If I want meat in my pasta sauce, I usually just go for the ground beef. It's so easy to just plop a hunk of ground beef in a pan and start browning it and breaking it up. Add a few seasonings and some marinara and, BAM!, dinner is ready in 30 minutes. Sometimes, though, it's fun to get fancy. And when I think fancy, I think meatballs.
For a while it seemed that every time a new Good Eats episode aired, I rushed out and got whatever I needed to make the featured recipes at home. I think it's because, at least it seems to me, those first few seasons focused on the basics, and the classic no frills way to make a lot of dishes we all know and love. I learned to make a lot of things that I still make to this day, these baked meatballs being one of them.
The recipe is very straight-forward. I adapted it a little, though. The original calls for ground lamb, and I do love lamb. It's just that it is so expensive here. If I do get ground lamb, I usually end up making gyros, but that's another post. I usually just go for beef and pork when making these meatballs and it turns out just fine.
As far as assembly goes, it's just a matter of putting all the ingredients together and mixing them up. Simple. Then, I get to use my digital scale. The 1.5 ounce portions make for just the right size meatballs that fit perfectly in mini muffin cups; thus, allowing the meatballs to retail the shape of a ball. Brilliant!
They taste amazing, too. The meatballs have a firm, but not tough texture. I also like that fact that I can use dried herbs, too, as they give the meatballs the right amount of Italian flavor. The spinach is also a nice tough for cleverly hiding a vegetable for the picky eaters in your group. And juicy, these meatballs are delightfully juicy.
Pile them on top of a nest of noodles or even use them for meatball subs, these meatballs are sure to please.
Baked Meatballs
Ingredients
1 pound ground pork
1 pound ground beef
5 ounces frozen spinach, thawed and drained thoroughly
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan
1 whole egg
2 teaspoons dried basil
1 1/2 teaspoons dried parsley
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3/4 cup Panko bread crumbs, divided
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Combine the pork, beef, spinach, cheese, egg, basil, parsley, garlic powder, salt, red pepper flakes, and 1/4 cup of the bread crumbs in a mixing bowl. Gently mix all of the ingredients until they are well incorporated.
Place the remaining 1/2 cup of bread crumbs in a smaller bowl. Using a scale, weigh meatball mixture into 1.5-ounce portions, and shape into rounds, roll the meatballs in the bread crumbs, and place in a miniature muffin cup.
Bake the meatballs for 20 minutes or until cooked through and golden brown and delicious.
