Meatball Recipes

[lovebigbluegills]

So as not to derail the complicated recipe thread, would any of you fine chefs be willing to share your favorite meatball recipe?

[delcecchi]

3 minutes ago, lovebigbluegills said:

So as not to derail the complicated recipe thread, would any of you fine chefs be willing to share your favorite meatball recipe?

Open bag of meatballs favorite brand or store. 

[lovebigbluegills]

C'mon dude!!! The ones you make at home with meat from the freezer. For spaghetti and such 

[delcecchi]

From Cooks Illustrated.... If you don't want to go to the store.

Swedish Meatballs

By Cook's Illustrated

•

Published January 2009

save

 

 

Watch Every Step

Why This Recipe Works

We wanted our Swedish meatballs recipe to produce substantial yet delicate meatballs with a sausagelike springiness and satisfying snap. To achieve the right texture, we combined beef, pork, bread, cream, and a surprise ingredient, baking powder, which kept the meatballs delicate and juicy. For the meatball gravy recipe, we wanted a light cream sauce instead of heavy brown gravy. To get this, we added a bit of cream to our stock to lighten it up and a splash of lemon juice for some bright flavor.

 

ingredients

Meatballs

1 large egg

¼cup heavy cream

1large slice high-quality white sandwich bread, crusts removed and bread torn into 1-inch pieces

8ounces ground pork

1small onion, grated on large holes of box grater (about ¼ cup)

⅛teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

⅛teaspoon ground allspice

⅛teaspoon ground black pepper

1teaspoon packed brown sugar (see note)

1 ½teaspoons table salt

1teaspoon baking powder

8ounces 85 percent lean ground beef

1 ¼cups vegetable oil

Sauce

1tablespoon unsalted butter

1tablespoon unbleached all-purpose flour

1 ½cups low-sodium chicken broth

1tablespoon packed brown sugar (see note)

½cup heavy cream

2teaspoons juice from 1 lemon

Salt and ground black pepper

 

 

instructionsServes 4 to 6

The traditional accompaniments for Swedish meatballs are lingonberry preserves and Swedish Pickled Cucumbers (see related recipe). If you can’t find lingonberry preserves, cranberry preserves may be used. For a slightly less sweet dish, omit the brown sugar in the meatballs and reduce the brown sugar in the sauce to 2 teaspoons. A 12-inch slope-sided skillet can be used in place of the sauté pan—use 1 1/2 cups of oil to fry instead of 1 1/4 cups. The meatballs can be fried and then frozen for up to 2 weeks. To continue with the recipe, thaw the meatballs in the refrigerator overnight and proceed from step 3, using a clean pan. Serve the meatballs with mashed potatoes, boiled red potatoes, or egg noodles.

1. For the Meatballs: Whisk egg and cream together in medium bowl. Stir in bread and set aside. Meanwhile, in stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat pork, onion, nutmeg, allspice, pepper, brown sugar, salt, and baking powder on high speed until smooth and pale, about 2 minutes, scraping bowl as necessary. Using fork, mash bread mixture until no large dry bread chunks remain; add mixture to mixer bowl and beat on high speed until smooth and homogeneous, about 1 minute, scraping bowl as necessary. Add beef and mix on medium-low speed until just incorporated, about 30 seconds, scraping bowl as necessary. Using moistened hands, form generous tablespoon of meat mixture into 1-inch round meatball; repeat with remaining mixture to form 25 to 30 meatballs.

2. Heat oil in 10-inch straight-sided sauté pan over medium-high heat until edge of meatball dipped in oil sizzles (oil should register 350 degrees on instant-read thermometer), 3 to 5 minutes. Add meatballs in single layer and fry, flipping once halfway through cooking, until lightly browned all over and cooked through, 7 to 10 minutes. (Adjust heat as needed to keep oil sizzling but not smoking.) Using slotted spoon, transfer browned meatballs to paper towel-lined plate.

3. For the Sauce: Pour off and discard oil in pan, leaving any fond (browned bits) behind. Return pan to medium-high heat and add butter. When foaming subsides, add flour and cook, whisking constantly, until flour is light brown, about 30 seconds. Slowly whisk in broth, scraping pan bottom to loosen browned bits. Add brown sugar and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to medium and cook until sauce is reduced to about 1 cup, about 5 minutes. Stir in cream and return to simmer.

4. Add meatballs to sauce and simmer, turning occasionally, until heated through, about 5 minutes. Stir in lemon juice, season with salt and pepper, and serve.

 

Technique

Meatball Tips

 

 

USE WET HANDS

Keep a bowl of water nearby and dip your fingers after every two or three meatballs to prevent the meat from sticking as you form the balls.

