When both of my sons come home, they love for me to cook Italian recipes. I guess it is in their blood, as it is in mine. There is comfort for me to smell tomato sauce simmering in the kitchen. It reminds me of the times I would visit my Italian grandmother and love the smells in her kitchen. Both my Mom and my Grandmother were fantastic cooks. They never used recipes, they would use what fresh ingredients they had to prepare meals. I have many meatball recipes, but, this is our family favorite: the best meatball recipe.
It is best not to over mix the meat mixture. They can get tough. I prefer soft, moist meatballs.
1 egg
¾ cup milk
1 cup Italian bread crumbs
½ pound ground beef
½ pound veal
¼ pound pork
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
½ cup fresh-grated Roman cheese
8 Tablespoons chopped Italian parsley
Salt and pepper, to taste
In a large bowl, beat eggs lightly. Add milk and bread and let stand 5 minutes.
Add the ground meats, onions, garlic, cheese, parsley, salt, and pepper. Mix gently until well blended. Mixture should be moist, but should not fall apart when you form into 2-inch balls. I prefer to have them the size of golf balls.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil. Spray with vegetable oil. Place meatballs on foil lined baking sheet. Bake 25 minutes or until no longer pink in the middle.
Serve with your favorite sauce.
My boys love the leftover meatballs in sub sandwiches. I put some mozzarella cheese over the meatballs.
These also freeze well to use at a future date. If you freeze them before putting sauce on them, freeze them on a cookie sheet. When frozen, put them in a plastic freezer bag.