Meatball Casserole

• Cooking spray
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 cup saltine cracker crumbs
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 (10 3/4-ounce) can mushroom soup, or 1 1/2 cups homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup (page 203)
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup chili sauce (such as Heinz)

1. Preheat the oven to 350F.
2. Lightly coat a 9 x 13-inch casserole dish with cooking spray.
3. Combine the ground beef, cracker crumbs, onion, bell peppers, salt, pepper, and egg in a large mixing bowl.
4. In a separate bowl, combine the soup and milk.
5. Add half of the soup mixture to the meat mixture and mix well.
6. Heat the oil in a large saute pan set over medium-high heat.
7. Form the meat mixture into balls.
8. Toss each meatball in the flour and shake off any excess.
9. Working in batches, cook the meatballs in the hot oil, turning to brown all sides, about 10 minutes.
10. Dont overcrowd the pan.
11. Transfer the meatballs to the prepared casserole dish.
12. Combine the chili sauce and the remaining soup mixture; pour over the meatballs.
13. Bake for 30 minutes or until the liquid is bubbling and light brown on top.
14. The meatballs for this casserole freeze well.
15. Prepare them ahead of time by rolling them out and putting them in the bottom of a casserole dish.
16. Use wax paper to separate layers, if needed.
17. When youre ready to make the casserole, thaw the meatballs and follow the recipe starting with heating the oil.
18. Its a Pollock family tradition to eat lunch together on Sunday afternoons, and Sandys mom always puts together an amazing spread for everyone.
19. Front and center at many of these Sunday meals is this meatball casserole.
20. Enjoy!

cooking spray, ground beef, saltine cracker crumbs, onion, green bell pepper, salt, freshly ground black pepper, egg, mushroom soup, milk, vegetable oil, flour, chili sauce

Taken from www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/meatball-casserole-378230 (may not work)