Dat's a spicy meat-a-ball!!! lol Sorry couldn't help myself. I love a good meatball but never order them unless I'm dining at a proper Italian restaurant. Its kind of a crap shoot as to weather they are moist enough or taste good, especially if they dont have breadcrumbs in them; but this meatball recipe would make any Italian grandmother/mother proud! These meatballs when done right come out so juicy and great with tomato sauce or in a soup or even just by themselves. If you have leftovers you can even chop one up later and put the meat in your breakfast omelet. Meatballs are obviously high in protein so it can be a really healthy dinner option especially if your restricted by a gluten intolerance. Buon Appetito!
INGREDIENTS:
Meatballs
3 lbs - Ground beef/pork mix (you can use just ground beef if you want but the pork makes it even juicier)
1 Medium Onion (chopped finely)
3-4 Cloves of Garlic (chopped finely)
1 TBSP of Oregano
1 Egg
1/2 Cup of Parmesan Cheese (grated finely)
1 TSP of Chili Peppers (adjust to how spicy you want them
1 TBSP Salt
1 TBSP of Pepper
Olive Oil for the pan
Tomato Sauce - quick and easy option (optional)
Strained Tomato - i used Molisana Passata Di Pomodoro
Fresh Basil
Salt and Pepper
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven at 400 degrees and oil your oven pan so it has a light layer of oil
Put all the ingredients for the meatballs in a large bowl. Mix the ingredients together with your hands. Once mixed start to form the meatballs about the size of your palm - try not to squeeze them together to tight, you dont want them to be dense.
Once meatballs are formed place them on the oiled tray. Keep going until all the ingredients in the bowl are gone.
Place pan with meatballs in the oven for 35 Minutes
Once done you can remove them and store them for later use or continue with the final steps.
In a frying pan add olive oil and a bit of the fat drippings from the roasting pan, brown the meatballs at medium heat to get a nice outer sear. Once browned on all sides reduce heat to low and add in your tomato sauce, fresh basil and salt and pepper to taste.
As the sauce warms coat the meatball in the sauce until the sauce is warmed through.
You can move the meatball into a serving bowl, drizzle the sauce from the pan on top and add more freshly grated Parmesan if you want.
I hope you enjoyed this recipe as much as I do. If you have any comments please leave them below and I'll be happy to answer them as soon as I can! Happy cooking!!!