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Cooking Notes
Deb
I have adapted the Alton Brown way of baking them. Roll in fine bread crumbs, place in greased muffin tin. Forms a nice crust keeping plump and moist.
Peter
Saturate the panko (or other) breadcrumbs in milk to avoid having them dry out the meatballs, build depth, and also help bind.
Rob galiardo
Ok here are some secrets to great meatballs. One, add 1 tablespoon of ricotta cheese per pound of meat. Two, mix ground veal, pork, and beef. And lastly, do not bake, fry, sauté or broil. Roll up the meatballs and allow to cook in a simmering sauce. These meat balls will be melt in your mouth soft and I guarantee the best meatballs you've ever eaten.. The author is correct on ratio.. One egg and half cup breadcrumbs per pound of meat. and 1/4 cups grated Romano. Enjoy!
Justician
I bake my meatballs, using a rack to keep them from getting greasy from melted fat. They brown all over, especially if you use a relatively high temperature--400 degrees or so. Cook your vegies before adding them to the meat mix, unless you like them crunchy. My favorite is a mix of onions and fennel. Timing depends on how big you like your meatballs and how hot your oven is.
Maureen
Baked at 425° about 10 minutes.
Ross
When using ground turkey or chicken breast I will add olive oil to the mix to up the fat content with a healthier fat. The extra fat helps captures the flavor of the spices. The other option with poultry is to use thighs that have a higher fat content to begin with.
Rita
To make the meatballs more evenly sized, I pat the meat into a rectangle and cut into even sized squares. Then roll into balls. You could also use a smallish ice cream scoop, but that involves washing it, which is devilishly difficult to do with all the moving parts.
Mara
For Gluten Free: Polenta/Chickpea Flour or a combination; works very well.
Also, try a Thai twist: add finely chopped fresh Thai/Italian Basil, Cilantro, fresh Chilies, fish sauce, bit of brown sugar. Tastes fantastic! I pop them in a Red Curry with Coconut Milk, served with Steamed (Brown) Basmati Rice or Wasabi Mashed Potatoes: Yumm!
Ccarter830
Americas Test Kitchen uses potato flakes in place of bread crumbs and it works well.
Aviva
I used oatmeal instead of breadcrumbs.
LH
Another thought to add:
I've been making meatballs in the oven for decades as described below – – I'd never go back to frying them.
Baking them at 375° on convection is FAR superior to broiling them. If you have a convection feature, definitely use it for baking/browning meatballs. Broiling meatballs can go wrong in a couple of minutes if you're not careful. It can also result in a charred exterior combined with a semi-raw interior. Convection baking is easy and foolproof.
Ritch
With the black pepper, garlic and parsley options, exactly as I have made them for years, though I add 1/4 to 1/3 cup of finely grated Pecorino Romano, and can't recall when I didn't double the recipe.....the best.
Mica
Baked at 425ºF for ~10 minutes.
Peter
Uncooked and then frozen, they will stick to each other and get misshapen. Cooked and frozen, they will keep their shape, and unstick from each other more easily, and besides, they'll be so easy to use on a weeknight. I am using the micro less and less, so I heat them in a pan with just enough water to steam them a little bit.
Roz
I use panko in my turkey meatballs; it is lighter in texture than regular crumbs. Because turkey doesn't have a lot of taste I add a bit of chipotle ketchup and a few drops of Worcestershire sauce to kick it up, along with minced onion.
venison adm
And 1 small yellow onion diced. Uncooked for nice crunchy texture
sharon
Bake 425 convection 7 minutes and turn for 5-7 minutes
Karen
Adding a little milk to the crumbs made them more moist, as Peter suggested 6 years ago.
Myra
I made these with Impossible plant-based meat and Just Egg. I think broiling works better than baking for Impossible - delicious and my guests didn't know they were plant-based until I said something. No slaughterhouse, no cholesterol, and a fraction of GHG emissions compared with cow or other mammal meat; awesome.
dimac
ground turkeyGround oats 1/2 cAlmond milk-1/3c?Parmesan Kraft 1/2 cupSpicesGood! Very tender maybe a little less oats and turkey
Carole
Really easy, fast and delicious. Panko and milk is key! I turn baking sheet and meatballs 1/2 through cooking time for more even browning and distribution. Learned better to undercook a little than to overcook-- can always cook more (and when reheated may cook more), but once overcooked...well, smother it in a yummy sauce. Great recipe, ENJOY!
Rebecca Brindza
Used two onions and gf bread crumbs, baked in oven and turned out great!
lg
I made it with half beef and half pork. They were great.
Hoda
Cooked on 1/20/24. I’m late to this party. The ricotta was dated, so I subbed milk. The balls were roasted in the convection oven . Addd cumin, garam masala, garlic, s and p, scallion. It tasted like the Kona from home.
Lena
Could you sub tofu?
Amy
I sub impossible burger for my vegetarian wife- works perfectly! I wouldn't try tofu, not a similar texture
Beth
These were so delicious. I made beef meatballs and used cumin and fresh basil. Since I eat GF, I put flaked oats in the food processor and ground them smaller and used them instead of breadcrumbs. They turned out great!
Lee Norris
Suggestions to drop uncooked meatballs into a sauce you are cooking work only if this is the only purpose for the meatballs. When I make meatballs I make a lot and freeze them for future meals. That means baking them (some people fry, but that's way too much work and fat), spreading them out on a baking tray, freezing, then bagging them for longer-term storage.Why would you want to do all the work of making these little balls only to plop them into a sauce meant for one or two meals?
L
Cook at 400 for about 15 minutes. Using rack.Use 1/4 cup parm.Make two pasta dishes to accompany:1. vodka sauce with big macaroni we already have2. marinara rigatoni with cheese and spinach
Tom D
Seared in a pan on medium heat until crispy. Flipped and seared the other side. Then finished in the oven at 375 for several minutes until cooked through.
natalie
Best meatballs I’ve ever made
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