Meatballs could be the world’s most perfect food. Make them the right way and add marinara, they’re Italian. Make them another way and add another sauce, and they’re Swedish. Make them another way, add barbecue, and, well, pure American. The Italians make a wedding soup that’s pretty good, too, with very tiny meatballs.
I used to do a low-carb diet. The only way I could handle going to an Italian restaurant was to order a side of meatballs with marinara. Some restaurants had (probably still have) a side dish of one very large meatball.
Now I just try to eat sensibly (and well). The following ideas are – to put it bluntly – very tempting to me. I would probably be able to stop at a reasonable portion size, but I would probably have several meals a day of that reasonable portion size.
Hint: you can make anything better for you. For example, for Italian meatballs, spiralize zucchini, yellow squash, broccoli spears or a sweet potato in place of pasta.
Best Meatballs Ever
This recipe can be found here. They named it “best meatballs ever.” I’m not sure if they are, because I’ve not made them. However, they sound fantastic. This would be one to make if you weren’t interested in just doing it the simple way.
- 1 pound ground beef
- ½ pound ground veal
- ½ pound ground pork
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup freshly grated Romano cheese
- 1 ½ tablespoons chopped Italian flat leaf parsley
- Salt and ground black pepper to taste
- 2 cups stale Italian bread, crumbled
- 1 ½ cups lukewarm water
- 1 cup olive oil
Combine beef, veal, and pork in a large bowl. Add garlic, eggs, cheese, parsley, salt and pepper.
Blend breadcrumbs into meat mixture. Slowly add the water 1/2 cup at a time. The mixture should be very moist but still hold its shape if rolled into meatballs. (It usually takes about 1 1/4 cups of water). Shape into meatballs.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Fry meatballs in batches. When the meatball is very brown and slightly crisp, remove from heat and drain on a paper towel. (If your mixture is too wet, cover the meatballs while they are cooking so that they hold their shape better.)
Classic Meatballs
This website provides a simple recipe for meatballs suitable for marinara sauce. The instructions are flexible, and you can use the ground meat(s) of your choice. I copy much of the site, but for all of the information, please go there. The site contains a frequently asked question section that will help you trouble-shoot your problem meatballs.
How to make Meatballs:
Meat: Meatballs can be made with a mixture of ground pork and ground beef, or just ground beef. A common ratio, if mixing, is 1:1.
Using Italian style breadcrumbs adds wonderful seasoning. The texture of the breadcrumbs is so fine that it blends into the meat while they cook. You can always sub the Italian breadcrumbs for plain breadcrumbs and control the seasonings on your own.
Flavor: Use fresh grated Parmesan, finely minced onion and minced garlic. (Do not saute the onions; leave them raw.)
Season: A hefty helping of salt is needed for these meatballs. 1 tsp per 1 pound of meat. Other seasonings include ground black pepper and herbs of your choice.
Mix: Mix the meat and other ingredients by hand. This allows you to ensure the ingredients are combined completely, and it doesn’t overwork the mixture to give you tough meatballs.
Add milk: Saving this as the last step helps you to control the texture. The meatball mixture should be wet. Add the milk slowly to help you get the right texture. If the mixture starts to feel wet before you get the full amount in, you can stop adding, or if you need a bit more you can increase the amount.
How to cook Meatballs:
Cooking meatballs in sauce:
- Pan Sear:Sear the meatballs in a small amount of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. This method allows you to keep the browned bits from searing and use them in a homemade sauce.
- Broil Sear:Lay the meatballs on a large baking sheet and broil for about 7-8 minutes until browned on top. At this point the meatballs can be added to a sauce to continue cooking.
- Poach: Add the raw meatballs directly to the sauce, but you will miss the sear on the outside.
Cooking meatballs with no sauce (Great option if making a large batch and freezing for later)
- Oven Baked Meatballs: Lay the meatballs on a large baking sheet and broil for about 20 minutes and cook them thoroughly. They will be ready to save for later.
Swedish Meatballs
This website gives a recipe for a classic Swedish meatball recipe. The secret is the rich, creamy gravy. You can tone down the calories and fat by using non-flavored low-fat yogurt.
