Cheesy Polenta with Classic Meatballs

For those who are not familiar with polenta...I describe it as "Italy's grits." They are very similar but also different. Polenta is a little more course than grits but they can be used interchangeably. This meal is very Italian and an alternative to the usual "Spaghetti and Meatballs." Which is also great but I feel this dish is just a little more comforting. It is great any time of the year but I especially love it during the colder seasons. My suggestion is to serve with some garlic bread to dip into the polenta and sauce. This will serve about 4 people, definitely double if there's a larger crowd.

Meatballs

• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
• 1/2 cup parmesan
• a few sprinkles of salt and pepper
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup whole milk or heavy cream if you have it.
• 1 pound of Italian sausage
• 1 pound of ground beef (Sometimes if all I have is a couple pounds of beef, I'll just use the beef and skip the sausage. Using both is excellent though!)
• For the marinara sauce...you can either buy a jar of your favorite brand at the store or if you have a recipe for homemade marinara sauce, go for it.

1. Mix all of the above ingredients until combined in a large bowl. It will be one giant (raw) meat ball.
2. Grab a cookie sheet with parchment paper on top or silpat. Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees or 375 degrees if you have a small oven.
3. Form the meat into small balls, I'd say roughly the size of a golf ball. Doesn't have to be perfect, some will be smaller, some will be bigger. Line them up on the cookie sheet, they can be close to each other.
4. Put into the oven and bake for about 15-20 minutes. While they are cooking...if you bought a jar of red sauce, pour the jar into a medium to large pot. Heat up the sauce over a medium heat.
5. Once the meatballs have browned and are sizzling, they are done. Pull them out and put the meatballs into the sauce, let everything simmer for a minute or two. Turn the heat way down to keep the meatballs warm. Next, start the polenta...

Cheesy Polenta (You will find this next to the cornmeal, use w/e brand you want.)

• 3 cups water
• 1 cup polenta
• 1/4 cup of butter (Half of one stick. You can add more butter if you want.)
• 1 cup of a cheese of your choice. (You can use parmesan or shredded mozzarella. Or both if you want it to be really cheesy.)
• a few sprinkles of salt for the water

1. Bring the salted water to a boil, add the polenta and stir to combine.
2. I will usually let everything boil for a minute or two while stirring. Then turn off the stove top and the polenta should absorb the water.
3. While it is still hot, add the cheese and stir everything together. The cheese should melt and incorporate.
4. To assemble...Polenta first, meatballs and sauce on top. I especially like a lot of sauce on top so everything is covered. I will also sprinkle some extra parmesan or mozzarella cheese on top. Serve with some garlic bread if possible.