Name: Sausage Meatballs with Puttanesca Sauce
Prep time: 35 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 1 lb ground mild Italian sausage; ¼ tsp salt; ¼ tsp black pepper; 1 small egg, beaten; ½ cup panko bread crumbs; 3 Tbsp fresh sage, chopped; 2 Tbsp e.v. olive oil; 1 Tbsp garlic, minced; 2 Tbsp capers, drained; 1 Tbsp anchovy paste or 3 whole anchovies; ¾ cup Kalamata olives, pitted and halved; ⅓ cup pepperoncini, diced; ¼ tsp dried oregano; ~28 ounces crushed tomatoes or pasta sauce; 3 Tbsp fresh sage or parsley, chopped - optional as garnish; 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated - optional as garnish; 1 cup polenta or grits or 1 pound uncooked pasta

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Sausage meatballs takes this puttanesca sauce to another level. Add spaghetti, polenta, or grits for a savory and comforting sausage meatball pasta puttanesca.

Glass pyrex rectangle dish with a red tomato sauce with 10 meatballs sitting on the sauce. — *Freeze half of it for another night.*

This easy and savory Italian sausage meatball recipe is oven baked, simmered in a puttanesca tomato based sauce with olives, garlic, anchovies, olive oil, and capers.

Serve pasta puttanesca with sage sausage meatballs over creamy polenta, grits, or pasta / spaghetti.

Gluten free? Substitute gluten free panko for the meatballs and gluten free pasta for regular pasta. Or stick with polenta or grits which are naturally gluten free.

Ingredients on a white table: white plate of ground sausage, one cracked egg in a white bowl, ½ cup panko bread crumbs, container of salt and pepper, and fresh herbs (oregano, rosemary, parsley). Side view. — *Put any fresh herbs that you like in meatballs. These are oregano, rosemary, and parsley. Substitute a pinch of dried herbs if you don't have any fresh herbs.*

The Origins of This Pasta Puttanesca Recipe

This puttanesca sauce recipe came from Antonio Laudisio from Boulder, Colorado. His restaurant (Laudisios) is now closed, but we featured him as our Chef of The Month for our meal delivery service a long time ago.

When I first requested the recipe, I was quite intimidated. Laudisios was one of our favorite restaurants. We also had a booth at the Boulder County Farmers Market and they had a pop-up in the food court. We ate lunch there every Saturday, and I always choose Boulder Polenta with Puttanesca sauce.

Antonio put my mind right at ease when I didn't want to mess up his recipe. He told me it was now mine to interpret as I liked. I was a young chef with no to minimal professional training and his lack of ego and relatability has stuck with me through my career.

I have tried to honor Laudisio's puttanesca sauce, but don't even have the original anymore and certainly don't remember it. At any rate, this is my homage to him. Thanks, chef!

Ingredients: container of cooked meatballs, sliced olives, drained capers, minced garlic, minced herbs, sliced pepperoncinis. Top view. Wood cutting board with chefs knife.

What is Puttanesca Sauce?

Puttanesca sauce translate into spaghetti made in the style of a prostitute. I guess we can assume that means whatever she's got laying around 🙂 .

This "lady of the evening" Italian sauce typically includes tomatoes, anchovies, olives, capers, garlic, and lots of olive oil.

This "kitchen sink" puttanesca sauce is versatile. Put your favorite ingredients in it: artichokes, chives, red pepper flakes, basil, mushrooms, fennel, or eggplant.

There is not a lot of olive oil in this puttanesca recipe because so many people are watching their calories or fat. In real life, I don't skimp on the olive oil and like to see a thin glossy layer coating the sauce.

Deep stainless steel pan with a red tomato sauce with onions, garlic, and capers.

Italian Sausage Meatballs For Puttanesca Sauce

This pasta Puttanesca sauce has sausage meatballs. However, the meat type does not matter in any meatball. And really, meat is not needed at all. We eat vegetarian pasta puttanesca all the time.

