No-fuss Pasta and Meatballs

I truly start the day with good intentions.  When I hit the market in the morning, I view the meats and produce with my inner chef's eye, all the while picking the best products and putting flavors together.  Then I come home.  Putting the food away in itself seems to be exhausting, and oddly satisfies the craving to actually produce a meal.  Plus these are long summer days when my husband gets home with the sun still in the sky.  He loves to walk into town and grab a bite.  So the food sits there.  And every day it sits there, a new meal idea evolves where an the ingredient that's gone bad is replaced with a pantry item.  Eventually the whole thing makes it to the trash, bit by bit, and when the milk runs out it's time to go to the market again.  

The milk ran out two days ago.  My kids ate their cereal dry this morning, then I went to the market.  The wild king salmon from a river in Alaska looked amazing.  I got some.  Then I grabbed half a pound of ground meat for the kids.  I thought I might marry it to the open jar of marinara sauce in my fridge.  I bought a box of interesting pasta to intrigue the kids.  I always have a few different varieties on hand, and each time they eat one I make sure to buy a few more.  

2 tablespoons panko bread crumbs

1 tablespoon milk or cream

1 egg

1-2 tablespoons grated parmesan

2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley or basil or mix of both

1/2 pound lean ground beef

1 tablespoon canola oil

1/2 jar store-bought pasta sauce of your choice

Put bread crumbs in a bowl and sprinkle with milk.  Let soak for a few minutes while you beat the egg.  Add the egg, cheese and herbs and mix well.  Add the meat and work lightly with your fingers.  Form golf-ball size balls.  Heat the oil in a dutch oven or casserole on medium high heat.  Add the meat balls with plenty of room around each.  Do not handle them too much or they will fall apart.  After a couple minutes, when a crust has formed, use a spoon to roll each ball one turn.  When a crust forms, you may need to roll one more time if there is still a raw side left.  Then empty out the oil and add the pasta sauce.  Gently scrape up stuck bits, reduce heat and cover.  Cook for 5 minutes, the gently roll each ball over once and cook another 10 minutes until done.