I shared a homemade spaghetti sauce recipe two weeks ago on the blog. Since then a few people have asked me if I ever make meatballs for my homemade sauce instead of breaking the meat up in the sauce. The answer is, yes! I don’t do it often for preference and time purposes in my family. However, there’s nothing like a homemade meatball and spaghetti sauce to hit the Italian comfort food spot. I’m not Italian and don’t claim to make authentic Italian meatballs, but I do make delicious meatballs from scratch that people will love.
Making meatballs from scratch seems more daunting than it actually is. And it’s sure to be a crowd pleaser. Especially when you can say to the crowd you made the meatballs from scratch. *Adjust crown and take a bow* There is something so pleasing about making delicious food from scratch and people complementing your efforts. Everyone needs a little ego boost every once in a while and this is one that never gets old for me.
Meatball Preparation tips:
- Pour a small amount of oil in your hands every few meatballs to prevent the ground meat from sticking to your hands.
- You can add whatever you want to your meatball mixture. Onions and green bell peppers are always my go to for my family.
- Don’t overcook the meatballs while browning them. Especially if you’re going to add them to a pasta sauce. You don’t want to dry them out.
- Pre-roll all of your meatballs on a pan or plate before you start the browning process. It allows you to concentrate on the meatballs not over cooking instead of rolling more meatballs for the next batch.
- Add your favorite seasonings to your meatball mixture and figure out your perfect balance. Playing with seasonings is one of my favorite parts about cooking.
Meatballs from Scratch
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. Ground Meat (Beef, Lamb, Turkey, etc.)
- 3 Tbsp. Italian Breadcrumbs
- 2 large Eggs
- 1/2 cup Diced Onions
- 1/2 cup Diced Green Peppers
- 2 tsp. Seasoned Salt
- 2 tsp. Onion Powder
- 2 tsp. Minced Garlic
- 3 Tbsp. Chopped Parsley
- 2 tsp. Paprika
- 1-2 cups Vegetable Oil (depending on size of pan)
Instructions
-
Dice your onions and green bell pepper in small pieces. Or pieces of your desired size.
-
In a large mixing bowl combine your ground meat, onions, green bell pepper, garlic, parsley, bread crumbs, eggs, Italian seasoning, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, black pepper, and salt in a mixing bowl.
-
Use your hand to combine the ingredients together well. But don’t over work the mixture to avoid dense meatballs.
-
Pour your oil in a large pan and heat over medium high heat.
-
While your oil heats up, take a baking sheet or plate lined with wax paper and beginning rolling your meatballs into your desired size. (If you’re not sure where to start- we love larger meatballs so an ice cream scoop is the perfect size)
-
After you have rolled all of your meatballs use tongs to place 5-7 meatballs in the pan at a time. (Smaller meatballs- 7 larger meatballs- 5)
-
Let cook on one side for about 3 minutes (or until golden brown) and flip to the next side. You will flip the meatballs as many times needed to make sure the entire meatball is browned.
-
On a paper towel lined plate place your finished meatballs on the plate to drain the excess oil.
-
Repeat steps 7 and 8 until you’ve browned all of your meatballs.
-
And you’ve made meatballs from scratch! (If making them for spaghetti: add the meatballs to your spaghetti sauce and let simmer for an additional 5-10 minutes.)
Leave a Reply