Meatballs

     I have made meatballs from scratch a number of times but they never come out the way I want them to. Last night however I think I got on the right track. Many of the recipes I find call for eggs and bread crumbs but with those you are making meatloaf. Yes meatloaf and meatballs are kind of the same thing but not quite. I decided to wing it and just start adding ingredients into the bowl. Here is the recipe for those of you who would like to try it:

1 lb. Ground Beef 80/20

¼ cup Bread Crumbs

3 tbs. Parmesan Cheese

¼ tsp. Garlic Salt

¼ tsp. Onion Powder

¼ tsp. Parsley Flakes

¼ tsp. Crushed Red Pepper

     I was able to get 11, one inch meatballs with the ingredients above. While I got the water coming to a boil, I put about 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large pan on medium high heat. Once the oil started to spread across the pan I added the meatballs. Only cook the meatballs enough to give the edges a bit if a crunch. Do not over cook them because you will let them simmer in sauce for about 15 minutes. This second round of cooking will get them cooked all the way through. I decided to add a whole jar of Wegmans Classics brand portabella mushroom sauce to the meatballs. Let the sauce and meatballs simmer until your pasta is done. I had a box of ziti in the pantry so I went with that instead of spaghetti like I had planned.

     The meatballs definitely had a kick to them, which I liked, but I agreed they were a bit on the spicy side like Christine said. They were cooked pretty close to where I wanted them but I think I left them in the pan too long during the first step. Next time I will have to make them bigger so I can get the crunch on the outside without cooking them all the way through. As for the spices, I think they need a little adjusting but these are definitely worth making a second time.

Rating: Yummy - A work in progress that will get better