Meatballs to Die For
Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 25 minutes | Total Time: 40 minutes | Serves: 6
Homemade meatballs are so delicious over noodles or in a bowl by themselves. I personally love my Quick and Simple Marinara with them, but a very good store-bought brand will do well, too.
I love sauce, so making plenty of marinara to have even after the meatballs are eaten, is great for serving over noodles for another meal, Chicken Parmesan, or just smearing on bread for a bite to eat!
Jarred marinara has come soooo far. I can remember when the number of brands on the shelf were quite slim compared to today. Let me say, though, in general, you get what you pay for. The higher the price, the better the quality and taste, and vice versa for the cheaper brands.
Now, onto the recipe… I cannot emphasize this enough: After all the ingredients are mixed, BEFORE you shape into meatballs, take about a tablespoon of the meat mixture and make a small patty; sauté it in a small pan until cooked through. Allow this meat patty to cool, then taste it for seasoning. You may need to add more salt or any other spices to your meat mixture before you actually make the final meatballs. I saw this tip while watching Giada de Laurentiis on the Food Network. I will never go back to just “here’s hoping.” Take the time to do this. You’ll probably be glad you did! I’ve always had to adjust.
For your onion, use a box grater, hand-held grater, or a food processor with a grating attachment to grate your onion. You’re only needing about ⅓ cup of grated onion, so it’s less of a mess to just use a hand-held. I like the texture and moisture released due to grating versus chopping.
On to shaping…I like a substantial meatball. I want that aesthetic of a few large meatballs atop spaghetti. But, you are certainly welcome to make them smaller. You will have to adjust your cook time to less time. I use a #12 disher/cookie scoop (2.7 fl oz) for large meatballs. Plus, a cookie disher/scoop makes the meatballs uniform, which is really nice.
Soaking your bread crumbs creates a moist meatball, which is what everyone LOVES in meatballs. I have always used milk, but I did see a YouTube video suggesting milk OR beef stock. I love that idea! I can imagine that would bring some extra depth of flavor, but that trial is for another time for me.
Keep in mind the salt content of your breadcrumbs. If you end up subbing panko instead, or using a brand that is higher in salt than what I generally cook with, that will adjust the salt you will need to add. This is another reason to cook a small patty for tasting before cooking all your meatballs.
The microplane. Probably one of the most-used gadgets (besides knives) in my kitchen! They are inexpensive, but SO useful. Grating garlic, Parmesan, and fresh ginger root are probably my main ingredients that I finely grate. Oh, and lemons and oranges for zest! A microplane will grate ingredients in such fine pieces that they seem to infuse every bite. It’s easy to make a lemon-ginger-honey tea with the microplane, which I love, by the way.
You may need the full 1 ¼ cup of milk if your breadcrumbs soak up the milk very quickly and begin to be too thick. You want to be able to easily mix the moist crumbs into the meatball mixture. Check on them every once in a while while you are making your meatball mixture and add a tablespoon or two of milk if it is becoming a hard paste.
I know I just loaded you up with a lot of tips and things to watch out for. You’ll probably be meticulous with the first go-around, but once you taste how amazing these meatballs are, you’ll make them over and over again and learn the ins and outs and it’ll be a breeze! (But, don’t forget to get yourself a microplane!)
Enjoy!
By th way, the copper-accent Spaghetti Tong Set is by Inox Artisans. Fantastic, hand-crafted kitchen tools!
Meatballs to Die For
Ingredients
- 1 cup seasoned bread crumbs
- 1-1 1/4 cups whole milk
- 1 pound ground beef, (80/20 works well)
- 1 pound ground pork, (not breakfast sausage)
- 1/3 cup grated onion, see Notes
- 3 large garlic cloves, finely minced or grated on a zester
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 2-3 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, see Notes
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly-cracked black pepper, or to taste
- 2 teaspoons Mediterranean oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried crushed rosemary
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 36 ounces marinara sauce, or my Quick and Simple Marinara
- 1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley leaves, finely minced
- 16 ounces spaghetti noodles, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil for easy clean up. Set aside.
- Place the bread crumbs and milk in a medium bowl; stir to combine. Set aside.
- Put the two meats in a large bowl, breaking apart as you add them.
- While the bread crumbs are soaking, grate the onion and garlic and add to the meat.
- Add the eggs, salt, pepper, oregano, thyme, rosemary, basil, and soaked bread crumbs to the meat mixture and combine thoroughly, but gently.
- Make a small patty of this meat mixture, about 1 tablespoon, and saute it in a small nonstick pan. Taste it once it has cooled and see if you need to add more salt, pepper, or any other seasoning. Once you’ve adjusted the seasoning, you can make another patty and taste again.
- Once you’re happy with your meatball mixture, use a #12 disher/cookie scoop (2.7 fl oz) or ¼ cup measuring cup and shape the meatballs, placing them on the lined baking sheet, about ½ in apart. Be sure they are not touching, you need the airflow in between them. Of course, you can shape the meatballs smaller, more like golf ball size, if you’d prefer. Just adjust your cook time. Using a digital thermometer ensures the best cooking results.
- Bake the meatballs for approximately 25 to 30 minutes. Your cook time is determined by the size of your meatballs and the heating of your oven. Check for doneness with a digital thermometer, reading 165 degrees.
- While meatballs are cooking, heat your jarred marinara or begin making your homemade sauce.
- Remove from the oven and add them to your warm marinara sauce. Sprinkle with parsley. Serve over spaghetti or by themselves.
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