I’m not very good at recipe writing because I rarely measure when I’m cooking. Who has time for all that? Who wants to do all those dishes? Who only adds 1/2 teaspoon of salt…ever?
Certainly not me.
But telling people to “add breadcrumbs until it feels right” doesn’t really work, especially if someone is making a recipe for the first time. So I’m working on writing recipes down, at least somewhat specifically, so I can share them.
This meatball recipe is one I grew up watching my mom make. I’ve always made them the way I remember from childhood…my mom just pouring ingredients into the bowl. So I asked her recently for the official recipe, so I could publish it on my blog.
The recipe she sent has a measurement in hand cups. When I tell you I laughed out loud, I actually did laugh out loud. “Hand cups” is about as helpful a measurement as “looks right”.
What’s the point of this story? It’s hard to mess these up. If I measure with my heart and my mom measures with the palm of her hand, I’m pretty sure there’s a low margin of error. So gather your ingredients, toss in seasonings like you’re Emeril Lagasse, and enjoy!
Italian Meatballs
Ingredients-
- 3 lbs of ground beef
- 1/2 c. breadcrumbs
- 2 eggs
- Granulated garlic
- Granulated onion
- Salt
- Pepper
- Italian Seasoning
Directions-
- Mix all the ingredients, using your hands or a stand mixer with paddle attachment.
- Roll into balls of desired size.
- Place them on a broiler pan so that they are not touching.
- Broil for about 8 minutes, or until they can be gently squeezed with tongs and not fall apart.
Notes-
- Meatballs are a great way to get in organ meat! There are several ways to do this; you can empty desiccated liver pills into the mixture. You can freeze liver that has been put through the food-processor in an ice cube tray and add it, defrosted. You can also freeze organ meats, cooked and whole, and grate them into food.
- These are amazing to have in the freezer! Once they are cooked, place them in a single layer on a sheet pan and freeze. Once they are frozen, place them in a plastic bag for storage.
- While these are intended to be eaten with tomato sauce and spaghetti, the flavor is very versatile. They can also be eaten with gravy, BBQ sauce, or other condiments.