Growing up in the Midwest, of course we had spaghetti and meatballs on a regular basis. But I feel like I didn’t REALLY get to know meatballs (and sauce) until I spent several years living on the East Coast. With Italian friends and neighbors as my mentors (thank you Lisa!), I definitely learned how to upgrade my meatball game.
These meatballs are super simple to make and only require about a half dozen ingredients. I like to use a combination of both ground pork and ground beef, for both flavor and tenderness. The fattier your meat, the more tender your meatballs, but honestly, if you only have ground beef that’s fine. They’ll still be delicious. Because we have celiacs and gluten intolerance issues in our family, I always use either a gluten free panko or gluten free breadcrumbs, but if you don’t have those restrictions smashed saltine crackers or bread crumbs will do the trick. I would say just do your best at reading labels and selecting products that are as simple as possible. Some of the prepared breadcrumb products available have a RIDICULOUSLY long list of ingredients, mostly consisting of preservatives and flavorings that just aren’t necessary for these meatballs.
Making meatballs is a truly hands on cooking experience! After dumping all the ingredients in a bowl, you want to literally mix them together by hand. (I TRY to remember to give myself enough time so the mix can just sit on the counter for about an hour before I mix by hand, otherwise this part can be a bit cold on the hands!) Once you have the meat mixture combined you can start scooping and rolling the balls. If you’re lucky enough to have helpers in your house, this is the time to enlist them! I usually scoop all the meatball mounds onto my prepared baking sheets and then roll them into balls. I find it helps to wet my hands with a little bit of water so the meat doesn’t stick quite as much….but who am I kidding, I still have meat covered hands when I’m done!
Once you have all the meatballs rolled you simply pop them into the oven for a 20 minute roast. It’s that easy!!
The hardest part about making these meatballs honestly, is not snitching half of them before they’re used for their intended purpose. They smell so rich and wonderful when you take them out of the oven, it’s pretty much mandatory that you try at least one, you know, to make sure they’re fully cooked and all. And then you realize, you ate one straight out of the oven and it was so hot you couldn’t really taste it, so, you know, before you serve them to others you really MUST try another, just to check the flavor. And it’s good, it’s r-e-a-l good, which means, you might just pop another one into your mouth, and well, you can see how this could go!
Because meatballs are super easy to make AND they freeze really well, I typically make at least a double batch. This leads to abundant joy later, when I find those yummy meatballs that have somehow been lost in my freezer for weeks (months?) and know I can have spaghetti and meatballs for dinner! Or should I have a meatball pizza? Or a meatball grinder? Or……
Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 pound ground pork
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 3/4 cup parmesan reggiano, grated
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup Panko or breadcrumbs Gluten Free if needed
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- freshly ground pepper
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients to a large bowl and literally mix by hand. (I always find this is more tolerable if I’ve remembered to take everything out of the fridge about 30-40 minutes before I begin so the ingredients aren’t so cold on my hands!) You will want to fully incorporate the ingredients, but try not to over-mix them as this will lead to tougher meatballs.
- Using a cookie scoop, portion meat into desired size and place on cookie sheets lined with either aluminum foil or Silpat mats. (This will make clean up a breeze!) I usually make small meatballs for soup (about 1 ½ inch diameter), but sometimes make larger ones for spaghetti and meatballs. Once you have all the meat portioned out, wet hands, and roll portions into balls evenly spaced on cookie sheets.
- Bake in a 400° oven for 20 minutes for small meatballs, 23-25 minutes for larger meatballs. After 10 minutes reverse the position of the pans in the oven so the bottom pan is now on the top and vice versa. This will help prevent burning the bottoms of meatballs.
Beautiful and inspirational!
The combination of meats, spices and cheese makes these morsels absolutely delectable
Tried them with your pizza recipe and there they were a runaway hit—-thank you and keep em coming