Meatballs

I have to admit, I don’t think I’ve ever made beef meatballs before (I make some mean turkey meatballs that I’ll post next time I make them), as that is usually something my husband and son do together. Since I’ve been doing most of the cooking lately, here’s my first attempt at pinning down my husband’s recipe. He’s more of a cook by feel cook, where I’m much more comfortable with a recipe.

I consulted Lidia Bastianich’s cookbook to help determine how much breadcrumbs and salt etc., and after preparing my version, I learned a few things. The more fat the meat has the more fluffy the meatballs are, and the leaner the meat, the denser the meat is. I happen to like dense meatballs, so I used the 93% lean meat. I also think the more breadcrumbs you use the denser the meatball is too.

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds ground meat (I used 93% lean, but use less if you like fluffy meatballs)
• 2 eggs
• 1 c. Italian seasoned bread crumbs (more bread crumbs you use, the denser the meatball. If you use less bread crumbs, be sure to add more salt, because the seasoned bread crumbs do have salt in them already)
• 1/2 tsp. salt (use more if you use less than 1 cup of bread crumbs)
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 1/2 c. parmesan cheese (we prefer pecorino romano)
• 2 TBSP. Italian seasoning
• 1.25 tsp. garlic powder
• Flour
• Olive oil for browning the meatballs
• Sauce (we used 2-3 jars)
• 1 lb. Pasta

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients through garlic powder, until just combined, being careful not to over work the meat
2. Put 1/2 cup or so of flour in a bowl
3. Roll the meatballs to your desired size and then dredge them in the flour
4. Heat the olive oil over medium high heat and brown the meatballs…they will not be fully cooked
5. Once all the meatballs are browned, pour your favorite sauce into the pan. We use Ragu Traditional, and since we like sauce we used 2-3 jars of the sauce.
6. Simmer the meatballs in the sauce for a long time…until done. I actually simmered them for about 2 hours, and they were delicious.
7. Serve over pasta or make meatball subs by putting the meatballs in a roll and melting some cheese over it.

Meatballs: