2 slices bacon

1 onion, chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 slices Oatmeal Bread (page 43)

2 eggs

1 teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

1-½ pounds extra-lean ground beef

½ pound ground pork sausage

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. In food processor, combine bacon pieces and half of the onion; process until finely chopped. Place in large saucepan with olive oil and remaining chopped onion. Cook and stir for 5 to 8 minutes or until onion is tender. Remove from heat and pour into a large bowl.

2. Using your hands, make small bread crumbs from the Oatmeal Bread. Add to onion mixture along with eggs, salt, pepper, and cheese; mix well. Stir in beef and pork sausage and mix with your hands until combined. Form into 30 meatballs and place on a broiler pan.

3. Bake meatballs for 25 to 30 minutes or until meatballs are thoroughly cooked. Use immediately in pasta sauce or in other recipes, or cool and freeze.

Two kinds of meat and Parmesan cheese make these meatballs tender and flavorful. Use them in Meatball Pizza (page 177), or Meatball Pitas (page 140).

Freezing Meatballs

Meatballs freeze beautifully. For best results, first flash-freeze them. Arrange them in a single layer on a cookie sheet, making sure they are not touching each other. Freeze until hard. Then pack the meatballs into a hard-sided container, label, and freeze up to 3 months. To thaw, let stand in the refrigerator overnight, or add directly to simmering sauce.