Sage and Goat Cheese Meatballs

    My go-to genre when I want to cook a quick meal without a recipe is Italian.  It's my comfort zone.  My other go-to is "oops, I forgot this was in the fridge, better use it up before it goes bad."  A few months ago, these two blended perfectly in an awesome meatball dish and I'm finally getting around to sharing it with you.  I had some leftover goat cheese and I pretty much always have some sage on hand.  Now that I'm growing my own and (miraculously) keeping it alive, I'm in sage heaven!  I chose to combine them into a brand new meatball creation.  Spaghetti and meatballs can be heavy but the addition of the goat cheese makes this a little bit fluffier and even appropriate for warmer weather.  I haven't tried it in this recipe, but swapping out ground turkey would taste great too!
 

Sage and Goat Cheese Meatballs:
1/2 lb ground beef
1/2 lb ground pork
1 egg, lightly beaten
5 or 6 fresh chopped sage leaves
4 oz goat cheese

For the sauce:
1 28 oz cans diced or crushed tomatoes 
1 medium onion diced
2 cloves garlic sliced or smashed
1/4 cup red wine
2 tablespoons olive oil
Red pepper flakes (to taste)
Salt (to taste)

Combine ground pork & ground beef in a bowl.  Add goat cheese and egg.  Mix thoroughly.  Mix in sage and salt.  Form into 1" balls.  

Warm olive oil in sauté pan over medium-high heat.  Cook meatballs until golden brown.  Remove from pan and set aside. 

Heat more olive oil in sauté pan over medium-high heat.  Sauté onions and garlic until translucent.  Deglaze pan by adding red wine and scraping up any bits left from the meatballs, cook until liquid is reduced by half.  Add tomatoes and red pepper flakes, then bring to a simmer.  Add salt to taste. Add meatballs, then simmer for 10 minutes. Top with freshly grated parmigiano reggiano.  Serve with bread or over your choice of pasta.

*Linking up today:
Taste of Tuesday with Ashley of Let's Get Bananas and Jessica of Blissfully Miller
Show Me What Ya Got with Stacy of Not Just a Housewife  
Mandy of Mandy's Recipe Box 
Ashley of Kitchen Meets Girl