 

KEEP ORGANIZED

Starting near the skillet handle, arrange the meatballs in a clockwise spiral to keep track of when each one needs to be flipped.

Recipe Testing

Three Tricks for Better Texture

 

 

ADD BAKING POWDER

Baking powder provides lift to lighten texture.

 

USE A PANADE

Mixing in a panade made with bread and cream adds moistness.

 

WHIP IT UP

Whipping the pork mixture distributes fat and creates springiness.

More from Cook's Illustrate

2 minutes ago, lovebigbluegills said:

C'mon dude!!! The ones you make at home with meat from the freezer. For spaghetti and such 

Ok, but I use the bags mostly.  Lazy. 

Here is another from the cooks illustrated page.  I might as well get my money's worth.

Meatballs Florentine

From Cook's Country | December/January 2013

• Add to Favorites
• Share:
• Shopping list
• Email
• Print

Why this recipe works:

We streamline the cooking (and cleaning) by cooking the meatballs, sauce, and pasta in the same pan.

Serves 4

You can substitute equal parts ground beef and ground pork for the meatloaf mix. Serve with grated Parmesan.

Ingredients

• 1 pound meatloaf mix
• 3 ounces (3 cups) baby spinach, chopped
• 1/3 cup panko bread crumbs
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• Salt and pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 2 cups water
• 8 ounces spaghetti, broken in half
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

Instructions

1.  

   1. Combine meatloaf mix, 1 cup spinach, panko, egg, half of garlic, and 1 teaspoon salt in bowl and knead gently until incorporated. Form mixture into 3 dozen 1-inch meatballs. Heat oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Cook meatballs until well browned all over, about 5 minutes; transfer to plate.

   2. Add remaining garlic to now-empty skillet and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in tomatoes, water, spaghetti, and ½ teaspoon salt and bring to boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook, stirring often, until spaghetti begins to soften, about 7 minutes. Add meatballs and continue to simmer, covered, until meatballs are cooked through and spaghetti is al dente, about 5 minutes. Off heat, stir in remaining 2 cups spinach and basil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.

Meatballs and Marinara

From Cook's Country | December/January 2007

• Add to Favorites
• Share:
• Shopping list
• Email
• Print

Why this recipe works:

Great big meatballs served over pasta are often better in theory than in practice. We wanted to change that with a recipe for tender and moist meatballs that had enough structure to hold their shape. Most meatball recipes call for equal amounts of pork and beef, but ours has much more beef… read more

 

Meatballs and Marinara

We wanted a way to make big meatballs that were tender and moist and had enough structure to hold their shape.

Watch the Video

Serves 8

The meatballs and sauce both use the same onion mixture.

Ingredients

• Onion Mixture

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3 onions, chopped fine
• 8 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 3/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

• Easy Marinara

• 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
• 1 cup dry red wine
• 1 cup water
• 4 (28-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup fresh basil leaf
• Salt
• 1 - 2 teaspoons sugar, as needed

• Meatballs

• 4 slices hearty white sandwich bread
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/2 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
• 2 large eggs
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 2 1/2 pounds ground beef chuck (80 percent lean)

Instructions

1.  

   1. For the onion mixture: Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Cook onions until golden, 10 to 15 minutes. Add garlic, oregano, and pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Transfer half of onion mixture to large bowl and set aside.

   2. For the marinara: Add tomato paste to remaining onion mixture in pot and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add wine and cook until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Stir in water and tomatoes and simmer over low heat until sauce is no longer watery, 45 to 60 minutes. Stir in cheese and basil and adjust seasonings with salt and sugar.

   3. For the meatballs: Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 475 degrees. Mash bread and milk in bowl with reserved onion mixture until smooth. Add remaining ingredients, except ground beef, to bowl and mash to combine. Add beef and knead with hands until well combined. Form mixture into 2 1/2-inch meatballs (you should have about 16 meatballs), place on rimmed baking sheet, and bake until well browned, about 20 minutes.

   4. Transfer meatballs to pot with sauce. Simmer for 15 minutes. Serve over pasta. (Meatballs and marinara can be frozen for up to 1 month.)

[lovebigbluegills]

Thanks Del!!!

