Also-Not-Italian Meatballs

These go with the Marinara recipe. You can also use them for meatball hoagies, or whatever. I mean, they’re meatballs, they’re delicious. You’ll figure it out.

I hate it when places have these gigantic meatballs that you have to slice up like it’s some kind of meatloaf or whatever. The only place that ever pulled that off was Quizno’s, before they changed their recipes, which was forever ago, so whatever. Big meatballs, like they serve at Goodcents, is just the wrong way to do it. You also don’t want tiny little marbles, like you get in Italian soup sometimes.

I prefer to roll them big enough that you can cut them in half, if you want, or eat them in a single bite, as you may prefer. Depends on how big your mouth is, I guess.

Also-Not-Italian Meatballs

Meatballs, delicious, and not Italian
Prep Time 2 hours
Cook Time 2 hours
Course Main Course
Cuisine American, Italian

Equipment

  • 1 baking pan
  • 1 large mixing bowl
  • 1 tongs

Ingredients
  

  • 2-3 eggs
  • olive oil
  • 1/4 c Parmesan cheese
  • balsamic vinegar
  • 1 c breadcrumbs
  • 1/2 bulb garlic
  • 1 Roma tomato
  • 1/2 Vidalia onion or sweet, yellow, or white
  • salt
  • black pepper
  • dried basil
  • oregano
  • fennel
  • parsley
  • thyme
  • savory
  • 1 lb hot italian sausage
  • 1 lb 85% ground beef

Instructions
 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

    Prepare meatball mixture.

    • Add eggs, parmesan, bread crumbs, olive oil, and balsamic to mixing bowl.
    • Chop tomato and add to bowl.
    • Mince garlic and add to bowl.
    • Sliver onion and add to bowl.
    • Add spices to bowl.
    • Add raw meats to the bowl.
    • Mix with hands as little as possible to incorporate egg+breadcrumb+etc mix with meat.

    Form meatballs.

    • Roll meatballs into approx. 1 inch diameter. Just big enough you need to cut them in half to eat.
    • Place meatballs in rows in the baking pan.
    • Continue until entire mixture is rolled into balls.

    Bake meatballs until they start to brown.

    • Place meatballs into preheated oven.
    • Bake approx. 20 minutes, or until the tops begin to brown.
    • After 20 mins or so, remove from oven.
    • Use tongs to flip meatballs.
    • Return to oven for another 20 mins or so, until browned.

    When browned on both sides, meatballs are finished.

    • Remove from oven and let cool, or serve immediately.
    • Serve as desired – over pasta, in pasta sauce, as meatball hoagies, etc.

    Notes

    There’s no amounts given for spices, but most won’t need much, especially if you’re using a spiced italian sausage as your base. 
    For most spices, 1/2 tsp or so is about right.