Sunday, July 30, 2023

Easy Italian Meatballs!

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup Panko breadcrumbs (I use Italian seasoned.)
  • 1/3 cup milk
  • 1 pound ground beef (I use 85/15.)
  • 1 pound ground pork
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced (or 4 frozen Dorot cubes)
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup (1 1/2 ounces) finely-grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1/4 cup finely-chopped fresh Italian herbs (I used half parsley, half basil.)
  • 1/4 cup grated yellow onion (I food processed frozen onion.)
  • 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

    Directions:

    1. 1.  In a large mixing bowl, stir together the panko and milk until combined.  Set mixture aside to soak for 5 to 10 minutes while you prepare the other ingredients.

    2. 2.  Combine remaining ingredients.  Add the ground beef, ground pork, garlic, eggs, Parmesan, fresh herbs, onion, and Worcestershire sauce to the (same) mixing bowl.  Sprinkle the oregano, salt, black pepper and crushed red pepper flakes evenly on top.  Use your hands to mix the ingredients until evenly combined, being careful not to over-mix the ingredients.

    3. 3.  Chill (optional step). To make the meatballs easier to form, I recommend covering and chilling the mixture in the refrigerator for 1 hour.  If you’re pressed for time, however, you can skip this step.

    4. 4.  If you're baking...prep oven and baking sheet.  Heat the oven to 425°F and line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.  If you're air frying...preheat air fryer to 375.

    5. 5.  Form the meatballs.  Using a medium cookie scoop or a spoon, scoop and roll the mixture into 2-tablespoon balls and place them on the prepared baking sheet.  (I recommend lightly greasing your hands with a bit of olive oil to prevent the mixture from sticking.)

    6. 6.  If baking, bake for 10-12 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer measures the internal temperature of the meatballs to be 160°F.   If air frying, LIGHTLY spritz raw meatballs with olive oil.  Bake (I use the "air crisp" setting for the same amount of time (10-12 minutes), flipping halfway.  Remove pan and transfer to a wire cooling rack.  (Instead, I like setting mine on a paper-towel lined plate to absorb grease from baking.)
    7.  
    8. 7.  Serve meatballs immediately and enjoy!

*www.gimmesomeoven.com