[delcecchi]

One or two more

Classic Spaghetti and Meatballs

Published January 1998

save

 

 

Why This Recipe Works

For our spaghetti and meatballs recipe, we wanted nothing short of great meatballs: crusty and dark brown on the outside, soft and moist on the inside. Focusing on ingredients for our meatball recipe, we found that milk did wonderful things for meatballs, especially when mixed to a paste with fresh bread crumbs. Still better was buttermilk, which delivered a delicious flavor. Eggs were also important for texture and flavor; their fats and emulsifiers added moistness and richness. Egg yolks alone worked best; the whites just made the mixture sticky and hard to handle, with no benefits. Another contribution to the flavor dimension can be gotten by adding some ground pork to the usual ground beef (usually chuck); we found 1 part pork...

read more

 

ingredients

Meatballs

2slices white sandwich bread (crusts discarded), torn into small cubes

½cup buttermilk or 6 tablespoons plain yogurt thinned with 2 tablespoons sweet milk

¾pound ground beef chuck ( or 1 pound if omitting ground pork below)

¼pound ground pork (to be mixed with ground chuck)

¼cup grated Parmesan cheese

2tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves

1 large egg yolk

1small clove garlic, minced (1 teaspoon)

¾teaspoon table salt

Ground black pepper

Vegetable oil for pan-frying (about 1 ¼ cups)

Simple Tomato Sauce

2tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1teaspoon minced garlic

1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes

1tablespoon minced fresh basil leaves

Salt and ground black pepper

1pound spaghetti

Grated Parmesan cheese

 

 

instructionsServes 4 to 6

This streamlined recipe can be on the table in under an hour.

1. For the meatballs: Combine bread and buttermilk in small bowl, mashing occasionally with fork, until smooth paste forms, about 10 minutes.

2. Mix all meatball ingredients, including bread mixture and pepper to taste in medium bowl. Lightly form 3 tablespoons of mixture into 1 1/2-inch round meatballs; repeat with remaining mixture to form approximately 14 meatballs. (Compacting them can make the meatballs dense and hard. Can be placed on large plate, covered loosely with plastic wrap, and refrigerated for several hours.)

3. Bring 4 quarts of water to boil in large pot for cooking pasta.

4. Meanwhile, heat 1/4 -inch vegetable oil over medium-high heat in 10- or 11-inch sauté pan. When edge of meatball dipped in oil sizzles, add meatballs in single layer. Fry, turning several times, until nicely browned on all sides, about 10 minutes, regulating heat as needed to keep oil sizzling but not smoking. Transfer browned meatballs to paper towel--lined plate; set aside. Repeat, if necessary, with remaining meatballs.

5. For the sauce, discard oil in pan, leaving behind any browned bits. Add olive oil along with garlic; sauté, scraping up any browned bits, just until garlic is golden, about 30 seconds. Add tomatoes, bring to boil, and simmer gently until sauce thickens, about 10 minutes. Stir in basil; add salt and pepper to taste. Add meatballs and simmer, turning them occasionally, until heated through, about 5 minutes. Keep warm over low flame.

6. Meanwhile, add 1 tablespoon salt and pasta to boiling water. Cook until al dente, drain, and return to pot. Ladle several large spoonfuls of tomato sauce (without meatballs) over spaghetti and toss until noodles are well coated. Divide pasta among individual bowls and top each with a little more tomato sauce and 2 to 3 meatballs. Serve immediately with grated cheese passed separately.

 

Step-by-Step

Making Meatballs

 

 

1. Mash the bread cubes and buttermilk together with a fork. Let stand, mashing occasionally, until a smooth paste forms, about 10 minutes.

 

2. Once all the ingredients for the meatballs are in the bowl, mix with a fork to roughly combine. At this point, use your hands to make sure that the flavorings are evenly distributed throughout the mixture.

 

3. Meatballs must be browned well on all sides. This may involve standing meatballs on their sides near the end of the cooking process. If necessary, lean them up against each other to get the final sides browned.

And for reb and smurf....

Stuffed Meatballs with Marinara

From Cook's Country | October/November 2014

• Add to Favorites
• Share:
• Shopping list
• Email
• Print

Why this recipe works:

To prevent the cheese from oozing out of this take on classic meatballs, we modified the panade to use only panko bread crumbs (eliminating any dairy) to keep the meatballs firm enough to hold the cheese in. Next we altered the cooking technique by browning the meatballs and then poaching them… read more

Serves 6

To minimize sticking, use slightly wet hands to roll and form the meatballs in step 2. This recipe makes enough sauce to coat 1 pound of pasta; these meatballs also make great subs.

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup panko bread crumbs
• 1 1/2 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (3/4 cup)
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• Salt and pepper
• 4 ounces sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
• 1 1/4 pounds 85 percent lean ground beef
• 3 (4 1/2-inch-long) sticks mozzarella string cheese
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes

Instructions

1.  

   1. Combine panko, 1/2 cup Parmesan, eggs, 2 tablespoons basil, half of garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in large bowl. Add sausage and knead with your hands until incorporated into panko mixture. Add beef and knead until just incorporated. (Do not overmix or meatballs will be tough.) Using greased 1/4-cup dry measuring cup, divide meat mixture into 15 portions and place on plate.

