Jalapeño Garlic Baked Bison Meatballs

Bison Meatballs are loaded with garlic and jalapeños, simmered in a spicy and creamy pasta sauce, this meal is also Gluten Free.

Happy Friday! How is everyone doing, any fun plans for the weekend? I plan on working a lot and baking a lot and squeezing some fun stuff in, like a movie night or a trip to Whole Foods. Yes, I consider trips to Whole Foods to be super fun as I can browse the aisles endlessly. In terms of food, I made these amazing Bison Meatballs in the middle of the week, and I made such a huge pot that we have leftovers for a few days. Tasty leftovers = happy husband = happy me.

It was my first time making Bison Meatballs and I must say that we loved them. My husband is a huge fan of Italian dishes, well, I am too, so I promised him some meatballs in tomato pasta sauce for a long time and finally I delivered. What I love about this dish is how easy it can be made, its perfect for weeknight dinners, or even when you have company over, a big pot of creamy, garlicky and spicy tomato sauce with delicious meatballs, what’s not to love here!?

The Bison Meatballs turned out amazing, they have a chewier texture than classic meatballs since the meat is very, very lean, but we loved them a lot. I added TONS and TONS of garlic to the meat, and jalapeño peppers for a hot kick, also a cup of ricotta to make them softer. Really, hand down, they turned out amazing. First I baked them in a very hot oven and after that I added them to the simmering pasta sauce and everything went into the oven again. This is my type of comfort food, also this dish is so flavorful, yet healthy and its also Gluten Free. Gotta love all that!

I am literally addicted to my Dutch Oven from Le Creuset, I use it a lot and I just love serving comfort food straight from it. The  pasta sauce that you see was made with store bought marinara sauce, that I flavored with tons of garlic, jalapeños, dry and fresh basil. The sauce is creamy, spicy and tangy, its perfect with the meatballs. The Bison Meatballs also get to absord some of the sauce which is fabulous. This is the type of dish that tastes even better the next day when all the flavors get a chance to settle. I served it over pasta with fresh parmesam cheese – delightful!

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If you love comfort food that is easy to make and unbelievably flavorful with a spicy kick this is the dish you have to try and if you want a chicken version, check this one!

Jalapeño Garlic Baked Bison Meatballs

 

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Prep time

40 mins

Cook time

1 hour

Total time

1 hour 40 mins

 

Bison Meatballs are loaded with garlic and jalapeños, simmered in a spicy and creamy pasta sauce, this meal is also Gluten Free.

Author: Katalina Kastravet

Recipe type: Dinner

Cuisine: Italian

Serves: 18 meatballs

Ingredients

• Meatballs:
• 2 pounds bison ground beef
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 2 large eggs
• 3 garlic heads, minced (about 15-17 garlic cloves)
• 3 jalapeños, seeded and finely chopped
• ¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 tablespoon dry basil
• 1½ tablespoons coarse salt
• 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
• 2-3 tablespoon olive oil
• Tomato Sauce:
• 24 ounces homemade or store bough marinade or pasta sauce
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 jalapeños, seeded and finely chopped
• 2 garlic heads, minced (about 10-12 garlic cloves)
• 5 dry hot peppers
• 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 tablespoon dry basil
• 1 tablespoon coarse salt
• ½ cup chopped fresh basil
• 1 cup light heavy whipping cream
• ¼ cup olive oil

Instructions

1. Meatballs:
2. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
3. Drizzle a 9-by 13-inch baking dish with olive oil, with a brush coat the entire surface and set aside.
4. Add garlic and jalapeños to a food processor and process until finally chopped.
5. In a large bowl, using your hands mix together: bison beef, ricotta, eggs, parsley, garlic and jalapeño mixture, salt, pepper, and dry basil, mix until fully incorporated. Roll mixture into firmly packed 1½-inch balls or using an ice cream scoop, scoop meatballs into the prepared baking dish.
6. Bake for 10 minutes and broil for another 2 minutes.
7. Tomato Sauce:
8. While the meatballs are baking work on the sauce.
9. Add garlic and jalapeños to a food processor and process until finally chopped.
10. Add olive oil to a medium - large Dutch Oven on media heat, add onion and cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, add the garlic jalapeño mixture, hot pepper, black pepper, red pepper flakes, dry basil and salt. Cook for 7-8 minutes stirring as needed. Add light heavy cream to deglaze the pan, mix well and add the pasta/marinara sauce. Stir in fresh, chopped basil and let it cook on low - medium heat until it starts to simmer. Taste and adjust as needed, add more salt if desired. Remove from heat.
11. Remove meatballs from oven and gently add them to the sauce. Reduce oven temperature to 350F cover Dutch Oven with a lid and transfer to the oven. Bake for 40 minutes.
12. Remove from oven, let it rest for 20 minutes, garnish with fresh chopped basil and serve with pasta.

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