Meatballs with Bacon Sauce

The first Valentine's Day in our house, I became obsessed with the idea of creating this really romantic meal for Rob.  I carefully watched Food Network for weeks, determined to find That Perfect ILoveYou Meal for him.

The second I got home from work, I started pulling out my pans, giddy in anticipation of how much I was sure he'd love the salmon filets I was making with this Fancypants glaze.  I even picked up these gigantic chocolate covered strawberries from one of my favorite local grocery stores for dessert.  Who wouldn't fall to their knees in adoration at the spread I was whipping up??

Not Rob.  I mean, dinner was ok (I may have overcooked the salmon a bit), and the strawberries were fine.  But that was it.  At the time, I was a lot flabbergasted and a little bit hurt.  Didn't he realize that I made this Fancypants dinner for him?

It took me years, and a couple other Fancypants dinners, before I finally had that "oh duh Jeanna" moment: just who exactly was I making these dinners for?  For all my Fancypants cooking, I didn't marry a Fancypants guy.  I married a true-blue, down-to-the-core Carnivore.  I could make all the fancy dinners I wanted (and he would happily eat them!) but they weren't going to make him stop mid-meal, look at me, and say thankyoupleasemakethisagain in between bites.

And I realize that I've given you a couple of lovely dinner options lately with oo-la-la sauces to go them.  If that's what your Beloved goes for, do it!  But if you have a guy like mine, why not make his meat-lover's heart go pitter-pat with a dish like this one instead:

Meatballs with Bacon Sauce 
Recipe adapted from Beau MacMillan

Bacon Sauce:
7 or 8 strips thick-cut bacon
1 large onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 (14.5oz) cans crushed tomatoes
2 (14.5oz) cans diced tomatoes

Meatballs:
2 pounds lean ground beef
3/4 cup breadcrumbs
3/4 cup grated Parmigiano, plus more for serving
3/4 cup fresh parsley leaves, chopped
2 or 3 cloves garlic, minced
2 eggs
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1.  For the bacon sauce: Using kitchen shears, snip the bacon into pieces into a big saute pan or skillet over medium heat; cook until almost crispy. Without removing the bacon from the pan, drain all but about 3-4 tbsp of the bacon fat.  Reserve the drained fat.

Feeling a little sinful with this much bacon......

2.  Add the onions to the pan. When the onions are almost cooked and start to become translucent, add the garlic and salt and pepper to taste. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, and then add tomatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer on low for about an hour to an hour and a half.

Is there anything lovelier than bacon and onions?

3.  For the meatballs: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Grease a baking sheet. In a large bowl, combine the beef, breadcrumbs, Parmigiano, parsley, garlic, eggs and some salt and pepper. Form into 1 to 1 1/2-inch meatballs and place on the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle or smear (if it's congealed) a little of the reserved bacon fat on each meatball. Bake for 5 minutes. Then turn the oven down to 350 degrees F and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes.

No need to get fancy: very basic meatball ingredients

Normally with recipes like this, I'd cut down on the bacon in an effort to control the amount of fat.  However this isn't just any meat sauce, it's a Bacon Sauce.  So I chose instead to leave the bacon and just drain some of that extra fat (I can always add it back in).  And you will be happy too for leaving in all the bacon.  The sauce has this incredible smokey flavor that perfectly complements the hearty meatballs.  Serve this over your choice of hot pasta (I like thin spaghetti).   Toss together a fresh salad and some garlic bread and you may just have that "fall to their knees in adoration" meal.