Braised Italian Meatballs are a family favorite. They’re meaty, saucy and totally delicious. These meatballs will please even the pickiest of eaters. A true comfort food!

I’ve always loved meatballs. But really, who doesn’t? They’re just so good. Meatballs were a favorite meal in our house when I was growing up. Every week my parents would ask what we wanted for dinner and every week we would say “spaghetti and meatballs!” Every. Single. Time. My family’s meatball recipe was never actually a ‘recipe’. It was slightly different every time they were made. We’re not Italian so there wasn’t a special family recipe that was handed down to each new generation of cooks. All of you out there with those 100-year-old family meatball recipes, you’re lucky. I pretty much had to make up my own. I’d like to give myself a pat on the back though because I think I #nailedit.

This post is sponsored by Le Creuset. I was compensated with a Le Creuset Braiser for this review but as always, all opinions are my own.

Before I get into the Braised Italian Meatballs, lets talk a little about Le Creuset, shall we? I’ve been swooning over all of their cookware for ages. Every single piece is gorgeous and every single piece is a quality piece. There are SO many pieces I’ve had my eye on so when Le Creuset offered to send me a piece of my choice, I was OVER THE MOON excited! I got to review the 5 qt. Braiser in Cassis (gorgeous!) and I absolutely love, love, LOVE it! Not only did I use it to make these fabulous meatballs, but I’ve used it for pot roasts, chicken cacciatore, meat sauce and more. It is quickly becoming my go-to piece.

One of the things that I love about this braiser is that it’s huge. But not too big where it’s a pain to pull it out to use. Yes it’s big, yes it’s heavy but it is awesome. It fits 12 (twelve!) chicken drumsticks plus sauce. It is a great piece if you’re cooking for a crowd or if you’re cooking for your family. A family of 4-6 can easily polish off 12 chicken drumsticks. The great thing is you don’t need to whip out a second pan to cook them in!

I also love the cast iron enamel. Food doesn’t stick and the cast iron heats beautifully. I have some other large pans that I used to use but the metal didn’t heat evenly. There’d be hot spots and cold spots so I’d constantly be playing around with the food so it would cook correctly.

Since this braiser heats so evenly, I don’t have to mess around with the food much. I know I call it a braiser but it’s so versatile you can even use it for sauteing. I’ve even made stir fry in it. It’s also very easy to clean. You can hand wash it or put it in the dishwasher. Yes, it’s true! I have only hand washed it but it really is dishwasher safe. 

This is, hands down, my absolute favorite piece of cookware and I honestly can’t think of a single negative thing to say about it. Actually, there is one negative… I don’t have nearly enough Le Creuset pieces in my kitchen! I seriously want to #buyallthelecreuset

Now that we’ve talked about how awesome this Le Creuset works for me, lets talk about you. YOU can buy your own awesome Le Creuset piece here OR you can keep scrolling and enter the Rafflecopter form for your chance to WIN a piece of your very own! Le Creuset has so graciously offered to give one of you, my fabulous readers, a Le Creuset piece of your very own. And not just any piece, one of their signature pieces, a 5 1/2 qt. Round French Oven!

Some features of the French Oven include:

• Colorful, long-lasting exterior enamel resists chipping and cracking; interior enamel is engineered to resist staining and dulling
• Sand-colored interior enamel makes it easy to monitor food as it cooks, preventing burning and sticking
• Oversized handles provide even weight distribution and a secure grip
• Ergonomic composite knobs are heat resistant to 500°F
• Built-in lid stabilizers provide a secure, no-slide fit

This is truly an awesome piece of cookware with a prize value of $280! Merry early Christmas to whomever the lucky winner turns out to be! You can enter to win by following the Rafflecopter link at the end of the post.

Now lets get back to the meatballs! These braised Italian meatballs are so, so good. They’re full of flavor and they have such an amazing textrue. They get slightly crisp on the outside from frying them and they’re unbelievably moist from cooking in the sauce. These are definitely a family favorite. I usually bake my meatballs (using the same ingredients) so these are a special treat. They also cook so well in the braiser. Whether or not you have a tried and true meatball recipe already, you definitely want to try these at least once! They’re great with pasta/spaghetti, as meatball sliders or meatball grinders. You will fall in love with these meatballs, I guarantee it. Enjoy!

 

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This recipe is linked to Merry Monday, Inspiration Monday, Made by You Monday, Two Cup Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday, Totally Talented Tuesdays, Create Link Inspire, You’re Gonna Love It Tuesday, Time to Sparkle, Tickle My Tastebuds, The SITS Girls, Create & Share DIY and Recipe Party, Gluten-Free Wednesdays, What’s Cookin’ Wednesday, Allergy Free Wednesday, Show and Share Wednesday, Wine’d Down Wednesday, Full Plate Thursday, Showcase Your Talent Thursday, Create it Thursday, Crafty and Delicious Party, Your Turn To Shine, Pin Junkie Pin Party, Gluten-Free Fridays, Link Party Palooza, Kitchen Fun and Crafty Friday, Strut Your Stuff Saturday, Show Stopper Saturday, Saturday Night Fever, Weekend Bites, Weekend Wind-Down, Weekend Potluck and Best of the Weekend.

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