Meatball Recipes

Italian Meatball Recipe

Adding a bit of grated Parmesan cheese and some fresh parsley gives these meatballs an Italian flavor.

1 pound ground beef or turkey or combo
1/2 to 3/4 cup crushed plain crackers or bread crumbs
1 egg
1 clove minced garlic (optional)
1/4 to 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley if you have some
salt and pepper to taste

Mix all this up and then form into small balls with your hands. The meat mix will stick less if you wet your hands with cold water before starting to form the meat balls.

Bake at 350 until done, about 25 to 30 minutes. You can also fry them in a skillet for 10 minutes or so if you’d rather. Cut one open to make sure they’re done if in doubt.

No So Italian Meatballs

1 pound ground beef or turkey or combo
1/2 to 3/4 cup crushed plain crackers or bread crumbs
1 egg
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley if you have some
salt and pepper to taste

Mix all this up and then form into small balls with your hands. The meat mix will stick less if you wet your hands with cold water before starting to form the meat balls.

Bake at 350 until done, about 25 to 30 minutes. You can also fry them in a skillet for 10 minutes or so if you’d rather. Cut one open to make sure they’re done if in doubt.


Different Ways to Serve Meatballs

Spaghetti and Meatballs. Of course you can serve meatballs and marinara sauce over spaghetti. It's classic and it's good! If you're starting with frozen meatballs, just add them to the sauce as it cooks.

Meatballs and Sauce over Rice or Egg Noodles or Mashed Potatoes. Heat the meatballs up in a saucepan with just enough water to cover. Add a tablespoon of beef broth base or bouillon (or heat in beef broth if you have some). Simmer for half an hour. Just before simmering mix 3 Tbs of cornstarch with 1/4 cup cold water and stir in to thicken the sauce.

Meatballs with Mushroom Gravy. Follow the recipe above but add some sauteed fresh mushrooms or a can of mushroom pieces to the gravy.
Meatball Sandwich. Heat the meatballs and place in a French roll. Top with some warmed leftover spaghetti sauce and a slice of mozzarella cheese. Broil until the cheese is melted.

Barbecue Meatball Sandwich. Heat the meatballs with some barbecue sauce. Add some of those crunchy Durkee fried onions or sauteed onions if you'd like. Serve in a French roll.

Meatballs with Cream of Mushroom Soup. Heat the meatballs in a can or two of cream of mushroom soup (or make your own cream of soup). Again, serve with whatever starch you like: mashed potatoes, rice, egg noodles, etc. You can also add a packet of onion soup mix for a different flavor.

Meatballs with Mushroom Cream Sauce. Make your own cream of mushroom soup but stir in some sour cream at the end. Mix in the meatballs and pour into a baking dish and bake at 350 for 20 minutes or so (longer if the meatballs were still frozen.)

Add to Your Favorite Soup. Here's a soup with spinach and meatballs and another meatball soup that uses frozen mixed vegetables.

If you've got young kids, you can always just heat them and serve with some ketchup on the side for dipping.


From www.cheapcooking.com