Italian Style Meatballs Are Easy!

For some reason, I thought meatballs were complicated to make. I don't know why I had that impression. Maybe it's because there are quite a few ingredients that go into the little round wonders, or maybe because it's a multiple step process to make meatballs. At any rate, I discovered it's incredibly easy, and also very delicious!

Meatballs
Makes 5 servings

1.5 pounds meatloaf mixture (1/3 ground beef, 1/3 ground veal, 1/3 ground pork)
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup fresh basil, finely chopped
1/2 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
2 large cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup bread crumbs
2 eggs
Oil for frying

Combine all the ingredients! Mix with your hands to really make sure everything is well blended.



Form one inch balls with the mixture. The colder the mixture is, the easier it will be to roll the meatballs.






Heat a few tablespoons of oil in a large bottomed shallow non stick pan. A medium-high heat will be needed to brown the meatballs nicely.





Add a portion of the meatballs to the pan. It is important to not crowd the pan. Brown them on each side for a couple of minutes, or until they have a nice golden brown color. If you plan on putting the meatballs into a sauce, there is no need to cook them all the way through; a few minutes simmering in their sauce will complete their cooking. If you plan on eating them without immersing them in sauce, once they are browned, turn down the heat to low and cook for a further five minutes, making sure to turn them so that they do not get burned.



I placed my meatballs in my simple tomato sauce recipe, and simmered them for about 5 minutes before serving over pasta. Definitely an all time favorite with Americans I think!