Mangia - Homemade Meatball Recipe

Most folks have a memory of a good roast as their main meal on Sunday.

Not mom. Her Sunday memory is full of meatballs, sauce, bread and pasta. So yesterday, she decided to make dinner from scratch, and share the meatball recipe with you. Well, it's not really "her" recipe - it's her mom's, who we call Meme. When she visited here a few months ago, mom made Meme measure out all the ingredients (instead of doing it by "feel").

Presenting, Homemade Meatballs by Meme

Ingredients:
2 pounds Ground Beef (80/20)
1 pound Ground Pork
1/2 Large Onion - Diced, Cooked and Cooled
3 Large Eggs
1 Cup Italian Bread Crumbs
1 Cup Grated Cheese
Salt and Pepper to Taste (about 4 pinches each)
Parsley for Color

Heat oven to 400 degrees

Put all of your ingredients into a large bowl

Mix the ingredients together. Be careful to not compress or overmix the meat. Put your hand into a "claw" and mix lightly with your hands. Compressing the meat or overmixing it will result in your meatballs not being light and moist.

Once everything is mixed together, roll them into balls. The size depends on your own preference. Mom likes large meatballs, so she makes them kind of huge. But any size you like is OK. Again, don't compress the meat when making the meatballs. Take a handful into your hands and lightly roll them into balls. 

Pop them into your heated oven, and cook for 15-30 minutes. Mom's usually take about 27-28 minutes. Meme's usually take 15-20. It all depends on your oven. 

The meatballs are done when the outside is slightly browned. 

Add the meatballs to your sauce. Don't forget to add the drippings - it adds flavor to your sauce. The meatballs will taste better after cooking for an hour or so in the sauce. 

Now, it's time to eat and enjoy! Mangia!