Recipes

[qualitygal]

I usually buy frozen to use in my spaghetti.

However, others use pasta and different sauces.

How do you do yours? Or do you buy them frozen?

Please share.

[momtochloe]

I personally have given up on making them.  Since I cook just for me, I try and cut recipes in half and somehow in the translation I lose something and they just do not come out very well.

Trader Joe's makes a great meatball (both regular and turkey) and I buy those when I am in the mood for spaghetti and meatballs.

[IamMrsG]

Here is the version I make.  Leftovers are used for making meatball hoagies.

Meatballs

2 eggs
½ cup milk
Equivalent of 3 slices of white bread, crumbled (can use sandwich buns, etc.)
2 pounds ground chuck
½ cup onion, chopped
2 Tablespoons parsley, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon fennel seed, crushed 
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper

Preheat oven to 450º.

Mix eggs, milk and crumbled bread well enough to thoroughly moisten the bread. Set aside as you chop the onion, parsley and garlic. Add these to the bread mixture. Add the fennel, salt and pepper. Mix well to combine.

Add the ground chuck and mix quickly. Do not overwork the beef.

Using a scoop, measure out equal size portions, quickly and gently roll each apportionment into a ball, placing onto a Pam sprayed jelly roll pan as you proceed.

Bake at 450º for 15 minutes, and begin the sauce. After 15 minutes, remove jelly roll pan from the oven, and turn over each meatball. Return to oven for another 15 minutes and move on to making the sauce.

After 30 minutes, total, add meatballs to the waiting sauce. Stir gently, until each meatball is covered with the spaghetti sauce. Cover the pot and turn off the heat.   Allow to cool enough to refrigerate overnight.

[Reba055]

I don't use meatballs, I just brown and drain my ground chuck or sirloin. I do use a good jarred sauce then add a can of petite diced tomatoes(the basil, oregano, olive oil ones)  and about a half of pack to a pack of the dried spaghetti seasoning mix and enough water to make the right consistency. Of course salt and pepper and usually sliced mushrooms that I've already sautéed. It turns out really good and is easy peezy. I don't use onions or other veggies because most everyone doesn't like them. Then simmer, simmer, simmer. 

[conlt]

My grandmother was Italian and famous in our family for the best meatballs in the world. I try and follow her techniques and I make pretty good meatballs. They are quite easy. I fry them in olive oil and garlic. In my family we would put some in the sauce (homemade of course) after they are fried, so we have fried or in the sauce. We never buy meatballs, I think we were spoiled. All of us rate an Italian resturant on the meatballs alone. LOL

[IamMrsG]

@Reba055

Another good alternative to meatballs is Italian sausage, bulk or link.  If links are used, you can slice them into a smaller, coin, sizes.

[Snowpuppy]

I asked for help from some of the Italian women here who made them. They gave me the best advice!

Use cheap cuts of ground beef. I was using sirloin and they turned out like hockey pucks. Handle very little, like a pastry crust they can get tough from over handling.

I tried a couple of bagged versions. They were all pretty meh.

[spix]

I use 3 eggs to 1 lb meat (1/2 beef-1/2pork) lots of parsley, a little bread crumbs, lots of romano grated, garlic, sauteed onion (diced), oregano, s & p, 2-3 Tbsps ricotta cheese, mix well, saute in olive oil, add to sauce close to end of cook time, can freeze & save for another time.  I also keep a handful to brown (broken up) & add to sauce.  It's the way my Italian relatives made theirs, I also add pork neck bones to the sauce (browned & seasoned)

Well worth the time

[KentuckyWoman]

I use to make my own but there are so many great tasting varieties of frozen meatballs in the grocery store I just don't bother anymore.  I also use La Rosa's jarred pasta sauce and add some extra seasonings.  Sometimes in the fall or winter I will make my own spaghetti sauce but I never make meatballs anymore. 

[Iwantcoffee]

I buy frozen. I can make a pretty good meatloaf but my meatballs are not good.