Filthy Casual for Life

Do you like Italian sausage? What about marinara? Parmesan, mozzarella, and garlic butter? Then you might like what I whipped up for our lazy New Year’s Day dinner.

Ingredients:

• 1 lbs. of ground mild Italian sausage;
• 3 mozzarella sticks;
• 1 jar of Rao Arrabbiata sauce;
• 2 cups of mozzarella/parmesan blend;
• 1 can of pizza crust;
• 8 ounces of whole milk ricotta;
• Garlic butter (3 Tablespoons butter combined with 1.5 teaspoons of minced garlic);
• Dried parsley;
• Italian seasoning;
• Crushed red pepper;
• Grated parmesan cheese.

Method:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
• In a small bowl, melt 3 tablespoons of butter with 1.5 teaspoons of minced garlic and set aside.
• Divide the Italian sausage into 16 equal parts, roughly 1 ounce each.

• Cut the three mozzarella sticks into 18 even pieces.
• Flatten the meatballs and place a piece of mozzarella in the middle.
• Shape back into a meatball. Eat the two leftover pieces.

• Measure out your dough into 16 pieces that weigh approximately 1 ounce each.
• Wrap a piece of dough around the meatballs. You want to leave a peephole for the sausage to peek through.
• Arrange in a ring in a large cast iron skillet.

• Pour roughly 3/4 of the jar of marinara in the center of the skillet.
• Top the marinara with the shredded mozzarella/parmesan blend.
• Dollop the whole milk ricotta on top of the shredded cheese.
• Sprinkle dried parsley, crushed red pepper, and Italian seasoning.
• Brush the tops of the meatballs with garlic butter.
• Sprinkle grated parmesan on top of the meatballs.
• Bake for 25-30 minutes.

Adjustments I Would Make:

The recipe, as is, is delicious. However, I would do a few things to elevate it a bit higher.

• Swap the mild Italian sausage with hot Italian sausage.
• Try homemade dough. I think if you have a homemade dough recipe, it would taste better than the canned stuff. I didn’t have the motivation to make homemade dough.
• To prevent the tops from overbaking, cover the top with foil for the first half of the cooking process.

This recipe would be great if you’re hosting a game night and want to impress some friends or for a lazy Sunday. My family really enjoyed it.