Meatballs? I am making spaghetti and meatballs tonight. How do you make excellent meatballs?

Question

I've never made meatballs before. (I'm a vegetarian and newly married. I'm trying to get better at cooking meat for my husband.)

Thank you!

Answer 1

Meatballs!! These are super easy and really good!

1 cup fresh bread crumbs
1/3 cup milk
1/3 cup olive oil
1 cup minced onion
1 pound ground beef
1/2 pound pork
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
2 large cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
Salt and pepper

In a small bowl combine the bread crumbs and milk and let soak for 10 minutes. In a large skillet heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and cook onion for 3 minutes, remove from heat and allow to cool.

In a large bowl combine ground meats, soaked bread crumbs, cooked onion, egg, Parmesan,parsley, garlic and salt and pepper and mix well. Shape mixture into 1 1/2-inch diameter balls and set on a plate.

In the same large skillet heat 2 more tablespoons of olive oil and cook the meatballs in 3-4 batches until browned on all sides, about 10 minutes. When meatballs are browned, transfer them to a side plate, add more oil if necessary and continue to cook remaining meatballs.

Enjoy!!

Answer 2

1 lb combined beef, veal, pork (must be fresh)
3 large eggs
1cup grated Romano Locatelli Cheese or Parmesan Reggianno
1 cup bread crumb
1 to 3 clove garlic - minced depending on taste
1 tablespoon salt and pepper
4 tablespoons fresh basil.

Preparation

(All mixing is done be hand) In a large bowl mix beef/veal/pork
with eggs. Then add bread crumb, cheese, and salt, spices.
Finally add minced garlic in stages. Add a little then mix. Add some more, then mix. This way all the garlic does not end up in one meatball. Now, it's time to roll up the balls. Average size is roughly 2 inches in diameter. I usually get around 18 to 20
meatballs per pound.

IMPORTANT!
Do not cook meatballs in your pasta sauce! Meatballs cooked in sauce loose their flavor. The real key to a tasty meatball is cooking the them in an oven. So, heat oven to 375. Place meatballs on a rack - then on a cookie tray.

Bake for 12 minutes on one side then 10 minutes for the other.

Answer 3

Meatballs:
1 cup fine fresh bread crumbs
1 1/2 cups milk
2 medium onions
2 1/2 pounds ground beef chuck
1 1/2 pounds ground pork
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
About 1/2 cup olive oil, for browning meatballs

Make the Meatballs: In a large bowl soak bread crumbs in milk 10 minutes. Finely chop onions.

Add onions and remaining meatball ingredients except olive oil o bread crumb mixture and with your hands blend together until just combined well (do not over mix).
Form mixture into walnut-size balls and arrange on large trays or baking sheets.

In a large heavy skillet heat 2 tablespoons oil over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking and brown meatballs in batches without crowding, shaking skillet to maintain round shape and adding remaining oil as necessary. Transfer meatballs as browned (and any browned onions that fall from meatballs) with a slotted spoon to a 7 to 8 quart heavy kettle.

Answer 4

Use plenty of bread crumbs and/or oatmeal in the meat mixture. This keeps the meatballs tender and juicy, not tough and dry.

Roll into even balls for even cooking... I usually bake at a pretty high temp (425ºF or so) but you can also sear them on each side in a skillet w/ a little EVOO on the bottom.

Let them continue to cook in a low, simmering pot of tomato sauce. They will falvor the sauce and take on the tomato flavor. Stir gently.

Answer 5

I buy them frozen at the grocery store, and people always love them.