Awesome Italian meatballs from ground beef?

March 10, 2015 12:27 AM

Have you got a recipe for awesome Italian meatballs from ground beef?

Re: Italian meatball recipes

I saw the other answers and I don't get it. Turkey? NO! Pork and beef? What, have I got all weekend to make these? NO! Fried in a skillet? NO! I want baked ones. And I want them huge. I would go with 3 inch diameter meatballs, but those would be hard to microwave evenly. I can't stand the tasteless little 1 inch diameter crap that is sold in the freezer section at my grocery store. I bought a bag of each brand, and they all sucked. Into the garbage with them.

I've settled on using an old ice cream scoop for moderate sized meatballs.

And I don't care about sauce. Sure, you need a little sauce, but you don't need to drench awesome tasting meatballs in trash sauce to make it all a worthless mess just so you can say you had plenty of sauce.

Basically, I want to buy the ingredients and bake a huge batch which I can freeze and then heat up in a microwave over the next couple of weeks to make awesome Italian meatball sandwiches in awesome fresh rolls of Italian bread.

And, I know I sound picky, but could I get specific ingredients? I mean, I've seen ingredients listed like "Italian seasoning." WTF is that? I could probably find a packet labelled with that in the aisle with the spices, but how do I know if it's the right stuff? Italy has an extremely varied selection of ideal food tastes, right?

Very sorry if I sound angry, demanding or impatient, it's merely a result of my needing a wonderfully tasting and substantial Italian meatball sandwich (or maybe two or three).

Many thanks to all who reply!

INNH

PS - I'm sure it's obvious, but I'm really new to this cooking stuff.

posted by InsertNiftyNameHere to Food & Drink (25 answers total)

I mean, I've seen ingredients listed like "Italian seasoning." WTF is that?

Crushed fennel seeds and dried oregano, mostly, but you can add other things to make sausage taste good, like parsley and rosemary. If you were adding pork in equal quantities (which is easy to do), you might also use sage, sparingly.
posted by a lungful of dragon at 12:36 AM on March 10, 2015 [1 favorite]

I am part Italian, grew up on Long Island with access to GREAT Italian-American food, lived on Mulberry Street (Little Italy in NYC) and then became a Chef -- I share your aggressive anger at meatball, and meatball recipe, quality.

I am you. I could have written this rant about the Meatball Situation. (I hope the mods don't delete your AskMe for rantiness)

There are only 2 answers. Neither fit your exact perfection of Baking Only, but a combo may come close.

- The Classic, with bread crumbs (or bread soaked in milk) and egg to make it uniform texture and hopefully airy.

OR

- The Spanish Tapas Version that adds a finely minced rib of lettuce.

Conclusion: Add the rib of lettuce!


Do not ask me why. Again, and again - it just works.
posted by jbenben at 12:55 AM on March 10, 2015 [7 favorites]

Half beef
Half Italian sausage
Onions and garlic that have been sautéed
Some hot pepper flakes
Oregano
Panko
Milk
Parmesan cheese
Hot oven (475)
Adapted from Meatballs and marinara from Cook's Country.
posted by potsmokinghippieoverlord at 12:55 AM on March 10, 2015 [2 favorites]

Eggs! I forgot eggs!
posted by potsmokinghippieoverlord at 12:56 AM on March 10, 2015

"Eggs! I forgot the Eggs!"

Ha! I forgot that Parmesan Cheese is an important texture and flavor component of the Classic Meatball recipe!

Were I you... I would make the Spanish Tapas basic ball part of the recipe with all ground beef + Parmesan, but make them the size I wanted, placed on a baking sheet.

Done.
posted by jbenben at 1:03 AM on March 10, 2015

So. In two links, I have your answer right here. (With bonus if you're willing to switch from 'trash sauce' to 'this-might-be-better-than-the-meatballs sauce')
#1: Daniel Gritzer's Italian-American Meatball Sandwich. But, you may be thinking, what good is a recipe for the perfect Meatball Sandwich without the meatballs to go with? And lo, that recipe links:
#2: Meatballs to match.

Bonus round:
Recipe #3, from the current king of cooking recipes, Kenji López-Alt: Ultimate Slow Cooker Meatballs
Recipe #4, also a López-Alt marvel, and a recipe which's never steered me wrong: *The best* red sauce.
posted by CrystalDave at 1:10 AM on March 10, 2015 [6 favorites]

My family recipe is a mix of beef and veal, garlic, salt, pepper, basil and oregano, Parmesan, breadcrumbs, a bit of milk and egg for binding. But it's one of those "I know the right proportions as I go" recipes. So in recompense I'll link Giallo Zafferano's oven baked meatballs recipe. Hit up Google translate with that and memail me if you have questions - I'd translate all of it if I didn't have my phone in one hand and a cranky newborn in the other :)
posted by romakimmy at 1:36 AM on March 10, 2015 [2 favorites]

