Parmesan Garlic Alfredo Meatballs and Noodles

Today, I found out what it feels like to become a human popsicle. I trudged around through the poorly shoveled and crusty dirt flecked snow mounds of the city and it's outskirts to make my home visit rounds, bag brimming with theraputty and balloons. It was blustery out to say the very  least. I usually enjoy winter, and the snow covered beauty and winter sports, and the excuse to stay in and cozy up. But tomorrow is officially spring, and we've been getting nailed with snow non-stop.

It's true, this is Minnesota. I know this is a normal winter for us, after several spoiled years of nice weather. But I'm ready to shed the layers and feel the warm rays of sun on my pasty skin.

When I was a kid, I would hook up the hair dryer to an extension cord and sit on the steps melting  a small circle of snow, just to get to a tiny patch of brown dead grass. I needed to know it was still under there, that soon it would be warm out again. I remember thinking if I just had a huge hair dryer, I could melt all the snow... I wanted that huge hair dryer today.

That being said, I'm still not in the mood for cooking spring foods. Light, cool, colorful recipes aren't what come to mind when the wind howls and the snow piles up at night. All weekend I made hearty, warm winter night meals, including this meatball recipe I made up while agonizing  over what to make for dinner.

Parmesan Garlic Alfredo Meatballs and Noodles

Meatballs:

-1 T. olive oil
-1 large onion,diced
-1 t. Salt
-2 cloves garlic, diced-1 pound ground beef

-1/2 pound ground pork
-2 large eggs
-1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
-1/4 cup finely chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
-1 cup breadcrumbs
-1/2 cup water

Directions: Warm olive oil in saute' pan, add the onions and bring to a medium-high heat. Season the onions with salt and cook for about 5 to 7 minutes.Turn off heat and allow to cool.

In a  bowl combine the meats, eggs, cheese, parsley and bread crumbs. Hand mixing works well for this. Add the onion mixture and season generously with salt. Add the water and continue to work into balls. The mixture should be quite wet. 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Shape the meat into balls. Coat a large saute pan with olive oil and bring to a medium-high heat. Roll in pan to brown the meatballs on all sides. Place them on a cookie sheet and bake them in the preheated oven for about 15 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked all the way through.

Alfredo Cream Sauce:

-1/4 cup butter

-1 cup heavy cream

2 cloves minced garlic

1 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

-1/4 cup fresh parsley

Directions: Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium low heat. Add cream and simmer for 5 minutes, then add garlic and cheese and whisk quickly, heating through. Stir in parsley and meatballs.

Egg Noodles:

Cook 2 cups dry egg noodles 8-7 minutes in salted boiling water until done.

Arrange 1/2 cup cooked egg noodles on a plate and scoop meatballs over top. Garnish with chopped parsley and parmesan. 

*6 servings.

You really can't beat homemade meatballs slathered in decadant, creamy cheese sauce. The bite of the garlic and saltiness  of the parmesan combined with the clean fresh taste of the parsley made this a divine combination.

This recipe ended up happening when I was trying to make Swedish Meatballs. I went to the store, and as per usual, I forgot my list.  I randomly grabbed the things I thought went in, and this lovely little dish was born. It's quickly earned itself an honorary place in my "comfort food" rotation. We enjoyed this with a cheap but good Pinot Grigio and spinach and artichoke salad. Twas' a combination that will not soon be forgotten. Enjoy!