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“Vive bene, spesso l’amore, di risata molto”
(Live well, love much, laugh often)
To me, the best tasting meatballs are baked not fried. Baking meatballs instead of frying, not only reduces the amount of fat, but also produces softer-textured meatballs. Frying tends to dry out meatballs and creates more of a mess in the kitchen. I have such a dislike for splattered grease on my stove top, in addition to everywhere else it tends to gravitate towards. Many times, I have found splattered grease on the cabinets, countertops, and even the microwave. Yep – I hate frying!
For years I have used an ice-cream scoop to form meatballs; it saves time and ensures uniform size. I just round them off slightly by hand. For a complete meal or appetizer, heat meatballs in a marinara sauce, such as my slow cooker marinara sauce. And we all know that adding pasta will make for a great spaghetti and meatballs dinner. Which happens to be my favorite all-time dinner.
Leftovers make great tasting meatball sandwiches. Just heat up the meatballs, place between a toasted French roll and top with shredded mozzarella cheese. Yum!
baked italian meatballs
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 60 minutes
- Yield: 24 meatballs 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 1 pound grass-fed ground beef
- 1 pound lean ground pork
- 1–1/2 cups dry bread crumbs plus 3 tablespoons water
- 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1/4 cup percorino or Parmesan cheese
- 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a large mixing bowl, add bread crumbs plus 3 tablespoons water. Add meat, eggs, cheese, garlic, parsley, salt, and pepper. Kneead until well blended. Make balls about the size of a large egg, or use an ice cream scoop (perfectly sized meatballs every time), and roll in the palm of your hands until they are firm and fully rounded. Best if you use a little water on your hands too.
- Put meatballs on baking sheet covered with parchment paper, or lightly oiled. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until no pink remains in center.
- Serve with slow cooker marinara sauce.
Notes
The equipment section above contains affiliate links to products I use and love!
Dori | Malibu Kitchen Blog says
Besides ice cream, there are so many uses for an ice-cream scoop, such as these baked Italian meatballs. What are some creative ways that you use your ice-cream scoop for?