It doesn't really take any extra time to include ground pork, and the taste will be much better. If you have a butcher, ask them to grind you a mix of beef and pork for meatballs. A lot of grocery stores also put out a package that is a combo of ground beef, pork, and veal (often called "meatball mix" or "meatloaf mix").
posted by telegraph at 3:39 AM on March 10, 2015 [5 favorites]

Mario Batali has a $5 cooking app with a marvellous meatball recipe that involves fresh breadcrumbs soaked in milk, along with eggs, some grated pecorino and garlic, salt, pepper, and lots of fresh parsley. The resulting mixture is on the verge of being liquid. You form the balls quite large (bigger than a golf ball, smaller than a baseball) and simmer them gently in homemade marinara sauce, more like poaching. They are phenomenal and light and reheat beautifully. I make a big batch and freeze for quick weeknight dinners.

His recipe calls for a mix of beef, pork, and veal, but he says you can use in any combination, or just one. I find that the veal helps give the meatballs a very tender, melting texture.
posted by amusebuche at 3:48 AM on March 10, 2015 [1 favorite]

For what is worth, at my Spanish home, albóndigas have always been made with ground beef mixed with a bit of minced garlic and parsley, then covered in flour, dunked in beaten egg, fried for a bit, then cooked in a wide pan with tomato sauce.

I deny any knowledge of lettuce or saffron in albóndigas, and moreover, minced meat dishes at bars (like croquettes and such) have always had the taint of the suspicion that they were ways to get rid of yesterday's leftovers. So, eh, not the most popular tapas unless you really trust the bar cook.
posted by sukeban at 3:56 AM on March 10, 2015

Ground beef, stale bread soaked in milk or breadcrumbs, minced garlic, fresh parsley, golden raisens, pine nuts, a beaten egg, salt and pepper. Yum. Now I want meatballs.
posted by Cocodrillo at 4:40 AM on March 10, 2015

Also sorry grated parmeson.
posted by Cocodrillo at 4:41 AM on March 10, 2015

My mom makes delicious sweet and sour meatballs. The meatball part is easy and you could substitute any sauce.

The meatballs are just-- groundbeef and spices. no breadcrumbs. no egg. no milk. no anything else. (for the spices I suggest salt, pepper, garlic, basil, oregano)

Form the meatballs well from your raw groundbeef, whatever size you prefer. Spend time with each meatball rounding it and patting it and working it well with your hands. Then place them all in a covered casserole dish and cook in a low oven (300f?) for a couple of hours (if they're large). Turn them a few times and drain off excess fat if you wish. If desired, add whatever sauce you are using to the meatballs for the last 30-60min of baking.
posted by fourpotatoes at 5:12 AM on March 10, 2015

In Australia we call these things rissoles, which are basically ground meat of any variety bound with breadcrumbs (I make my own by microwaving bread until it's hard and then crushing it with a rolling pin) and an egg. Add salt and pepper. That's the base. To that, you can add any flavours.

For Italian, I would add finely chopped onions, minced garlic, dried oregano, finely chopped fresh basil and rosemary, a dollop of tomato paste, some grated parmesan and, for a little more depth of flavour, some finely chopped mushrooms and bacon which have been sauted in a large frypan to release the water from the mushrooms and the fat from the bacon.

Mix everything together in a large bowl and then you can use that liquid (well heated) from the mushroom and bacon saute to quickly brown the rissoles which you've formed into balls slightly smaller than the size of tennis balls and then slightly flattened with an egg flip. Put the rissoles on a flat tray lined with baking paper and bake in the oven at 180c for about 25 minutes or so until cooked through.
posted by h00py at 5:22 AM on March 10, 2015

Marcella Hazan's meatballs, along with every other recipe from Classic Italian Cooking, is the answer.
posted by chesty_a_arthur at 5:24 AM on March 10, 2015

My wife's grandmother was raised during the depression. She didn't learn how to cook growing up, because her mother didn't want to risk losing any food to a badly prepared meal. When she got married and moved out on her own, the Italian lady next door taught her how to cook. This is her recipe for meatballs. It is a consistent crowd-pleaser: classic all-beef meatballs, satisfying, nothing odd or newfangled about it.

2 pounds ground beef (85% lean will taste better than 90-95%. Fat is yummy)
About 2/3 loaf of bread, crusts removed, softened in a bowl with milk
2 hands full parsley flakes
3 eggs
1 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
3-4 cloves garlic (minced)
salt & pepper
Mix well. Form into balls. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes until just a hint of pink inside.

You can eat these as is, but for the full effect, add the meatballs to the sauce and simmer for hours.