   2. Cut mozzarella sticks crosswise into fifteen 3/4-inch cubes (each stick should yield 5 cubes). Place 1 mozzarella cube in center of each meat portion and pinch meat around cheese to enclose. Roll meat between wet hands to form completely sealed meatball. Place stuffed meatballs on plate and refrigerate for 30 minutes or cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.

   3. Heat oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add meatballs and cook until browned on 1 side, about 3 minutes. Flip meatballs and cook until browned on opposite side, about 3 minutes. Transfer meatballs to plate. (Sides of meatballs will still appear raw.)

   4. Discard all but 1 tablespoon fat from skillet and return to medium heat. Add onion and cook until just softened and beginning to brown, about 2 minutes. Add oregano and remaining garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in tomatoes, remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.

   5. Nestle meatballs in sauce with 1 browned side up and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 4 minutes. Flip meatballs so second browned side is up. Cover and continue to cook for 4 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and let rest, covered, for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons basil. Serve.

[lovebigbluegills]

Thanks again Del!!!

[RebelSS]

I just take lean 85%-90% ground chuck in a bowl, toss in an egg, half a medium sized onion diced fine; some cracked black pepper, Worcestershire sauce, a shot of soy sauce, a couple light shakes of Rosemary and Basil. You can crush up (as in powder them) some seasoned croutons and add, but I prefer not to. Lightly roll into golf ball size. Cook in a med hot pan in a bit of light oil until just lightly browned. Arrange in a casserole dish, and mix a can of cream of mushroom soup with 1/2 can of half and half (or light cream) and a 4 oz can of drained sliced mushrooms. Pour over meatballs, sprinkle with parsley, and cook uncovered in a 350* oven about 40 mns or until sauce is thickened. Serve over buttered noodles, rice, or mashed 'taters. 

Edited January 6, 2016 by RebelSS

[lovebigbluegills]

Thanks Reb!!!

[Boar]

man thats pretty spagetti, how do they get the noodles just right??

[reinhard1]

Just take a taste test as the noodles once in awhile while they are simmering.  When they are done, strain them, and then put them back in the pot with a little olive oil and stir them around.  This prevents the noodles from sticking together and serve right away.  good luck.

[delcecchi]

Boil actively.  test.   When almost done (al dente as the Italians say) put them in the sauce to finish cooking.  Add some of the pasta cooking water if necessary to keep the sauce from getting too thick. 

If you put oil on the noodles the sauce will not stick to them.  

But you have to test the noodles by eating one or at least chewing it to tell if they are done.  Don't cook them into mush.

[Kidd]

Here's the way I do it.

I buy a pork shoulder and cut it in half.  The half with the bone in it I reserve for smoking a pulled pork.  The boneless half I grind up and mix 50/50 with a 90/10 ground chuck.

This is the recipe and technique I use.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups whole milk

• 1 ½ cups fine dried breadcrumbs

• 3 pounds ground pork

• 3 pounds ground beef, such as ground chuck

• 5 teaspoons chunky kosher salt

• Freshly ground black pepper (to taste)

• 3 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp cayenne

• 1 1/2 cup finely chopped Italian parsley

• About 8 tbsps finely chopped fresh sage,

• 3 cups finely diced or grated yellow onion

• 8 large garlic cloves, finely minced 

• 1 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

• 8 large eggs, beaten

 Technique:

• Pour the milk over the breadcrumbs in a small bowl. Stir them together and set them aside for at least 10 minutes for the crumbs to soften.

• Mix the pork and beef together thoroughly in a large mixing bowl.

• Stir in the salt and a generous amount of black pepper.

• Then add the cayenne and smoked paprika.

• Stir in the chopped parsley, sage, onion, garlic and Parmesan. Mix with your hands until these are very thoroughly distributed through the meat.

• Stir in the breadcrumbs and eggs and mix thoroughly.

• Shape and cook the meatballs immediately, or refrigerate the meat for up to 24 hours.

Cooking:

 To cook the meatballs, you can go two different routes:

Bake: To bake the meatballs, heat the oven to 350°F and form them into balls about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Place them on a baking sheet and drizzle lightly with olive oil.

1. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes, or until they are just barely cooked through and no longer pink inside. To keep them tender, do not over bake. At this point you can add them to a pot of tomato sauce and simmer just for a few moments or until they are soaked in sauce -- or just eat them as they are.

Broil: The baked meatballs above are very smooth and not crispy. If you like a more rustic meatball with a crisped-up exterior, broil your meatballs for 18 to 20 minutes, turning once halfway through. This will give you a meatball with a crunchier exterior and little dark bits all over.