You know how they say, “Having a kid changes everything”?
Well, I have never really been a “meatball person.” (Stay with me on this…) For some reason, I just didn’t like ‘em.
Then, in 2008, I got pregnant and everything changed. It really did.
Suddenly, I craved meatballs to no end. I’d make meatball stroganoff, spaghetti with meatballs and meatball subs all the time. Dustin loved it, as he has always loved meatballs.
During this pregnant meatball frenzy of mine, I put together a pretty darn good recipe for meatballs. Now that my little girl is 13 months old, I don’t eat meatballs quite as often, but this recipe is a staple in my house nonetheless.
These Italian meatballs come out soft, tender and full of flavor. They are great in spaghetti, with some tomato sauce, in stroganoff…or just by themselves.
I’ve actually used this same mixture for meatloaf as well, which was pretty tasty too.
Italian Meatballs
Recipe adapted from Ina Garten
1 lb. 85/15 ground beef
1 cup unseasoned dry bread crumbs
2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 egg, beaten
3/4 cup warm water
Vegetable oil
Olive oil
Directions
Place the ground beef, bread crumbs, parsley, parmesan, salt, pepper, nutmeg, egg, and 3/4 cup warm water in a bowl. Combine very lightly with a fork. Using your hands, lightly form the mixture into 2-inch meatballs. You can wet your hands with water to ease the process. You will have 14 to 16 meatballs.
Pour equal amounts of vegetable oil and olive oil into a large (12-inch) skillet to a depth of 1/4-inch. Heat the oil. Very carefully, in batches, place the meatballs in the oil and brown them well on all sides over medium-low heat, turning carefully with a spatula or a fork. This should take about 10 minutes for each batch. Don’t crowd the meatballs. Remove the meatballs to a plate covered with paper towels.
**Or, you can bake the meatballs on a baking sheet in a 400 degree oven for 20-25 minutes. Though it is healthier this way, I find this way doesn’t leave the meatballs as flavorful and they tend to fall apart more easily. Figures!
Enjoy!
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I do love meatballs they are good on stroganoff, spaghetti and meatball subs.
Yup, you sure do! Thanks for commenting!
I was also pregnant in 2008 – Layla is 1 and a half now and loves all things meat, especially meatballs, which she just calls Baaaa (because they look like balls).
I am going to give your recipe a shot. I would like to freeze them though, better to do that when they are raw no?
Hilarious! My Jordan loves these meatballs — and pretty much anything else I put in front of her! I actually freeze these often and save them for adding to spaghetti, meatball subs, stroganoff, etc. They freeze really well. What I have done is cook them until they are browned on all sides and cooked almost all the way through. That way, when I reheat them and add them to whatever I’m cooking, they finish cooking very quickly.
Not sure if you do this already, but I’d recommend laying out the mostly-cooked meatballs on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and freezing them individually in the freezer before placing them together in an airtight container or bag for storage in the freezer.
I hope you (and Layla) enjoy the meatballs!
I loved those, Lacey! Baked them in the oven instead of frying and they were delicious: http://www.flickr.com/photos/naminami/8406090590/
Pille @ Nami-Nami recently posted..Scottish food: Cock-a-Leekie soup
Yay! Great pic too