A couple of weeks ago I was in the city for a meeting and was able to go out with my sister for lunch afterwards. We did a little shopping first and realized we were literally feet away from The Meatball Shop. I toyed with going, because of the diet, but decided when in Rome and went for it. So happy that I did! It was super yummy and gave me the perfect idea for a fun dinner you could throw at your house.

My meal from The Meatball Shop was a Meatball Smash. A meatball smash consists of 2 meatballs, cheese on a brioche roll and a simple salad.

Here is my take on it:

Of course a yummy dinner isn’t just about the food, but also about the setting. I whipped out my black gingham fabric to use as a tablecloth, Black cow meat cuts placemat, red gingham napkins and brown paper napkins for my dinner guests to place their orders.

One of the unique parts of The Meatball Shop is getting to mark up the menu and check off all of everything you want to eat. So, you get to pick how many balls, what type of balls, the sauce you want it in, etc. Now I don’t have laminated menu’s at home, but a brown paper bag and a sharpie did the trick for me.

My napkins:

{Same pattern as the tablecloth just in a different scale so it works.}

My placematsfrom Coppertops Paperie:

Here is how to effortlessly make your own meatballs and sauce:

Effortless Meatballs

Ingredients:
2 lbs chopped meat
3 eggs
1 cup of plain breadcrumbs
1/2 cup of grated Pecorino Romano cheese
2 tsp of dehydrated parsley
1/4 tsp of garlic salt
1 tsp of salt
1/8 tsp of pepper

Steps:
-Mix all ingredients in a large bowl with your hands. You need to make sure that everything is well
mixed and honestly using your hands is the best way to do it.
-Shape meatballs into balls. I make them about an 1.5″ in diameter.
-Place meatballs in simmering sauce. Use the back of a wooden spoon to stir the meatballs so they don’t break apart.
-Cook in simmering sauce for 1 hour.
-Turn off heat and let the meatballs sit in the sauce for an additional 30 mins.

Effortless Sauce:

Ingredients:
1/4 cup of ready made pesto
1 large (29 oz) of crushed tomatoes
1 jar (25 oz) of traditional sauce

Steps:
-Place pesto in a large sauce pot on low heat.
-Add crushed tomatoes and bring to a simmer and cook for 10 mins.
-Add jar of sauce and bring to a simmer.

Recipe curtsey of my mother in law, Rita and Jon’s grandma with my own additional little tweaks.

I’m normally not a meatball fan, but I can’t stop craving these especially as meatball smashes.

YUM!