Meatballs
Ground beef and pork come together to make a simple meatball that can be served with marinara sauce, baked in a meatball casserole, or tossed with some bbq sauce in a crock pot for a game day appetizer. They can be baked directly from the freezer, so I often make a double batch to enjoy both now and later. This is a guesstimate recipe, meaning, if it looks like it needs more breadcrumbs, or another egg to come together, add it.
Ingredients
- 1 pound 85% lean ground beef
- 1 pound ground pork, or 1/2 pound ground pork and 1/2 pound Italian bulk sausage
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs, panko, Italian seasoned, or any dried
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup finely diced onion
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 tsp oregano
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
Instructions
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Add all ingredients to a large mixing bowl. Mix with your hands just until combined–do not over mix.
- Using your hands, gently form into balls. For traditional spaghetti and meatball size, make them about 2 inches in diameter. For an appetizer, make them slightly smaller.
- Transfer to baking sheet. If using right away, chill in refrigerator for 20 minutes before baking. If freezing for later, place baking sheet in freezer for 30-45 minutes until solid. Transfer frozen balls to ziploc bag,
- Bake in a 400 degree oven for about 12-15 minutes if thawed, 15-20 minutes if baking from frozen.
Notes
- I keep a bag of meatballs in the freezer for quick weeknight meals. Since they’re frozen individually, you can easily grab how many you need.
- You can brown these on the stove top, but I’ve found that baking them is far simpler and they taste great.