Homemade Meatballs

As much as I love making new pasta and sauce recipes, I was never a big fan of making my own meatballs until now. And now I will never again before able to buy the pre-made, ready-to-cook ones from the grocery store! These take such little time, are full of flavor, and can be frozen for future meals. I am hooked, and I think you will be too!

*One of the biggest reasons I didn't love making homemade meatballs before was all of the raw meat rolling between my fingers. With this recipe, I used my KitchenAid Mixer on the lowest setting for all of the mixing, and only used my hands for the actual forming of the meatballs. It was much cleaner and faster!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup Progresso Italian breadcrumbs 

1 large egg 

1 teaspoon salt

1/8tsp Freshly ground black pepper

1tsp dried parsley flakes

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 pound ground beef* 

1/2 cup finely chopped sweet onion

2 clove garlic, finely minced

*I wouldn't go leaner than an 85/15 mixture on the meat- the fat is what helps gives these meatballs their flavor, and you can degrease at the end once they're cooked.

Directions:

In a small bowl, pour the milk over the breadcrumbs, mix carefully with a spoon, and set aside. The breadcrumbs will absorb the milk and become soggy.

Mix the egg, salt, pepper, Parmesan, and parsley. Add the meat to the egg mixture. Mix on the lowest setting, being sure not to overwork the meat.

Add the onions, garlic, and soaked breadcrumbs. Mix thoroughly into the meat without overworking the meat.

Roll meat mixture into 1 1/2-inch meatballs until all of the meat is used.

Bake at 400°F for 20 minutes. (Watch closely if cooking meatballs are made with lean meat.) The meatballs are done when cooked through and the outsides are browned, and when they register 165°F in the middle. 

I like to remove some of the grease with a paper towel before serving or freezing. If freezing, allow to cool completely before transferring to a freezer safe bag or container.

I like to serve them in my favorite sauce recipe over spaghetti, with meatball subs, or use them in one of my new favorite meatball recipes from The Novice Chef, called Meatball Bombs.

Hope you enjoy!