Meatball recipe?

[stacey79]

My husband and I were recently at a local restaurant and he ordered spaghetti with meatballs and loved the meatballs. He's not a big meat eater at all, so it was surprising. They were great.

Now I'm looking for a meatball recipe to try. Often at parties I avoid meatballs when they are slathered in BBQ. The vinegar does a number on my bladder. I can, however, eat tomato products, so spaghetti sauce would be fine. Onions are also fine for my bladder. Anybody have a good (and easy) meatball recipe? So far the ones I've found online have tons of ingredients and seem a bit complicated. I'm a simple girl! :)

[kadi]

I just take ground beef or chicken & mix breadcrumbs (or a crumbled toasted piece of bread), basil, oregano, garlic, & a little parmesan or mozzarella cheese into the ground meat. Then make little meatballs with it. I then cook them in a little chicken broth in a frying pan. I put the meatballs into a little broth, turn up the heat so the broth is on the edge of boiling, then put the lid on, & turn down the heat to simmer for about 25 minutes. These are delicious with lightly oiled pasta or brown rice...

[stacey79]

Can I ask why you cook them in chicken broth? Could I cook them in water or even tomato sauce? (I'm not exactly Betty Crocker here!) :rolleyes:

[kadi]

I don't know why... The recipe came like that--a friend made me a cookbook when I first got IC & this is her recipe! I'll ask her next time I talk with her:)

[stacey79]

I maybe should have mentioned that I'm a journalist. I could just be over-inquisitive! :) I like to know why things are like they are. For example, Rachael Ray said on her show to leave meat sitting out and let it get to room temperature before cooking it. I thought, "OK, great. Wonder why." The next day or so she explained that if you put it on cold, it tends to get tougher. Now that makes sense to me and will help me remember. Guess that's how my brain works!

I'm heading to the store this weekend and will probably try making some meatballs next week. I'll keep you all posted on whether they go well and if hubby will eat them. If not, I like leftovers! :)

[Golden Girl]

I think you would cook the meatballs in a little broth (or tomato sauce if you can do tomato products) to enhance the flavor. I can't figure out how Kadi's meatballs would stay together without an egg? Eggs are considered "binders" so I would add either one whole egg or two egg whites per pound of meat. Meatballs are sounding pretty good to me by now...

[Briza]

I also use veggie or chicken broth in lieu of or in addition to water in many things for more flavor: rice, couscous, soups, beans to name just a few.

Kadi said she makes her meatballs small, so maybe that is why they hold up without egg? Buy yeah, egg white does act as a good binder, so that might be necessary for larger meatballs.

[kadi]

Oops, you're right! Forgot the egg... Yes, mix an egg into the ground meat before forming meatballs. Also soak the bread in a little milk first before crumbling it into the mixture. (I don't know why...)

[Golden Girl]

I think the milk is to tenderize the meat. Its not always necessary, especially if the meatballs are small. I've also had great, tender meatballs that were cooked with ricotta cheese added. I'm hesitant to try to make those myself as I think they would be more likely to fall apart.

[stacey79]

I will have to remember the egg. My mom had told me before when making meatloaf (which I did for a family dinner once) to soak the bread in milk before adding it in. I think it softens it up to bind together better or something like that. Good call in that I may ask why, Kadi! :) I may try tomato sauce since I'm making them to go with spaghetti and I can get away with eating tomato products.

[Pac168r]

I use the same basic ingrediants but I bake my meat balls @ 350 until done.