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Since October is Italian Heritage Month, today on Theresa’s Reviews I’m sharing one of my family’s favorite Italian-inspired recipes. Growing up with grandparents who had immigrated from Sicily, we always had meatballs at family meals. When I make my Sunday meatball recipe, we usually have leftover meatballs to use on a tasty pizza for our busy Monday night. This recipe is simple to make, and if you have the leftover meatballs, there’s minimal prep time! You can bring the family together for a fantastic meal even on a busy week night.

Simple Meatball Pizza with Rao’s Homemade Pizza Sauce

One of my favorite brands for pasta sauce is Rao’s. Now available at Walmart for a fantastic price, Rao’s Homemade Pizza sauce has a fantastic flavor! With Gluten-free and GMO-free ingredients, Rao’s Homemade Pizza Sauce uses vine-ripened tomatoes imported from Italy and fresh, delicious vegetables. The flavor of the cherry tomatoes is unique and complements a wide range of food. My family loves that this premium quality pizza sauce is rich and tasty with a naturally sweet flavor. You can check out Rao’s recipe inspiration for more ideas!

Simple Meatball Pizza Recipe

One of my favorite parts of dining at my grandparent’s house was that the meals would delight the heart and captivate the senses. Rao’s Homemade helps bring out the vibrant flavors, aromas, and textures of true Italian cooking! With premium, slowly crafted sauce, the clean label ingredients have things you can actually pronounce and find in your kitchen. It’s all natural with no artificial colors, flavors or sweeteners.

Meatball Ingredients

• 1 pound of 93% lean beef
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon of minced garlic
• Salt
• Pepper
• 4-5 leaves of fresh parsley, chopped
• 1/4 cup parmesan
• 1 cup breadcrumbs
• Crushed red pepper
• 1/4 cup milk
• Vegetable oil (for cooking)

Directions for Making the Meatballs

Mix together all of the ingredients, except the oil. Shape into small meatballs for the pizza. If you are making this for pasta and using the leftovers for pizza, you can make the meatballs larger and slice them for your pizza. Set them aside on a plate while oil heats in a pan.

Make sure enough oil is in the pan to cook the meatballs through without burning the outside. As the meatballs brown on one side, gently rotate until the meatball is brown inside. Transfer to a paper towel.

Meatball Pizza Ingredients

• 1 pre-made refrigerated pizza crust
• 1/2 container of Rao’s Homemade Pizza Sauce
• 4 ounces of shredded mozzarella cheese
• Shredded parsley
• Parmasean
• Crushed red pepper

Directions for Making the Meatball Pizza

Although a homemade pizza crust can be a delicious and fresh addition to your meal, a pre-made refrigerated pizza crust can be just as tasty and is conveniently available at Walmart, just as the rest of the ingredients are! To make the pizza, follow the directions on your pizza crust to cook.

For our family pizza, we preheat to 425 degrees. Roll the crust out on its parchment paper, and place on a pizza stone.

Add a generous amount of the pizza sauce. While Rao’s Homemade has been the Leading Premium Pasta Sauce Brand since created in 1992, it’s also one that my family wholeheartedly adores! For fun, my family has tried out other premium brands in our own taste test, but none compare to Rao’s. We’re very brand loyal because a delicious sauce means a delicious meal, which brings our family together. That’s important, because family time together at the table helps to foster better communication, sharing and togetherness.

Next, add cheese. We use shredded cheese conveniently available in the dairy aisle of Walmart because it’s affordable for a simple family meal, and it tastes great.

Then, add meatballs to the top of the pizza. I prefer to cut the meatballs in half to make them more manageable to eat. You could also slice them into smaller pieces.

Cook for 18 minutes until the bottom of the crust is golden brown. Sprinkle the top of the pizza with parsley, parmesan, and crushed red pepper. Slice, serve and enjoy!

Born in Rao’s Legendary Restaurant, Rao’s Homemade sauce is created by Frank Pellegrino Sr. With long waiting lists of people wishing they could enjoy such authentic Italian food, Rao’s is almost impossible to dine at. Luckily, you can enjoy the authentic Italian tomato sauce that is served at Rao’s acclaimed East Harlem, NY restaurant, at home! Slowly crafted and slowly enjoyed, Rao’s works for many occasions and is easy to use in your family’s favorite recipes.

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Your Turn!

What is your favorite Italian-inspired meal to enjoy at home? Share in the comments!