Every summer, I can my own spaghetti sauce so I have that fresh taste of tomatoes during the winter and and what better compliment to the sauce? The Meatball! A savory bite of beef, veal, and pork with cheese, garlic, and all those delicious seasonings…Simple, savory, and succulent! While I will only share my secret sauce recipe with my children, my meatball is something you must try!
Over the years, I have tried many meatball recipes but the one that I liked best came from Giada De Laurentiis from her Mini Meatball Heroes recipe on Food Network.While I have made some changes to herl recipe including cooking method, you can try her original by clicking on the link following this recipe.
This makes approximately 50 meatballs but I always double the recipe so I have plenty to freeze in individual bags to use whenever I am in the mood for a homemade meatball.
Now, take off your rings and get ready to get your hands really dirty for some fun meatball making!
Ingredients
6 oz ground beef 6 oz ground veal 6 oz ground pork
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp of onion powder
1 tsp mustard powder
1 small onion, finely chopped 1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves 1 large egg 3 tbs ketchup 3 garlic cloves, minced 2/3 cup grated Parmesan 1/4 cup dried Italian-style bread crumbs
1/3 cup olive oil
Ingredients
Using your hands mix the meats together well. Add the salt, onion powder, and dry mustard, and blend in well. Add the onion, parsley, egg, ketchup, and garlic and mix well. Stir in the cheese and bread crumbs.
Using about 2 tablespoons of meat for each, shape the meat mixture into 1 1/4 to 1 1/2-inch-diameter meatballs. Place on a baking sheet. Place in the freezer for 5-10 minutes (this helps the meatballs to keep their shape during browning). Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.
Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large sauce pan and brown 10-12 meatballs at a time. Avoid crowding because you want to brown them, not steam them. (Use a fork and your fingers to turn them over the first time because they tend to stick and once they are browned on both sides, give the pan a good shake to brown evenly on all sides…this whole process usually takes about 4 minutes.) When you remove from the pan they should be brown, but not done on the inside (they will finish in the oven). As you pull the meatballs out of the pan, place on a cookie sheet while you complete the rest of the meatballs.
Hint: After each browning, scrape pan to loosen the meaty bits and add a little more olive oil to prevent sticking. Allow pan to come back up to medium heat before beginning the browning process again.
Pop the tray of meatballs in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes in the oven until firm to the touch.
Add to your favorite sauceand enjoy!Buon Appetito!
Tip: To freeze, allow to cool and place in freezer safe storage bags…they are just as fresh tasting when reheated!
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