When ComputerNerd and I first moved in together, we lived in this tiny studio loft. I know what you’re thinking: woe is us a loft. This was not your normal re-purposed warehouse apartment, there was not a lot of space. Not to mention the landlord made some questionable decisions about what was a must when renovating. Surprisingly, she deemed an oven was not needed but hookups for a washer and dryer were, but I digress.
In this new situation I always wanted to impress ComputerNerd with my culinary prowess. It was a bit of an issue without an oven. There came a day I wanted to make him meatballs for subs. I had a toaster oven to use to toast the subs but no oven to cook the meatballs. So what do you do? I improvised. Who said I couldn’t cook my meatballs in a pan on the stove? My big concern with these meatballs was keeping them moist while still cooking them through. So I modified my recipe and made the best meatballs either of us had ever had.
Now that we live in a house with a great kitchen that has an oven, I have gone back to making my meatballs in the oven, but they still taste as good as the ones I cook on the stove. Even though I roast my meatballs now, I still shortly brown them in a skillet because it really helps keep them juicy. So what is it that makes the big difference? Parmesan cheese. Now I know most people top their meatballs with some Parmesan but adding it into the mix helps keep the meatballs moist without making them mushy (which is exactly what happens when you add an additional egg) AND it really makes a great flavor when mixed with the ground beef and sausage.
This is another great recipe to use to disguise vegetables. You can easily mix a package of frozen spinach (thawed and drained) into your meatballs and even the pickiest of picky eaters won’t even notice.
Italian Meatballs:
- 1.5 pound loose hot Italian sausage
- 1.5 pound ground chuck
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup breadcrumbs (unseasoned)
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese
- 2 eggs
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 small onion
- a splash of milk (yes, it’s a technical unit of measure)
- 1/8 cup dried basil
- 1 Tablespoon dried oregano
- 1/8 cup dried parsley
Mince your onion and garlic (use your food processor if you have one). Mix the meats in a large bowl (use your hands) until you have a homogeneous mix. Add the wet ingredients and mix. Add the dry ingredients. Add additional breadcrumbs and cheese (1:1 ratio) until the meat mix forms a cohesive mass (it should have roughly the consistency of cookie dough). Form 2 inch diameter balls with the meat mixture. Brown the meatballs in a hot nonstick skillet until the exterior browns. You can choose to cook them all the way through in the skillet or put them on a cookie sheet and bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until cooked through. If you choose to finish them in the skillet, make sure to turn them frequently, they will take 7-10 minutes to cook through.
Meatballs will last a few days in the fridge but can be frozen for up to 6 months. To use frozen meatballs, allow to thaw in the fridge overnight, and then microwave or bake at 350 before serving.
To class this up, wrap your meatballs in bacon or Pancetta before baking.
