meatballs are on the menu…

Are you fan of meatballs?  I AM, but just recently started making my own.

Never needed to…

I am a huge fan of meatballs and I became a fan of meatballs because my MeeMaw (look how cute she is) would make them.  She would always have some in her deep freeze.  She would whip them out for a quick pasta dinner or for her meatballs and gravy.

In college I attempted one time to make meatballs, but they were nothing like my MeeMaw’s, and I never made them again until now.

The rolling begins…

When I decided it was time  to attempt meatballs once again I went searching for my MeeMaw’s recipe. After a while I couldn’t find it, which means she probably kept the recipe in her head…where most of her best recipes lived until he day she passed.  So without a recipe to follow I decide to jump right in, and it has been such a fun adventure.

Bringing the flavor…

A good meatball has to be tender, full of flavor and cooked to perfection and I am determined to make a perfect meatball.

Now to make a tender meatball you cannot over mix the meat .  You want to combine everything into the meat and then mix with your hands until it is just combined.

Now for the flavor it all starts with the meat you choose.  I am pretty my MeeMaw would only use ground beef but I use ground beef and ground pork.  I fined the pork adds in some moisture and flavor giving the meatballs a perfect blend of both.

To boost the flavor even more I use fresh breadcrumbs.  This is a personal preference but it want to use dried breadcrumbs make are to soak them in the milk a little longer.  I also use fresh parsley, again just a  personal preference.  You can can use dried, but if using add to the milk mixture to let it develop its flavor.

Now for the cooked to perfection make sure you bake them until they are just cooked through.  For the smaller meatballs (1 1/2-2 inches) you only need to bake them for 10-12 minutes…trust me they will come out perfect.

Roll away….

 

[mpprecipe-recipe:195]

Finishing them off…

The meatballs are so good you can use them with your favorite pasta sauce (like this super easy sauce) or on meatball subs.   You could also serve them with your favorite brown gravy & mashed potatoes (like these).  They also freeze well before you cook them or after you cook them.  Trust me you want to keep these on hand for a quick weeknight meal.

Whether this is your first adventure with meatballs or you are a meatball veteran I know you will love these and they will be perfect for dinner tonight (or this week)!