipe Maple Glazed Meatballs, does sound yummy and would be a great part finger food, or treat for the grandchildren.
Justine@CookingandBeer says
I’m thinking these little bites would be just perfect for a game day appetizer! I could gobble them all up! Pinned!
Lisa @ Cooking with Curls says
That sauce sounds amazing Lyuba. I love the depth of flavor that wine adds to foods. I bet these meatballs taste amazing. 🙂
lyuba says
Thank you so much, Lisa! They really are!
Marisa Franca @ All Our Way says
We don’t have to worry about having wine in the house –:-) drinkable, that is. I do like using wine in my cooking and I like the variety is that is available. I think we’ll have something Italian tonight.
lyuba says
Italian is always a good choice 😉
Love me some Italian food!
Julie @ This Gal Cooks says
That sauce looks AMAZING, Lyuba! *swoon*
I love using red wine in my hearty sauces and soups because it does give the recipe so much more depth. You’re totally right – don’t use something you wouldn’t drink!
lyuba says
Thank you, Julie!! 🙂