Don't have or like sausage? Try ground lamb, turkey, chicken, or beef.

Don't have sage? Herb choice does not matter in a meatball. If you don't like or have sage and are feeling basil, tarragon, oregano, rosemary, then use those herbs instead. Dried herbs can also be substituted at ⅓ of the ratio for fresh herbs.

Sausage meatballs are baked for this recipe to make it easier. Having said that, they can also be seared and cooked in a pan on the stovetop if preferred.

Meatballs have enough fat in them that they can be cooked directly on the baking sheet. Aluminum foil or parchment paper keep the sheet pan clean so you may not have to wash it.

BUT, cooking sausage meatballs directly on the pan (vs a lined pan) should give them a seared looked on the underside and a baked look on the top.

Large stainless steel pan with a silver spoon. Pan is full of browned sausage meatballs in a tomato sauce with olives and capers. Close up.

Use Panko For Sausage Meatball Puttanesca

Panko is a binder to help meatballs stay together. It is also a Japanese crustless bread crumb that is lighter (less dense) than regular bread crumbs.

So panko is a larger bread crumb that produce a lighter texture than regular breadcrumbs. Having said that, any breadcrumb will work in a pinch for sausage meatballs.

Trying to go gluten free? Omit the breadcrumbs or substitute instant oatmeal that has been food processed into a gluten free flour.

2 square plates with grits and meatballs in a red sauce. Glass of water and a shallow pan filled with meatballs and red sauce. — *This puttanesca sauce version has added diced artichoke hearts to the sauce.*

Serve sausage meatballs with puttanesca sauce with a light Italian iceberg lettuce wedge.

Sausage Meatballs with Puttanesca Sauce

Browned sausage meatballs in a tomato sauce with olives and capers. Close up.

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EatSimpleFood.com

Sausage meatballs takes this puttanesca sauce to another level. Add spaghetti, polenta, or grits for a savory and comforting sausage meatball pasta puttanesca.

Author: beckie
Prep Time: 35 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Yield: 4
Category: Main Dish
Method: Stovetop / Oven
Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients

Ingredient List Meatballs:

1 lb ground mild Italian sausage
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 small egg, beaten
½ cup panko bread crumbs
3 tablespoon fresh sage, chopped

Ingredient List Sauce & Grits:

2 tablespoon e.v. olive oil
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
2 Tbsp capers, drained
1 tablespoon anchovy paste or 3 whole anchovies
¾ cup Kalamata olives, pitted and halved
⅓ cup pepperoncini, diced
¼ teaspoon dried oregano
~28 ounces crushed tomatoes or pasta sauce
3 tablespoon fresh sage or parsley, chopped - optional as garnish
¾ cup Parmesan cheese, grated - optional as garnish
1 cup polenta or grits or 1 pound uncooked pasta

Instructions

Make Meatballs:

Preheat oven to 375F.
In a large bowl, mix sausage, salt, pepper, eggs, bread crumbs, and 3 tablespoon sage (reserve rest of sage as garnish).
Form 1 ½" meatballs and place on an aluminum lined baking sheet.
Bake for ~13-15 minutes or until cooked through

Make Grits or Polenta or Pasta:

Cook grits or pasta according to package instructions.

Make Puttanesca Sauce:

Bring a large pan to medium high heat and add olive oil to lightly coat the pan. When hot add garlic and cook 1-2 minutes or until fragrant.
Add capers, anchovy paste, olives, pepperoncinis, and oregano, and stir together. Add crushed tomatoes or tomato sauce.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cook covered 20 minutes.
Stir in meatballs. and serve over polenta, grits, or pasta.
Garnish with fresh sage or parsley and parmesan . Add salt to taste. Happy Eating! Beckie

Things In My Kitchen:

13 x 18 baking sheets - for bakin' the meatballs. I use these "jellyroll" sheets for baking nearly everything.

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Serving Suggestion

Serve this pasta puttanesca recipe with a complementary recipe like:

Sausage Meatballs with Puttanesca Sauce