Spaghetti & Meatballs: Homemade From the Heart
Yumdiddlicious Spaghetti & Meatballs
"Yumdiddlicious" Spaghetti & Meatballs
Spaghetti and Meatballs...now there's a classic meal! Instead of buying "pre-made" meatballs, which usually have a lot of nasty additives, make these at home yourself. This is a fast recipe: You can make them in less than 10 minutes.
This recipe calls for baking or roasting the meatballs in the oven instead of frying them. This cuts out a lot of unnecessary fat. Try them and you'll love them!
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1/4 cup onion, finely minced
- 1 clove garlic, finely minced
- 1/4-1/2 cup grated parmesan
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- Salt and pepper to your taste
- 1/4 cup bread crumbs (any kind), optional
- Cooking oil spray, (olive oil, canola oil, etc.), as needed
- Assemble all ingredients and kitchen tools. Recommended equipment: chef's knife, cutting board, large mixing bowl, small bowls (to hold ingredients), fork or whisk, kitchen tongs, wooden spoon, measuring cups & spoons, large sheet pan with wire rack or 2-piece broiler pan (the one that usually comes with an oven), food safe gloves (optional), stand mixer (optional).
- Set oven to 350 degrees. Chop vegetables and beat egg. Place ground beef in mixing bowl. Break the meat up with the wooden spoon. Add onions, garlic, herbs, s&p, Parmesan Cheese & bread crumbs (if you're using them).
- Wash hands vigorously and clean under your fingernails, then slip into food-safe gloves (if you're using them). Using your hands, mix ground beef and other ingredients well. Add egg, mix well. (Alternatively, you can mix the ingredients in a stand mixer, if you have one, using the paddle attachment.) You can use a spoon to mix but your ingredients won't be well-incorporated if you do.
- Place wire rack on sheet pan (or assemble broiler pan). Coat with cooking oil spray. Form meatballs with ground beef mixture--(1"-1 1/2" in diameter). You will be able to make about a dozen large meatballs or two dozen small ones with your ground beef mixture.
- Place meatballs onto wire rack/broiler pan, about 1"-1 1/2" apart. Place pan in oven and bake for 30-45 minutes, until meatballs are nice, brown and cooked through. You can flip them once with your kitchen tongs about halfway through cooking if desired. Don't "over bake" or your meatballs will be too dry.
- Enjoy dem yummy meatballs with your favorite pasta sauce and spaghetti, or use to make a meatball sub! Mmmmm!!!
Additional Tips for this Recipe
The roasting meatballs are going to splatter in your oven and cause some smoking in your kitchen. Use the vent above your stove if you have one.
You can roast the meatballs at a higher temperature...say 400 degrees. They'll get done faster-- but do keep an eye on them if you decide to do so.
If you want to add the meatballs to your pasta sauce, please feel free to do so. I usually serve mine separately, unless I'm taking them to a potluck.
You can make these meatballs and freeze for later use if you like. They survive well in the freezer, as long as you don't leave them in there for 20 years, ha ha! Just throw them in the oven when you're ready to start supper (or defrost a bit in a microwave first). You'll have to adjust your cooking time accordingly.
I usually use ground beef that's 96/4 (with a 4 percent fat content). If you use this version of ground beef, it might be a good idea to shoot the meatballs with a little cooking oil spray before you toss them into the oven.
If your meatballs aren't holding together, add a little more moisture to the mixture. A small amount of water is fine to use.
