Italian Meatballs
Italian meatballs are something every cook should know how to make. Spaghetti and meatballs, or meatball submarine sandwiches are something almost everyone enjoys. Once made, meatballs can be served fresh or frozen for future use. This recipe is one that we have used for years. On this occasion it seems like we were short on some ingredients, so we made some substitutions along the way which did not effect the outcome. This recipe can be cut in half if you only have a pound of beef or pork. We have never made this recipe with just pork, but we have made the recipe with only ground beef, many, many times. This is a relatively soft meatball that we simmer in spaghetti sauce after the meatballs are cooked, to add additional flavor to both the meatballs and the sauce.
Simmer until done!
Ingredients
1) 1 Pound ground beef
2) 1 Pound round pork (we used ground pork labeled 80/200
3) 2 Eggs
4) 1 Cup of bread crumbs or 8 slices of store bought white bread
5) 1 Cup of either water or milk
6) 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of salt
7) 2 teaspoons of crushed dried oregano
8) 2 Tablespoons of fresh parsley or dried parsley
9) 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of black pepper
10) 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese; fresh grated or prepared grated
11) Garlic lovers will want to add fresh garlic or garlic powder; a clove or two or 1/2-1 teaspoon of garlic powder
12) Extra virgin olive oil to cook the meatballs
13) Spagetti sauce enough to cover the cooked meatballs
Start with ground beef
Add ground pork
Putting it all together
1) In a large bowl add ground beef broken into small pieces
2) Add ground pork broken into small pieces
3) Add the two eggs
4) Add the bread crumbs. If using bread slices, pour the milk or water over the bread as you add the slices to the bowl
5) Add water or milk
6) Add Salt, Oregano, Parsley, Pepper, Parmesan Cheese and garlic for the garlic lovers
7) Mix all the ingredients until uniform (we do this by hand, being sure to wash our hands when we are done handling the meat)
8) Warm a skillet on medium heat, with olive oil enough to thinly cover the bottom of your skillet
9) Form the meat into balls (the size is dependent on your preference) and start simmering and turning as they cook. (we make them about 1 1/4 to 1 1/5 inches in diameter)
10) To help the meatballs cook, we cover the simmering meatballs with a lid and continue to turn them for even cooking
11 When the meatballs are cooked, you can drain any extra fat or oil, if preferred
12) If freezing the meatballs, let the meatballs cool and prepare them for freezing
13) If cooking for a meal, we add enough spaghetti sauce to, at least, cover the meatballs, and let them simmer for about one half hour
14) The meatballs and sauce are ready to serve!!
Add bread crumbs, eggs & seasonings
Add parsley and parmesan
Mix all the ingredients uniformly
Roll into meatballs and simmer on medium heat
Italian Sausage Meatballs
If you want to have a meatball that has more of an Italian Sausage flavor you can simply add whole fennel seeds and red pepper flakes. You can add these ingredients to your own taste adding more fennel seed for a stronger fennel flavor and more pepper flakes for a hotter meatball. A good starting point might be a level tablespoon of fennel seeds, and a level teaspoon of pepper flakes for the recipe above.
Add fennel seed and red pepper flakes to make an Italian Sausage meatball