Sauce
Chop 1 large onion
4-5 cloves garlic (depends on size)
Saute in oil - do not let it brown
Add 1 large can Italian tomatoes (chop if necessary)
1/2 can water
2 cans tomato paste
2 cans water
tsp (scant) sugar
tsp (heaping) salt
pepper
1/2 tsp red pepper
1 tsp anise seed
1 tsp oregano
dash Worcestershire sauce
dash Tabasco
posted by alms at 5:34 AM on March 10, 2015 [8 favorites]

As far as I am concerned, this is the classic meatball recipe. If you don't want to dick around with veal and pork (and I never do), for this recipe buy a pound of Italian sausages. It will take approximately... 120 seconds to remove them from their casings.

And I'm sorry, but meatballs just do require browning in a pan, or else the color and texture once removed from the oven is not very palatable.

PS: Italian seasoning is a standard blend of herbs containing oregano, basil, marjoram, rosemary and thyme in equal proportion. Some people replace marjoram with sage. It makes almost no difference. Luckily, the recipe I just gave you doesn't use any so you can skip that point of apparent angst.
posted by DarlingBri at 5:37 AM on March 10, 2015

Here's my VERY easy technique for delicious meatballs:

about a pound of ground beef

(OPTIONAL but delicious:) about a half a pound of sweet (NOT hot) Italian sausage, squeezed out of casings

an egg

about a 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese ("real" cheese better than those cans)

Progresso *Italian-flavored* bread crumbs, about 1/2 cup

Salt and pepper to taste

Smoosh everything together with clean hands and then form meatballs.

I brown them in the pan before baking, using a bit of olive oil to coat pan. It seals in the flavor. It takes about 7 minutes and is worth the time. If you have a casserole pot you can use that on the stove to brown and then stick it in the oven to finish. (I don't know the baking temperature or time, because I don't bake my meatballs; I put the sauce on them after browning and simmer on the stove until meatballs are cooked all the way through).
posted by DMelanogaster at 5:49 AM on March 10, 2015 [1 favorite]

I've made these in the past, and they're pretty much what you're asking for. Yes, they're multi-meat, but I did mine w/ a package of ground beef and a package of ground pork, mixed. The secret is the lemon zest, which balances out the earthiness of the oregano and brings out the sharpness in the cheese. They can totally be baked.
posted by Gilbert at 6:38 AM on March 10, 2015

I'm Italian and have never made (or eaten) beef meatballs. Veal and pork, baby.
posted by lydhre at 7:29 AM on March 10, 2015 [1 favorite]

I mean, I've seen ingredients listed like "Italian seasoning." WTF is that?


I think they're referring to the pre-mixed jars of spices that you find in the spice section. Every brand will be a little different but Italian seasoning blends will almost always contain oregano; Penzy's Spices also contains basil, marjoram, thyme and rosemary but other blends will vary.

Since you're new to cooking, if you want to get a feel for which herbs and spices are used in different regional styles you could peruse the Penzy's site or read the labels on the jars at the market. It's also a good way to learn about good combinations, like lemon -+ pepper. (Beware of sodium levels. Better to buy salt-free and add your own salt to taste.)
posted by Room 641-A at 7:30 AM on March 10, 2015

Or rather, you can do veal and minced cold cuts (prosciutto, bologna, speck, etc). The veal is for tenderness and the cold cuts are for flavor. You can't get that with beef.

Add milk, bread, eggs, parsley, salt and pepper. Cook on the stove in good tomato sauce with a lot of onion.
posted by lydhre at 7:37 AM on March 10, 2015

Pork and beef? What, have I got all weekend to make these?

A non-beef protein is essential to a good meatball, IMO, and there's a reason you don't tend to see all-beef meatball recipes. Beef is succulent, but pork (or veal) has more flavor.

Bittman's meatball recipe in HTCE is my standby, and it's solid. I bake mine in a heavy pan for for around 20 mins (turning halfway through) in a 375-degree oven. I don't make enormous meatballs, though- I suspect you'll need to add liquid to prevent them from drying out.
posted by mkultra at 8:46 AM on March 10, 2015 [2 favorites]

"I don't make enormous meatballs, though- I suspect you'll need to add liquid to prevent them from drying out."

OP, this is why you borrow the technique of adding finely chopped rib of lettuce from the Spanish Tapas recipe I linked -- along with bread soaked in milk and squeezed out, the finely chopped lettuce ribs add moisture and keep the meatball from being too dense.

Once cooked, you'll never see or taste the lettuce in the finished meatball.
posted by jbenben at 9:25 AM on March 10, 2015

Response by poster: Thank you all so very much! I've got a lot of choices here, and I appreciate them all. I believe I will reconsider my stance on no pork (or other meat), as well as the baking only thing. If I need to use a skillet as well, what the hell. It's just a little more work, and if it makes better tasting meatballs, then it will be well worth it.

Also, sorry for the ranty tone of my question. I guess I've got a lot of meatball frustration and anger built up. I'll have to channel that energy into my meatball making pursuits.

Mefi and AskMe are the best. You people are great! Thanks again.
posted by InsertNiftyNameHere at 12:50 PM on March 10, 2015 [2 favorites]