Easy Meatballs

The other night I asked Dana what she would like for dinner and she immediately said, “Spaghetti and Meatballs”. Easy, however, Dana is Italian and I did not want to offend her. So I asked if she had a recipe. She said, “meat, egg, bread crumbs and spices”. That left just a little bit to the imagination, so I winged it. They ended up being some perfect meatballs.  Quick and easy to make.  Plus, they were delicious and had the perfect texture.

Easy Meatballs

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 cup Italian bread crumbs
• 1 tbs dried parsley
• 3 tbs grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 tbs water
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• pinch kosher salt

In a large bowl, mix together all of the ingredients but the beef.  Make sure to mix everything together.

Then add the beef.  My suggestion is to mix this by hand.  I had a few pairs of rubber gloves lying around from barbecuing.  They made cleanup a snap.  I would recommend buying some powder-free latex gloves.

Once mixed, form the mixture into meatballs.  I would use about 1-2 tbs of meat to form each ball.  Using your hand roll each one into a perfectly formed ball and set aside.  A cookie scoop is a great way to portion the meat so that all of your meatballs are the same.

In a large sauce pan simmer your favorite sauce.  Try my super quick marinara if you need a recipe.

In a large pan add 2-3 tbs of olive oil and bring to medium/medium-high heat.  Once hot, add a few meatballs at a time and cook until browned all the way around.

When cooked, lift the meatball to drain and then add to the simmering pasta sauce.

Once all of the meatballs have been browned, let them cook in the simmering sauce for 20-30 minutes. They will absorb the great marinara flavor.

Serve over fresh spaghetti or your favorite pasta.

The meatballs were delicious and had the perfect texture.  Not a bad meatball.