Penne Pasta and Meatballs

Cooking Ingredients:
1.25 lbs. of 97% lean ground beef
2 eggs
1 cup Italian Bread Crumbs
red pepper flakes
salt
pepper
1/2 cup organic olive oil
1 tablespoon organic minced garlic
1/4 cup diced shallots
44 oz your best organic tomato/spaghetti sauce
1/2 box whole wheat penne pasta
water
4 slices mozzarella
2 stems fresh organic basil

Cooking Instructions
In your pasta boiler bring your pasta water to a boil. When boiling, add a pinch of salt so your pasta will season. Add your penne pasta and cook.

Meanwhile, in a large boil, combine your ground beef, eggs, bread crumbs, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper to taste. Be careful not to overwork the meat. Score your meat into quarters to make large, baseball sized meatballs.

Heat a large skillet to medium high with olive oil. Add your meatballs to your olive oil and cook the outside of the meatballs until they are light brown. You will have to turn the meatballs gently with a pair of tongs, being careful not to squeeze or break them, every two minutes or so. You want to make sure that you lightly brown each side. When your meatballs are browned, add your shallots and garlic to the pan. Cook for 30 seconds, then add your tomato sauce. Be quick or you will burn the garlic. Spoon sauce over each meatball, cover, and cook for 3o minutes. Occasionally turn the meatballs carefully and continue to baste with sauce. About five minutes before you are ready to remove the meatballs from the pan, cover each with a slice of mozzarella and allow to melt. Once the cheese had melted, remove the meatballs to a separate dish and add the drained penne to the sauce. Toss making sure that each noodle is covered with sauce. Add one meatball and penne pasta to each plate. Once plated, sprinkle with fresh chopped basil.