There’s something satisfying about good old spaghetti and meatballs. It’s a kind of homage to childhood when meatballs came with canned spaghetti (eww sorry, my parents aren’t Italian). For some reason kids seem to like eating ball-shaped ground beef, and I certainly didn’t complain even if it did require a can opener. Gone are those days of the gross, preservative-laden questionable (presumably beef) ball from a can! Meatballs are so easy to make and the variation of how to make them is endless. I’m sure everyone has their own family recipe; here I share with you how I make mine.

I usually add these to my Basic Red Sauce for about 20-30 minutes to finish them off after browning, then heap in some spaghetti for an improved version of a childhood classic. No preservatives needed – these don’t last too long in my house. My husband usually starts “sampling” them before they even make it into the sauce.

I make my meatballs about golf-ball size which means about 5-6 balls a portion is plenty – but your balls, your call!

Italian Meatballs

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Course: Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: meatball
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Servings: 6 (makes about 30 golf-sized balls)
Calories: 478kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1 pound ground pork
  • 3/4 cup bread crumb
  • 1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
  • 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/2 tbsp garlic powder
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tbsp pepper
  • Italian seasonings, optional
  • chopped parsley, optional

How I Make It

  • Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. User your hands and pretend you're back in grade school.
  • Form into balls. An ice-cream scooper helps with consistent portioning. l like golf-ball sized ones - but your balls, your call!
  • Heat up some oil in a pan and brown the balls on all sides (Ok, most sides; kind of hard to brown every side of a circle). Whether they need to be cooked through at this stage depends on if you plan to incorporate them into a sauce or something else. I usually make these and throw them into the last 20-30 minutes of the Basic Red Sauce for a classic spaghetti and meatballs.

Nutrition

Calories: 478kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 33g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 163mg | Sodium: 657mg | Potassium: 547mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 79IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 68mg | Iron: 3mg

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