Little Ears & Little Meatballs

I was watching Giada and saw this really cute Orecchiette dish that she made for a kid's picnic. I thought it was a great idea since the little round pasta shapes match so well with the little round meatballs! I decided to make my own version using ground beef instead and a simpler pasta sauce with just some mushrooms and onions added to store-bought Marinara sauce. What a great dish! I even managed to freeze some meatballs for something yummy later on! I'm thinking Meatballs Sammies maybe? :)

Ingredients: (2 servings of pasta & 24 meatballs)

Meatballs:
1 lb ground beef
1 egg
½ c Italian syle bread crumbs
2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp finely chopped fresh garlic
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper

Sauce:
2 Tbsp butter
½ medium onion, chopped
2 c mushrooms, sliced
1 (26 oz) jar pasta sauce

½ lb Orecchiette pasta, cooked according to package directions

Prep:

1. Melt butter in a sauce until sizzling; add onion and mushrooms. Cook over medium heat until vegetables are softened (2 to 3 minutes). Stir in sauce; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until sauce thickens (20 minutes).

2. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 450°F. Combine all meatball ingredients in large bowl. Shape mixture into 24 (1½ inch) balls; place onto greased 15x10x1-inch baking pan. Bake for 10 to 13 minutes or until no longer pink inside. (Freeze half in Tupperware.)

3. Stir remaining meatballs into sauce; serve over hot cooked spaghetti. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, if desired.