Best Meatballs Ever

Best Meatballs ever, says everyone when they talk about their favourite meatball recipe. These are my favourite for a few reasons. One, they’re easy, using a standard one pound (454g) pack of lean ground beef that you bake before putting them in the sauce. Secondly, they are exactly the kind of texture I like in a meatball, soft but not so soft they fall apart.

The extras that make the difference are freshly ground Parmasean, buy a chunk, don’t buy pre-grated and whatever you do, don’t buy the powdery stuff in a can on a shelf. Use Japanese Panko unseasoned breadcrumbs, simple without any added seasonings. Your own breadcrumbs would work too. The ratio of breadcrumbs to meat might seem a lot at first, but try the recommended way at least once before you make judgement. The original recipe is from Bon Appétit.

As for the tomato sauce, I use an exceptional pre-made canned sauce, called Pomodorino. I has onions, carrots, and celery all chopped up and it’s super light and tasty. If you don’t have access, you can use crushed tomatoes or any prepared sauce you fancy.

Equipment

Baking sheet

Bowl

Grater or micro plane

wooden spoon

Ingredients

2 Tbsp olive oil, plus more for baking sheet 2 large eggs 1½ cups panko (Japanese breadcrumbs) ½ cup milk or water 1¼ tsp flaking sea salt 1 tsp. garlic powder

1Tbsp of chopped fresh parsley Freshly ground black pepper 1 oz. Parmesan, finely grated (about ½ cup), plus more for serving 1lb. (454 grams) ground beef (20% fat) or other ground meat Warm homemade or store-bought tomato sauce (830g) and torn basil leaves (for serving)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 425F convection oven setting.

2. Prepare your baking tray, line it with foil and cover the bottom with 2 Tbsp of olive oil.

3. In a large bowl combine with a wooden spoon, eggs, olive oil, Panko breadcrumb, grated Parmesa, milk, sea salt, pepper, garlic powder, and parsley. This will be a thick paste.

4. Add 1/3 of the ground beef, then once incorporated, add another third, then the final third.

5. Form the meat mixture into large meatballs, about 1/2 cup each. You should have about 8-9 meatballs.

6. Rolls the meatballs in the olive oil on the baking tray and arrange evenly.

7. Bake for 15 minutes, check to see if it is cooked through. The outside will be browned nicely.

8. While the meatballs are baking, you can get your pre-made sauce ready and heat in your pan.

9. Gently drop the meatballs into the heated sauce. Serve with spaghetti, or simply on their own. Garnish with freshly torn Basil.

Let me know if you make these, and feel free to tag me on Instagram @wherelizis