Easy Meatballs

           

           Man, were these good! There is really no other way to start this post other than that! Not only were they easy, but they were 1-2-3! Here is how this went down……It was a hectic night in mi casa and I knew I wanted to serve meatballs but I was a touch intimidated by the meat trio staring me down. I thought about “winging it” but I believe there are just some things that can’t be executed in this fashion, meatballs being one of them. I then considered calling my mother, she would help me out no doubt but I knew her recipe used day-old bread and that was something I didn’t have. Other option, skip the meatballs and just have the manicotti? Um, no way! It was a Sunday Feast and I wasn’t about to step down on my standards, lol. So, my last option was to go to trusty epicurious.com and see what it had for me and my pantryJ Viola, a recipe that sort of had what I had and would be ready quickly…..

                What turned out was an astounding success! Fortunately I had my own marinara that I had defrosted so once I had these meatballs simmer in that; I knew I was in business. Let me warn you, the baking sheet does get a touch oily. The other side of that though is that the oil is all the fat you will not be consuming! Hooray, perhaps low fat? Ha, I doubt it but I still felt better eating a hefty portion of these. They might take between 20-25 minutes depending on your meatball size preference, so keep an eye on them! Browned and bubbly after at least 20 minutes is probably a good sign there are just about done.

                So go ahead and try this recipe, I think you will be pleased. Add the meatballs to spaghetti, next to manicotti, or just smacked in between some good ol’ Italian bread and you’ll be one happy camperJ

Easy Meatballs

Serves: 3-4

Adapted from: Epicurious.com

OBJ: TCW be able to make meatballs in a jiffy

Ingredients:

1 ¼ lb – 1 ½ lb ground veal, pork and beef

1/3 C Italian style breadcrumbs

2 eggs, beaten

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/3 C grated Parmesan cheese

6 fresh basil leaves, sliced in slivers

½ tsp dried parsley

S & P, salt and pepper

Procedures:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees

2. In a large bowl, mix bread crumbs and 1/3 Cup of water

3. When bread crumbs are absorbed, add the eggs, garlic, ¼ C Parmesan cheese, basil, parsley, and a generous pinch S & P. Mix well

4. Add meat trio to the mixture and combine well, either with your hands or a fork

5. Form into 10-12 even balls, sprinkle tops with remaining Parmesan

6. Lay on a large rimmed baking sheet and roast for 25 minutes

7. Remove from oven and add to your own marinara or jarred sauce to simmer for about 10 minutes before serving