November 10, 2014

Classic Italian Meatballs

Classic Italian Meatball

A great meatball recipe is a staple for most Italian cooks.  Luckily for me, I’m half Italian.  Luckily for you, I have the perfect recipe to share.

During early Fall, my best friends migrated to Connecticut to visit me for the weekend.  I wanted to make a large dinner; something comforting for after their commute.  To me and to them, comfort food is any type of Italian feast.  I decided
 on eggplant rollatini, Caesar salad with a homemade dressing, and of course… meatballs!  I put my own spin on my mama’s already amazing recipe and they came out perfectly.  A warm meal with a large glass of red wine is the perfect way to settle in before a weekend of partying!

The Tips

The Recipe

Classic Italian Meatballs
Yields 6
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Ingredients
  1. 2 jars of marinara sauce; I use Rao's Marinara
  2. 2 lbs ground beef (80% lean, 20% fat)
  3. 1 lb ground pork
  4. 3 slices of white bread, broken into small pieces
  5. 1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
  6. 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, hand- or pre-grated
  7. 1 extra large egg
  8. 1 tablespoon dried parsley
  9. 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  10. 1/4 teaspoon red chili flake; this can be adjusted, depending on your tolerance for spice.
  11. Salt & Pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Fill a baking dish with water (about 1/4 inch up the side of the dish) and set aside.
  2. Add the small pieces of white bread to a bowl with either water or milk - enough to soak the bread. Set aside.
  3. Prepare the additional ingredients. In a medium bowl, combine breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, parsley, garlic powder, red chili flake, salt and pepper. Add the egg.
  4. Drain the water/milk from the white bread & gently squeeze the remaining liquid out. Set aside.
  5. In a large bowl add the beef and pork. Use your hands to squeeze and fold both types of meat into one another until barely combined. Add pre-mixed ingredients and soggy white bread into the meat mixture. Over-mixing will create unappealingly tough meatballs, so squeeze and fold the batter until just combined.
  6. Using an ice cream scoop or your hands, shape the batter into large baseball-sized balls and place into the prepared baking dish. Continue this step until you've used all the batter.
  7. Fill a large pot with the 2 jars of marinara sauce and 1 cup of water. Warm on medium-low heat while the meatballs bake in the oven.
  8. Place the baking dish of meatballs into the preheated oven for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, remove the meatballs from the oven and carefully flip them to the other side. Return the dish to bake for an additional 10 minutes.
  9. After baking, transfer the partially cooked meatballs to the pot of marinara until cooked through.
  10. This should take about 20-40 minutes depending on the size of your meatballs. You'll know they're ready to eat once you cut into one and the center is just barely pink. Plate & enjoy!
Adapted from Mom
Adapted from Mom
Lana del Crave https://lanadelcrave.com/

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