These meatballs are such a hit with family and friends, no one asks me to make them anything else.- And if you were to ask my husband what his favorite recipe of mine was, he would say my meatballs. So, if there is any recipe of mine you should try, I would say it has to be this one. It’s comfort food to the max. I love throwing some meatballs onto a plate of spaghetti and finishing it off with some parmesan cheese.. oh my goodness. I make this recipe year around, but I especially love it in the fall and winter time.

My favorite thing about this recipe is the options it has in making and cooking these meatballs. I will tell you my preferred way of making these meatballs, but there are other options to try out if you’d like.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs Ground Beef, 1/3 cup Milk, 1 Egg, 1/3 Cup Parmesan Cheese, 1/2 Cup Bread Crumbs, 1/4 Cup Fresh Parsley, 1/3 Cup Minced Yellow Onion, 2 Teaspoons Minced Garlic, 1 Teaspoon Salt, 1/4 Teaspoon Pepper, 1/2 Cup Olive Oil, 24 Ounces of Homemade Marinara Sauce or Jar Marinara

How to Make:

First, combine all the ingredients in a glass bowl. You will need ground beef, minced onion, minced garlic, breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, fresh parsley, egg, milk, salt and pepper.

Next, with your hands, gently combine all the ingredients.

Set up two sheet pans with parchment paper. Form your meatballs, creating around 12-15 meatballs, depending on how big you decide to form them.

To bake: Now from here you can either preheat your oven to 400 degrees and throw them in the oven for 10-12 minutes until browned, turning the meatballs over halfway through to brown all sides.

To fry: Or you can get your cast iron skillet ready to start frying!

Fill up your cast iron skillet with about a half cup of olive oil over medium heat. When you see that the skillet is smoking, place 6 meatballs on the skillet using kitchen tongs. Check them after 2 minutes by turning them using the tongs. Once browned, rotate them to the other sides until all browned.

While the meatballs are cooking, throw out the parchment paper and replace the cookie sheets with paper towels. Once meatballs are done cooking, place meatballs on paper towels to let cool down and grease to drain. Then place them in either a crockpot or regular pot on the stove.

Next, you can either throw on a store bought jar of marinara sauce or homemade marinara sauce on top of the meatballs.

If cooking in the crockpot, turn it on high for 3 hours or low for 5 hours.

If cooking on the stovetop, have the sauce come to a low simmer over medium heat, then turn it to low and cover loosely with a lid for 1 to 2 hours.

Place the meatballs and a good amount of marinara sauce over freshly cooked spaghetti, and voila!

Tips:

Don’t overwork your meat! I like to gently mix using my hands so I can mix it evenly without working it too much.

Use a ground beef that has a good percentage of fat. I use an 80/20 meat, 80% lean and 20% fat. The fat is what gives the meatballs all the amazing flavor. I am a big believer in believer in buying ethically sourced meat, so I go out of my way to buy meat that is is 100% grass fed, organic and free from antibiotics and added hormones. This is not only better for our health, but it is better for the environment and animals.

Browning the meatballs on all sides! Sometimes it can be hard to get every single side, but doing your best to flip them so most sides can cook on the heat. Or, if you’re oven baking your meatballs, making sure to turn them halfway through.