Italian Meatballs In A Basket

Servings: 8
Ingredients:

2 lb Ground Beef Chuck
2 T  Margarine
1 ea Med. Green Pepper, Chopped
1 ea Med. Onion, Chopped
16 oz (1 cn) Stewed Tomatoes
1/2 t  Basil
1/4 t  Thyme
2 T  Unbleached Flour
1 x  Ital. Bread Basket
-------------------------GARNISHES-------------------------
1 x  Green peppr rings
1 x  Cherry Tomatoes

Lightly shape ground beef into 1 1/2-inch balls.
Lightly brown balls in margarine in large frying-pan,
about 5 minutes. Add the green pepper and onion to
meatballs; cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Drain tomatoes, reserving liquid. Add tomatoes, all
but 1/4 c tomato liquid, basil and thyme to meat
balls. Cover tightly and cook slowly 5 minutes.
Combine reserved tomato liquid with flour, stirring
until smooth. Stir into meatballs, cover tightly and
cook 5 minutes or until slightly thick. Meanwhile
prepare Italian Bread Basket and place on platter.
Spoon meatball mixture into and around bread.
Garnish with green pepper rings and cherry tomatoes,
if desired. Italian Bread Basket:
1 Loaf (16 ozs) Italian Bread, Unsliced
1/4 Cup Margarine, Melted
1/4 Cup Parmesan Cheese, Grated
Cut a 3/4 slice from top of bread. With fork, scoop
out inside of bread to form basket, leaving 1-inch
bread on all sides and bottom of loaf. Place loaf on
foil in shallow baking pan. Brush top, sides and
inside of bread with melted margarine. Sprinkle loaf
with Parmesan cheese, coating sides evenly. Bake in
hot oven (400 Degrees F.) for 10 minutes.

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