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 parsley chopped
- 1/4 ground allspice
- 1/4 ground nutmeg
- ¼cup onion finely chopped
- ½ garlic powder
- ⅛ pepper
- ½ salt
- 1 egg
- 1 olive oil
- 5 butter
- 3 flour
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 Worcestershire sauce
- 1 Dijon mustard
- salt and pepper to taste
In a medium-sized bowl combine ground beef, panko, parsley, allspice, nutmeg, onion, garlic powder, pepper, salt and egg. Mix until combined.
Roll into 12 large meatballs or 20 small meatballs. In a large skillet, heat olive oil and 1 Tablespoon butter. Add the meatballs and cook turning continuously until brown on each side and cooked throughout. Transfer to a plate and cover with foil.
Add 4 Tablespoons butter and flour to skillet and whisk until it turns brown. Slowly stir in beef broth and heavy cream. Add Worchestershire sauce and Dijon mustard and bring to a simmer until sauce starts to thicken. Salt and pepper to taste.
Add the meatballs back to the skillet and simmer for another 1-2 minutes. Serve over egg noodles or rice.
Italian Wedding Soup
Go to this website for a classic recipe for Italian wedding soup. Delicious. This is one of those soups that you just want to have over and over again.
Meatballs:
- 1 small onion, grated
- 1/3 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 slice fresh white bread, crust trimmed, bread torn into small pieces
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
- 8 ounces ground beef
- 8 ounces ground pork
- Freshly ground black pepper
Soup:
- 12 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 pound curly endive, coarsely chopped (1 pound of escarole would be a good substitution)
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for garnish
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
To make the meatballs: Stir the first 6 ingredients in a large bowl to blend. Stir in the cheese, beef and pork. Using 1 1/2 teaspoons for each, shape the meat mixture into 1-inch-diameter meatballs. Place on a baking sheet. (Hint: the best Italian wedding soups I have had were made with very small meatballs.)
To make the soup: Bring the broth to a boil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs and curly endive and simmer until the meatballs are cooked through and the curly endive is tender, about 8 minutes. Whisk the eggs and cheese in a medium bowl to blend. Stir the soup in a circular motion. Gradually drizzle the egg mixture into the moving broth, stirring gently with a fork to form thin strands of egg, about 1 minute. Season the soup to taste with salt and pepper.
Ladle the soup into bowls and serve. Finish soup with parmesan cheese if desired.
Vegan Meatballs
Did you think I would forget? This is for all of my vegan and vegetarian family and friends. Try this website for this and other recipes.
- 1 cup cooked brown/green lentils
- 1 tablespoon olive oil *
- 1 cup yellow onion chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 3/4 cup cremini mushrooms chopped
- 1 flax egg (instructions below)
- 1/2 cup vegan Italian breadcrumbs
- 1/3 cup fresh parsley chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon salt + pepper (each)
- 1/4 cup olive oil (for frying, skip if baking)
To cook dry lentils (skip this step if using canned lentils): Cook 1/2 cup dry lentils on stovetop, using 1 1/2 cups water. Be sure to use a large enough saucepan as the lentils will double or triple in size. Bring to a boil, cover tightly, reduce heat and simmer until they are tender. About 15-20 minutes. Drain if needed and measure out 1 cup cooked lentils for the recipe.
Make a flax egg by mixing together 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed and 2.5 tablespoons water in a small bowl. Let sit for 5 minutes to thicken.
Meanwhile, chop yellow onion, garlic and cremini mushrooms. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet on medium heat, add chopped veggies to pan and sauté until soft. About 5 minutes.
Once vegetables are soft and lentils are cooked, add to food processor along with breadcrumbs, fresh parsley, flax egg, and salt + pepper. Pulse ingredients until combined. Use a spatula to scrape down sides as needed. You’ll want the mixture to be well-combined, very mushy and sticky.
BAKING INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a baking sheet and set aside.
Roll each ball between your hands to form golf-ball sized balls. Place evenly spaced on a lightly greased baking sheet.
Bake in pre-heated oven for 25-30 minutes. Rotate each ball and reshape if needed every 10 minutes. (The longer you leave them in the oven, the crispier the outside will become).
FRYING INSTRUCTIONS
If frying, heat 1/4 cup olive oil on medium heat in a large skillet. Roll the mixture into golf-ball sized balls and add to hot oil – be careful because it can splash. Carefully turn balls as they start to brown on each side.
As each ball gets browned, place them on a paper-towel lined plate to absorb some excess oil.
Serve warm or freeze for later.