Italian Meats and Poultry Recipes - Feisty Pork Meatballs

Ingredients           

• Nonstick cooking spray

• 1 tablespoon finely chopped, drained canned whole cherry pepper (1 pepper) or pepperoncini salad peppers

• 1/4 cup bottled chili sauce

• 1/4 cup seasoned fine dry bread crumbs

• 2 tablespoons finely chopped onion

• 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese or Romano cheese

• 1 1/2 teaspoons fennel seeds, crushed

• 1 pound very lean ground pork

• 26- or 27-ounce jar chunky-style pasta sauce

• 1/4 cup chopped, drained canned whole cherry peppers (4 peppers) or pepperoncini salad peppers

• Hot cooked wide noodles

---

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly coat a 15x10x1-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.

2. In a large bowl combine the 1 tablespoon finely chopped pepper, the chili sauce, bread crumbs, onion, cheese, and fennel seeds. Add pork; mix well. Shape pork mixture into 36 meatballs. Place in prepared baking pan.

3. Bake, uncovered, for 20 to 25 minutes or until done (160°F). Remove from oven; drain off fat.

4. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan heat the pasta sauce until bubbly. Add baked meatballs and the 1/4 cup chopped peppers; heat through. Serve over hot cooked noodles.

Note: The internal color of a meatball is not a reliable doneness indicator. Pork meatballs cooked to 160°F are safe, regardless of color. To measure the doneness of a meatball, insert an instant-read thermometer into the center of the meatball.