Meatballs

I love a good meatball but have never been very good at them, they wouldn't hold together. I just gave up on the whole idea. Then somebody said to me "Why don't you bake them? End of problem". Yes, true, but I had lost interest by that point.

Last week a found a baked meatball recipe on Facebook. I'm going to post it in its entirely and add a few thoughts. You'll see my comments in red.

This Italian Spaghetti and Meatball Recipe is a little bit of work and takes some time. Makes me wonder how fast people expect it to be. Yes, creating little balls takes about ten minutes, but sheesh....It was well worth it. Yes, it is. My Family just loved it. I think we have Spaghetti at my House for dinner at least once a week. This recipe is just great. Because there is a lot of baking it takes a little more time. No longer than lasagne, or a pie, or a gazillion other things. You will love it! Well, we did.

Ingredients for Meatballs

1 lb ground beef

1 lb ground pork

2 Large eggs, slightly beaten

 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese We were out of parmesan so we used cheddar. Will do so again.

1/3 cup Italian breadcrumbs

1-2 tablespoon fresh minced garlic or Garlic Powder to taste We used pre-grated in oil in a jar.

1 teaspoon salt We halved this. Most recipes are too damn salty.

1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

1/3 cup milk

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano We used a mixed "Italian Seasoning" for a more rounded herb flavour.

2 Tablespoons dried parsley

Directions for Meatballs

1. Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl.

2.Shape into small to medium size meatballs, place them on a baking sheet.

3. Bake at 350F for 25 minutes or until fully cooked. They were perfect at exactly 25 minutes, wow.

While the Meatballs are baking prepare the Spaghetti Casserole Dish

We didn't bother with this step, just served buttered spaghetti, tossed the meatballs in heated sauce and poured over. But I provide this if you want to bake it. Handy if you have leftover pasta.

Ingredients for Spaghetti Casserole  1　(16　ounce)　package thin spaghetti

3　tablespoons oil

3　cups shredded　mozzarella cheese, divided

1　cup grated　parmesan cheese

3　large eggs, slightly beaten

1　teaspoon salt　(or to taste)

black pepper　(to taste)

2　(28　ounce)　jars spaghetti sauce　(or use your own favorite sauce)

parmesan cheese　

1. Boil the spaghetti in a large pot of boiling water until just al dente; drain then place into a large bowl.

2. Toss the spaghetti with 3 tablespoons oil; cool slightly, then add in eggs, 1-1/2 cups Mozzarella Cheese, 1 cup Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper; using clean hands toss until thoroughly combined (you can use a spoon but hands are better!

3. Place the spaghetti into prepared baking dish, then press down slightly with hands.

4. Scatter the cooked meatballs over the spaghetti.

5. Top with spaghetti sauce over the top making certain to cover the pasta completely.

6. Cover with foil and bake 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

7. Remove from oven then sprinkle about 1-1/2 cups Mozzarella Cheese (or amount desired) over the top, then return to oven uncovered for 3-5 minutes or until the cheese has melted.

Enjoy

Tom actually made this without any supervision, so when I say we I mean he:)

These are very good meatballs, and could probably be made even better. Fresh herbs, for example, especially fresh basil, would lift this up a notch. Using cheddar instead of parmesan worked extremely well. I will make them with parmesan, but will also happily do them again with cheddar.