Italian Meatball Sliders

• 1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 shallots, finely diced
• 1/3 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1/4 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs), toasted
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 8 ounces lean ground pork
• 2 (4-ounce) links turkey Italian sausage, casings removed
• 1 large egg
• 1 1/2 cups lower-sodium marinara sauce
• 12 slider buns, toasted
• 12 basil leaves

1. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large skillet over medium heat; swirl to coat. Add garlic and shallots to pan; saute 3 minutes or until shallots are softened, stirring frequently. Combine shallot mixture, ricotta, and next 8 ingredients (through egg) in a medium bowl. Shape mixture into 12 (1-inch) meatballs; flatten each meatball slightly.
2. Return pan to medium-high heat. Add remaining 2 teaspoons oil to pan. Add meatballs to pan; cook 6 minutes, turning once. Add marinara sauce; bring to a boil, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 8 minutes or until meatballs are done. Top bottom half of each bun with 1 1/2 tablespoons sauce, 1 meatball, 1 basil leaf, and top half of bun.

olive oil, garlic, shallots, ricotta cheese, parsley, freshly ground black pepper, red pepper, salt, lean ground pork, sausage, egg, lower, buns, basil

Taken from www.myrecipes.com/recipe/italian-meatball-sliders-0 (may not work)