Our Favorite Meatball Recipe

I often buy frozen  meatballs just for the convenience of them but we have never really fallen on any that we LOVE.

I have tried making meatballs in the past and while they always turned out tasting really well I had a hard time getting the meatballs to stay together when I left them simmering in a pot of sauce for the day.

I finally decided to tweak the recipe I had found years ago in my Cooks Country book and make it my own... the results?  Well, we just loved these tasty meatballs and they held their shape so well!  They are our new family favorite and they make enough that I can freeze some for a second batch another day.




Ingredients:

3 cups breadcrumbs
3/4 cup whole milk
1 cup Parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp dried parsley
1 Tbsp dried oregano
1/4 cup dried onion flakes
1 tsp. minced garlic
2 eggs
3 lbs ground beef

First I combined the breadcrumbs, milk, Parmesan cheese, parsley, oregano, onion flakes and garlic together in a large bowl.



Then I added in the ground beef and eggs and mixed until well combined.


Using our cupcake scoop I scooped up the meatballs making sure to press the scoop against the sides of the bowl so the meatballs were nice and tightly packed together. I put them on parchment lined baking sheets making sure to leave just a bit of room between each meatball.




I baked them for 20 minutes on 475.  I wasn't all that concerned as to whether they baked all the way through as I knew I'd be simmering them in a crock pot full of sauce for an 8 hour day but I wanted to make sure they were nice and browned on the outside.  I like my meatballs to have just a bit of a crust on the outside.



We put a dozen or so of the meatballs into the crock pot and added jars of spaghetti sauce to them.  I set the crock pot on low and let them simmer all day.  The meatball juices mix with the sauce and it makes jarred sauce taste amazing.

We served them with spaghetti and salad but honestly, they'd make a great meal all by themselves!




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Comments

  1. Sheltie TimesMarch 25, 2018 at 8:34 AM

    I have an old Betty Crocker recipe I love doesn't sound that far off from yours. Never had trouble with them breAking in crock pot but what I've found is the ingredients and meat have to be really well mixed so they stick together. I split the baking time flipping them mid bake. Do to the unpleasant mixing I make a big batch at Christmas and on special occasions.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mother of 3March 25, 2018 at 11:46 AM

      These stayed together great! The "real" recipe I typically follow calls for lots of fried onion and I found that the chunks of oily onion made it hard for the meat to stick together. I finally decided to swap the fresh onions for the flakes like I do in meatloaf; and these were perfect. I love that they make so many so that I don't have to make them very often.

      Delete
  2. Dara @ Not In JerseyMarch 26, 2018 at 9:08 AM

    Very smart to use the cupcake scoop!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mother of 3March 26, 2018 at 4:15 PM

      Thanks! I think it was actually my husband's idea since I really don't like to touch raw meat.

      Delete
  3. Julie's Creative LifestyleMarch 26, 2018 at 10:17 AM

    Your meatballs look so good. Thanks for sharing at our cooking and crafting with j & j.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Claire justineMarch 26, 2018 at 2:34 PM

    I love meatballs. These look tasty :) Thanks for sharing at Creative Mondays.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mother of 3March 26, 2018 at 4:16 PM

      They were! As we were eating that night I was asked if there were leftovers and if we could have meatball grinders for supper one night soon.

      Delete
  5. AnonymousMarch 28, 2018 at 12:54 PM

    Visiting from The Blended Blog. I've never added milk to my meatballs before but heard they help keep them nice and moist and help the breadcrumbs bind. Would like to give these a try! Just double-checking: is 2/4 cup whole milk correct? (So, 1/2 cup?)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mother of 3March 28, 2018 at 3:42 PM

      Oh I am so glad you caught that! It was a type and I meant 3/4 cup! I will fix that right now.

      Delete
  6. • olive.and.plaid •April 4, 2018 at 6:49 PM

    I'll be giving these a try! I've got like 20 quarts of homemade spaghetti sauce that these would be a nice addition to have on hand.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mother of 3April 5, 2018 at 6:19 AM

      Ooooh! Homemade spaghetti sauce with homemade meatballs-- yum!

      Delete
  7. Miz HelenJanuary 15, 2019 at 3:57 PM

    This looks like a great Meatball recipe, we will really enjoy it! Hope you are having a great week and thanks so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday!
    Miz Helen

    ReplyDelete

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