Tomato Glazed Meatballs

Ingredients

MEATBALLS

• 1 1/2 lbs lean ground beef (use you own favorite recipe and shaped into small meatballs see Kittencal's Famous Italian Melt-In-Your-Mouth Meatballs)

SAUCE

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2-3 tablespoons minced fresh garlic (about 8-9 cloves)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/8-1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or to taste)
• 1 (14 ounce) can stewed tomatoes (pureed with juice)
• 3/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt (optional, you may need to add in if using low-sodium soy sauce and adjust salt to taste) (optional)

Directions

1. 1

   Grease a 2 or 3-quart casserole dish.

2. 2

   Set oven to 350 degrees F.

3. 3

   In a bowl combine all meatball ingredients.

4. 4

   Shape in about 1-inch meatballs (or shape any size you desire).

5. 5

   Place onto a large greased jelly-roll baking sheet.

6. 6

   Bake for about 20-22 minutes or until just cooked through (they will cook more when simmered in the sauce) set aside.

7. 7

   For the sauce; puree the stewed tomatoes with the juice until smooth in a processor or blender.

8. 8

   Heat butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat; add in minced garlic and black pepper and cayenne pepper (start with smaller amount of cayenne, you may add in more later) cook over medium heat stirring until garlic is softened but not browned (about 3 minutes).

9. 9

   Add in pureed tomatoes, honey, brown sugar and ketchup, bring to a simmer stirring constantly.

10. 10

    In a small bowl whisk the soy sauce with cornstarch until smooth; add to the simmering sauce and stir until thickened and bubbly.

11. 11

    Add in salt only if needed and adjust/add in more honey or brown sugar if desired.

12. 12

    Wipe each meatball with a paper towel to remove any fat accumulated on the meatball from oven-baking.

13. 13

    Place the cooked meatballs in casserole dish, then pour the sauce over meatballs; stir to coat (use as many meatballs as desired and freeze the rest).

14. 14

    Bake for about 25-30 minutes at 350 degrees F or simmer over low heat uncovered on top of the stove in a saucepan for the same amount of time.