Italian Meatballs
Italian Meatballs just like grandma made with a blend of both ground beef and pork along with directions for cooking 3 different ways.
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef (90-93% lean)
- 1 lb ground pork
- 1/4 tsp salt; +/- to taste
- 1/4 tsp black pepper; +- to taste
- 2 eggs; beaten
- 1 1/2 tsp garlic; minced/grated (about 4 cloves) (or 1 tbsp granulated garlic)
- 1/3 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 1/2 tbsp dried parsley (or 3 tbsp fresh, diced parsley)
- 3 slices hearty white bread; torn
- 1/4 cup milk (this is a ballpark measurment) (enough to cover torn bread in a bowl)
Instructions
-
In a bowl, tear bread into pieces and add enough milk to cover, thoroughly soaking the bread.
-
In a separate bowl, combine remaining ingredients.
-
Scoop up soaked bread and squeeze out excess milk. It will be mushy.
-
Add bread to meat bowl.
-
Mix well with hands. Do not over mix or they will be tough.
-
Roll into 1 1/2 in. balls, with your hands.
-
Using a kitchen tablespoon, scoop about a spoonful and quickly fry off in a pan to test for seasonings. Add any additional salt or pepper to taste.
Oven
-
Preheat the oven to 375° degrees,
-
Use a baking sheet with a cooking rack if possible.
-
Bake, turning once after 15 min.- cook another 15 min. until nicely browned
-
Add to sauce until ready to serve.
Frying pan
-
Heat a large frying pan/skillet over medium heat. (A small amount of olive oil may be needed if the meatballs are really lean).
-
Allow them to form a nice sear before turning them; 2-3 minutes.
-
Turn and cook on all remaining sides.
-
Add to sauce until ready to serve.
Sauce Cooking (Stove top, oven, or slow cooker)
-
STOVETOP: Drop raw balls into sauce and allow to cook in the sauce for about 30 minutes on a low simmer.
-
OVEN: If oven cooking your sauce, place them gently in the suace and allow to cook for 40 minutes in a 350° degrees oven, covered.
-
SLOW COOKER: Gently add them to the sauce in the slow cooker, 1 hour on high and 2 on low.