Weeknight Meatballs

Posted on

Lepp Farm Market has a great recipe for meatballs that can be start of some wonderful meals.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yield: 22 to 24 small (about 1.5-inch or 1.5 tablespoon) meatballs.

To ensure the meatballs are all an equal size, first portion them out using a small ice-cream scoop and then roll them.

Don’t let the photo fool you, these meatballs can be used for a lot more than just spaghetti & meatballs (although, that’s a very good option!). You can also use this recipe as a starting point for Asian inspired Sweet & Sour Meatballs – but in that case, you can hold the parmesan cheese and supplement the milk with coconut milk.

 

Ingredients

  • 1 pound Lepp’s ground beef (You can use a mix of beef and pork)
  • 2/3 cup fresh bread crumbs or 1/2 cup panko
  • 1/3 cup milk or water
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
  • 2 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan or Romano cheese (optional)
  • 1 teaspoon coarse or kosher salt
  • A pinch of red pepper flakes or few grinds of black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 garlic clove, minced

 

Method

  • Place meat, crumbs, milk or water, parsley, cheese (if using), 1 teaspoon salt, pepper, onion powder, eggs and minced garlic in a large bowl. Mix all of this together with a fork, which does a good job of breaking up the eggs and chunks of meat or use your hands. Form mixture into 1 1/2 to 2-inch meatballs, and arrange on a plate. Set in fridge for 30 minutes, which helps them hold their shape.
  • To help form meatballs into a smooth ball, lightly oil your hands, adding another drop or two half-way, or rinse them in between a few times with cold water.
  • If you’re planning to use these in a marinara sauce for spaghetti, or an open meatball sandwich on garlic bread, then there’s no need to bake them – they’ll cook right in the sauce. Go ahead and skip over to this recipe now.
  • Place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.

Thanks Lepp Farm Market for sharing!

For more great recipes from Lepp: http://www.leppfarmmarket.com/our-recipes/weeknight-meatballs-2/